The Villa Maria del Mar is a historic beachfront property in Santa Cruz, California, located on the bluffs overlooking Monterey Bay . It is owned and operated by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, a congregation of Catholic religious women. Through the ministry of hospitality, the sisters who run the Villa make their beautiful space available to contemplative and creative groups regardless of their religious affiliation. With a focus on the full development of each person, the Villa provides a peaceful environment where guests can be encouraged, restored, and renewed.

Though the Villa has its roots in this spot starting in the 1890s, the Main Building, where the reception, dining hall, and meeting rooms are located, was built in 1949. As a historic property, the facilities are clean, simple, and only modestly retrofitted for modern conveniences.

The Villa Maria del Mar has a garden on its grounds with stepping stone pathways and benches for reflection or viewing the Pacific Ocean. A set of stairs lead down to the beach, where you are welcome to walk the sands and jump into the chilly ocean waters.

The meals at Villa Maria del Mar are healthy and fresh, served cafeteria style. A salad bar is available at both lunch and dinner with a hot entrée option, including a vegetarian selection. Whole fruit and beverages are available all day long.

The Villa Maria del Mar serves several retreats at once and is unable to cater to individual allergies and dietary requests. If you need to supplement your meals, there is a refrigerator and microwave available for your use in the dining room.

To help ensure the health and well-being of our participants, any participant found to have a positive Covid test or a fever will not be allowed to attend the retreat.

We are asking that you bring 2 Covid tests and a thermometer with you. Anyone with symptoms of a communicable disease with a fever will be asked to test themselves. It would be wise to test yourself before you leave for the retreat.

There will be no refunds for those asked to leave the retreat.

We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover the workshop fees, the costs of travel, and medical and housing expenses in case you need to cancel or are found to have a communicable disease while on the retreat.

Pricing is per person.

Single Occupancy Room: $2,950

Double Occupancy Room: $2,550

Commuter: $2,350

The single and double occupancy room pricing includes the workshop fee, room, and board. Commuter pricing is for  the workshop fee and 2 meals (lunch and dinner).

Registration is a 2-part process. Part one is making your payment and part two is filling out a short form. Registration is not complete until both parts are completed, though completing your payment does secure your spot in the workshop. Begin registration by clicking a button below. If your preference is sold out, other options may be available.

To join the waitlist, fill out the form found by clicking here.

Cancellations and Refunds:

If you find that you cannot attend the workshop, let Jen know as soon as possible and she’ll try to fill your space. If she can fill your space, she’ll refund your payment, minus a $350 administrative fee which is non-refundable. The sooner you let us know, the more likely that we can fill your space.

We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to cover the workshop fees, the costs of travel, and medical and housing expenses in case you need to cancel or are found to have a communicable disease while on the retreat.

Questions and Concerns:

If you have any questions or concerns, please email Jen at jen@ellenbass.com.

MARIE HOWE is a Pulitzer Prize winner for her newest collection, New and Selected Poems, and a Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets. She was the Poet Laureate of New York State and is the author of four other books of poetry: Magdalene (Norton), The Kingdom of Ordinary Time (Norton), The Good Thief (which was chosen for the National Poetry Series), and What the Living Do. She has also co-edited In the Company of My Solitude: American Writing from the AIDS Pandemic. Her poems have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Agni, Harvard Review, and New England Review, among many others. Marie Howe received a Guggenheim and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence and NYU. In the words of Stanley Kunitz: “Marie Howe’s poetry is luminous, intense, and eloquent, rooted in an abundant inner life. Her long, deep-breathing lines address the mysteries of flesh and spirit, in terms accessible only to a woman who is very much of our time and yet still in touch with the sacred.”

www.mariehowe.com

ELLEN BASS is a Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets. Her most recent collection, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. Her other poetry books include Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Her poems appear  frequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. Among her awards are Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The NEA, and The California Arts Council, The Lambda Literary Award, and four Pushcart Prizes. She co-edited the first major anthology of women’s poetry, No More Masks!, and her nonfiction books include the groundbreaking The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth. Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and the Santa Cruz, California jails, and teaches in the MFA writing program at Pacific University.

www.ellenbass.com