We caught up with College of Charleston MFA graduate Lorne Chambers (MFA, 2023), who has recently launched the Stumphouse Writers’ Retreat in Long Creek, South Carolina.

You graduated from the MFA program in 2023. When did you get the idea for a writers’ retreat? What were you hoping to achieve?

LC: At the start of my second year of the MFA program, I applied and was lucky enough to get accepted into a writers’ residency in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Over fall break, I spent several nights there working on what would become my thesis. I was so grateful for the opportunity to focus solely on my writing for an extended period that after graduation, I came up with the idea to create an environment that would offer other writers a similar experience to the one I had.

How did you put the Stumphouse Writers’ Retreat together? For example, how did you choose the location?

LC: Fortunately, my good friends own this wonderful campground in Long Creek, SC, at the foothills of the Blueridge Mountains. There’s a restaurant on-site and a cozy lodge with nine guest rooms that make for perfect private writing studios. My wife and I have been camping here several times over the years and fell in love with the property’s serenity and all that the area offered. The last time we were there, we pitched the idea of the Stumphouse Writers’ Retreat to our friends, and they were thrilled about the prospect of hosting writers over the course of four or five days a few times a year. Over the course of a couple of months, we worked out the logistics, and everything else fell into place.

Tell us a little bit about the retreat. Who is eligible to apply? What kind of opportunities should writers expect to find there? What is the “Stumphouse experience” like?

LC: We open the application to writers of all levels, whether they work in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or journalism. I like to be very open about this being a “rustic writers’ retreat.” But that doesn’t mean you’re roughing it. The rooms/studios are comfortable, and the property offers many great places for writers to find inspiration. Our goal is to give folks the time and space to focus on their work by ensuring their meals are provided for and that they have everything that they may need during their stay. There are desks in each room, but we also strategically place platform workstations, which we call “writer pods,” along the creek for those who prefer to immerse themselves in nature. Because the region is so rich in history and natural beauty, we also try to schedule a few optional excursions for those who want to take a break from their writing and hike or hang out by the Chattooga River.

How do you think your time in the MFA program influenced your decisions to launch a writers’ retreat?

LC: More than anything, my time in the MFA program showed me the importance of having a writing community. I found it invaluable to have like-minded people who were supportive while also offering honest feedback. After graduation, I searched for a way to stay connected to the writing world and yearned for that kind of comradery. Creating Stumphouse Writers’ Retreat has helped me stay connected to that community, and I hope it will do the same for other writers.

Any words of advice for folks thinking about either starting a writers’ retreat or attending one?

LC: As I try to get my own writing out into the world, I’m learning the importance of making connections. It’s the same as in business, but the literary world seems so much competitive and intimidating. So, I feel like anything we can do as writers to build relationships and maybe stick a feather in our cap here and there can only help. Attending residencies and retreats is a great way to do this. Creating your own retreat is a lot of work, but if you have the time, resources, and connections, it’s also very rewarding.

Lorne Chambers is an award-winning journalist whose work has been featured in numerous publications. Based in Charleston, SC, he is the owner and editor of two community newspapers. In addition to his journalistic career, Lorne is a writer of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the College of Charleston. As the founder and Executive Director of the Stumphouse Writers Retreat, Lorne continues to nurture the creative community through curated writing retreats in Long Creek, SC.

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