# Tiny True Stories and Sketches - A Micro-Memoir Retreat with Authors Nadine Kenney Johnstone, Molly Wizenberg, and Hallie Bateman in Spain Spend a week writing and creating with Nadine Kenney Johnstone, Molly Wizenberg, and Hallie Bateman in the Cabo de Gata landscape, where sun, stone, and sea sharpen the senses and bring memory close to the surface. Dig into flash form and micro-memoir, learning what makes short personal work land with clarity and emotional weight. Learn how words and images can work together, and capture the trip itself through micro-memoirs in both visual and written form. Throughout the week, enjoy readings and Q&A over drinks, where Nadine, Molly, and Hallie sit in the hot seat and talk craft, process, publishing, and the realities of keeping work moving forward. Keep a sketchbook companion with you throughout the retreat, filling it with quick drawings, daily journal comics, messy thoughts, and snapshots of experience.Walk the Cabo de Gata coastline and collect sensory detail that turns into a scene: heat on skin, grit in the air, and the way light shifts on water until it changes what you remember. Take a tour of Almería and the historic Alcazaba, letting its layered walls, courtyards, and vantage points become a living lesson in transformation and what history leaves behind. Keep returning to your notebook, translating place into language that feels lived-in rather than observed.Relax in your private room surrounded by cacti, tiled paths, and sweeping views of the horizon. Share meals together each day, linger over dinner and conversation after workshop hours. Leave with a portfolio of micro memoirs and a sketch journal of your time in Spain. ## Details - **Dates:** October 26 - November 2, 2026 - **Location:** Níjar, Almería, Spain - **Starting Price:** $5,200 - **Category:** Painting ## Program ### Tiny True Stories and Sketches - A Micro-Memoir Retreat Join authors Nadine Kenney Johnstone, Molly Wizenberg, and Hallie Bateman in Cabo de Gata Natural Park for an immersive writing and storytelling retreat centered on memoir, flash forms, visual narrative, and real-world publishing insight. Write from lived experience, then shape those moments into powerful Tiny True Stories that hold depth inside tight forms.This retreat welcomes all levels of experience, though you’ll benefit if you're already familiar with the work of instructors Nadine Kenney Johnstone, Molly Wizenberg, and Hallie Bateman. You’ll receive direct guidance from each instructor in small groups and one-on-one moments throughout the retreat. Nadine and Molly will work closely on your writing, while Hallie will support the visual storytelling side through comics and sketchbook journaling.Throughout the week, you’ll build a stronger relationship with attention. Focus on noticing the details that turn memory into scene and scene into meaning. You’ll experiment with flash writing, hermit crab essays, Tiny Love Stories, lists, letters, and other short forms that open new access points into personal storytelling. Alongside the writing, Hallie will guide a daily sketchbook and autobiographical comics practice, using drawing as a companion to reflection and narrative.Gather raw material on a guided visit to Almería’s historic Alcazaba, sketch and write along the dramatic Cabo de Gata coastline, and spend a relaxed lunch in the seaside town of San José. Indulge in mindfulness and visualization exercises that help you write effectively from memory instead of straining to “get it right.” Most evenings close with relaxed Q&A over drinks.The topics covered during your lessons will include:Understanding flash formsCapturing small, emotionally powerful momentsWriting effectively from memoryDrawing from life experiences to capture key momentsWriting humorWriting your truthUsing writing to better understand your lifeCultivating a life of attentionRevision strategiesStrategies for getting started from different access pointsLearning different structures and prose forms for different themes and ideasLearn to develop a sketchbook practice and come away from the trip with a beautifully illustrated travelogue How images and words together create a new language with infinite possibilitiesHow daily autobiographical comics can awaken story sense and capture memory for future artDeveloping an enduring practice that can be life-giving and life-saving…and much more!Nestled in the heart of Cabo de Gata Natural Park, your retreat venue is a peaceful oasis surrounded by the region's dramatic natural beauty. With its rustic charm, gardens brimming with native plants, and panoramic views of the rugged terrain, the finca offers endless sources of inspiration. Whether exploring its tranquil pathways or relaxing in the welcoming common areas, you’ll find the perfect setting to immerse yourself in your art and connect with your surroundings. ### Day 1: Arrival Arrive at Almería Airport (LEI) and catch your 3:30 PM transfer to the retreat venue, a short 30-minute journey. Settle into your comfortable room, take some time to relax, and get ready to meet Nadine, Molly, Hallie and your fellow writers. Join an orientation tour to explore the bright studio, peaceful gardens, inviting terraces, and the refreshing pool. Over a fabulous welcoming dinner, enjoy a relaxed conversation about the week ahead while savoring local Spanish flavors and a glass of regional wine. ### Day 2: Classes at the venue Fuel up over breakfast and ease into a week centered on true stories and real conversations about how to develop a sustainable creative practice. Begin with a warm morning check-in, where the group will walk through the week ahead and how each day will unfold.The morning opens with Nadine, Molly, and Hallie together. They will introduce the content for the week, followed by introductions from everyone in the group. Each instructor will share their relationship to memoir, personal essays, and short-form writing, creating a shared vocabulary and a range of access points for how you can approach story.From there, you’ll explore the core questions of the day: what is a micro-memoir, why focus on short pieces, and what makes a flash work effective? Hallie will then introduce comics and sketchbook work, showing how visual storytelling and writing connect. The morning wraps with an exercise that serves as a warm-up and icebreaker, getting words and images flowing right away.Enjoy a refreshing lunch, then return to the workshop space for the afternoon workshop session with Nadine.Nadine will guide you through writing 100-word "Tiny Love Stories" like those published in the New York Times, as she has helped more than a dozen authors get their stories published there. The focus will be on capturing moments of love in 100 words or less while avoiding clichés and familiar tropes. You’ll work on expressing tenderness with clarity, learning how brevity can deepen emotional impact. Nadine will also talk about how these tiny stories can spark longer projects and how longer work can be distilled into powerful short pieces.As the afternoon winds down, enjoy some space to decompress or continue refining your writing and sketches. Before dinner, gather for drinks and discuss your craft or different writing prompts.The evening concludes with a relaxed dinner paired with local wines, closing the day in a calm and welcoming atmosphere. ### Day 3: Classes at the venue Wake to a hearty breakfast at the venue, then head to the workshop space for the morning session.Hallie will introduce the visual language of comics, drawing from her own work and from autobiographical comics artists to show how images and words work together to tell personal stories. Each of you will complete an “artistic license,” including drawing a self-portrait as a way to loosen up and step into visual storytelling.You’ll then move into a primer on keeping a sketchbook and creating daily journal comics throughout the retreat. Hallie will explain how the sketchbook becomes a companion for drawing and writing, holding messy thoughts, quick on-location sketches, reflections, and small moments from each day. The morning continues with a micro-memoir comic exercise, where you’ll draw and write short comics that capture brief moments in time. The focus will be on documenting the trip itself through small, meaningful snapshots, building a continual journaling practice that unfolds across the week.Take a pause for lunch at the venue and let the morning’s pages settle.Return to the workshop space for the afternoon workshop led by Molly. Using short readings by Richard Blanco and Sandra Cisneros, you'll learn how to rebuild memories through the process of writing and turn them into meaningful short essays. Molly will share an approach that she's relied upon for years in her own work, as well as a versatile prompt that you can use not only today but also take home with you.Before dinner, gather for Q&A over drinks with Nadine, Molly, and Hallie, where the instructors will be in the hot seat and you can ask about their writing processes, teaching approaches, creative habits, or publishing paths. Close the day with dinner at the venue and local wine, sharing stories and pages as the evening settles in. ### Day 4: Trip to Almería & drinks at a special establishment Delight yourself with breakfast while the light is still soft, then set out for a half-day trip to Almería, a city where white walls reflect the sun and stories seem to linger in every corner.Begin with a guided visit to the historic La Alcazaba, walking through its gates, courtyards, and stone paths while gathering inspiration along the way. Pay attention to the sounds of the city and the small details that catch your eye. Sit in quiet spots to sketch in your sketchbooks, capturing moments through both drawing and writing as the day unfolds. Pause for a relaxing drink at one of Almería’s most charming local establishments, giving yourself time to reflect and add a few more snapshots to your sketchbook before returning to the venue in time for a late lunch.After lunch, head back to the workshop space for the afternoon workshop led by Hallie.Begin with a fun exploration using art supplies and drawing warm-ups to get hands moving and ideas flowing. Share selections from your daily comics and sketchbooks so far, followed by group discussion. Hallie will guide you through editing and refining comics, experimenting with different materials such as pencil, ink, and mixed media at various stages of the process. Continue creating a daily comic, with an emphasis on practice rather than perfection. You’ll also explore how to structure a comic and how individual daily comics can come together into a cohesive whole. Short bursts of daily comic-making will be introduced as a creative and reflective exercise that can be returned to throughout life.Take some spare time afterward to rest, reread, keep drafting, or add to your sketchbook. Before dinner, gather for Q&A over drinks with Nadine, Molly, and Hallie, where you can ask about their craft, concrete prompts, short readings used in class, submissions, publishing paths, or sustaining a creative practice when the work feels tender.Close the day with dinner and local wine, carrying the city’s heat, stone, and shadow into the pages you’ll continue shaping. ### Day 5: Classes at the venue Kick off the day with a nourishing breakfast as morning light gathers over the hills, then head into the workshop space for the morning workshop led by Nadine.Nadine will introduce "the Hermit Crab" essay method and other playful forms for micro-memoir. You’ll explore and experiment with different forms, taking existing familiar shapes and filling them with memory and meaning. Focus on trying multiple structures for your tiny stories, seeing how each form changes the emotional impact and energy on the page. Expect a lively, hands-on approach centered on play, discovery, and creative risk.Pause midday for lunch at the venue, taking time to reset and let your writing settle.In the afternoon, return to the workshop space for a workshop led by Molly. You'll build on what you learned in Nadine's morning session, continuing your exploration of the many shapes that personal narrative writing can take. We often think of a piece's structure as something a writer arrives at over many drafts, but how might you benefit from choosing a structure at the outset, like a mold to pour your material into? You'll read and discuss essays structured like lists, as well as essays in the form of letters, finding inspiration in the clarity of focus these shapes provide. Then Molly will offer an exercise to help you try your hand at one of these two forms.After some spare time to rest, gather for Q&A over drinks with Nadine, Molly, and Hallie. As evening arrives, come together for dinner with local wine, sharing stories and lines from the day and settling into a deeper sense of your own voice. ### Day 6: Trip to Cabo de Gata Natural Park Start the day with a delightful breakfast before setting out to explore the striking wilds of Cabo de Gata Natural Park. This protected UNESCO Geopark unfolds in soft, earthy tones, where rugged cliffs, rolling hills, and flowering shrubs create an ever-changing palette of color and light.Spend the morning immersed in the landscape, sitting and seeing as you absorb your surroundings. Take time for reflective writing and sketching on location, along with mindfulness and visualization exercises that help you tune into what you notice and how it feels. Play with different vantage points as you observe, zooming in on small details, then widening out to take in the broader scene. Your sketchbook may hold quick drawings, sensory notes, or snapshots of the moment as the park unfolds around you.Pause for lunch in San José and enjoy the rhythms of the small town before returning to the venue in the afternoon.Back at the workshop space, begin by decorating the cover of your sketchbook, personalizing the companion that has been filling with drawings and writing throughout the retreat.The rest of the afternoon is open for focused, independent work. Settle into concentrated writing time together or continue working on your sketchbook cover. You may choose to go deeper into the piece you hope to share during the Student Reading on the final evening.As the afternoon fades, unwind with a stroll around the venue or continue creating if inspiration still flows. Wrap up the day with a relaxed dinner prepared by the chef, accompanied by a glass of local wine. ### Day 7: Classes at the venue Ease into the final morning over breakfast, then gather for a closing revision session that brings focus back to your draft.The morning begins with a clear walkthrough of the revision process, introducing the three-step CAM method: Cut, Add, and Move. Learn how to approach your work with fresh eyes and make purposeful changes that strengthen your work. From there, the group will break into smaller feedback circles led by each instructor. Nadine, Molly, and Hallie will guide feedback workshops centering on the piece you'd like to share at the final reading.After lunch, shift into individual revision time, implementing feedback. During this time, you will have the opportunity to refine your work further, ensuring it reflects your unique voice and vision.Later in the afternoon, gather for the Student Reading, where you will share excerpts of your work, celebrating the creativity that has unfolded throughout the week. Conclude the retreat with a closing circle led by Nadine, Molly, and Hallie, reflecting on the process, the growth, and the momentum you’ll carry forward into your creative life.As evening arrives, settle in for a farewell dinner with local wines. Raise a glass to the pages you wrote, the courage it took to write them, and the stories that will keep unfolding long after this week ends! ### Day 8: Departure Enjoy a light breakfast, bid farewell to Nadine, Molly, Hallie, and your group, and board the 10:00 AM transfer to Almería Airport (LEI). You'll reach your destination at around 10:30 AM. ## Instructors - **Nadine Kenney Johnstone ** - Award-winning author, podcast host, and writing coach - **Molly Wizenberg ** - Award-winning writer, teacher, and podcaster - **Hallie Bateman ** - Bestselling illustrator, writer, and cartoonist ## Accommodation ### Spanish countryside estate ### Hilltop single standard ensuite room ### Single standard ensuite room ### Single superior ensuite room (stair access) ### Single superior ensuite room - open terrace ### Single superior ensuite room - enclosed terrace ### Single standard suite - open terrace ### Single superior suite - enclosed terrace ## Book This Retreat Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/tiny-true-stories-sketches-micro-memoir-retreat-authors-nadine-kenney-johnstone-molly-wizenberg-hallie-bateman-spain](https://uptrek.com/retreat/tiny-true-stories-sketches-micro-memoir-retreat-authors-nadine-kenney-johnstone-molly-wizenberg-hallie-bateman-spain) to make a reservation. *Provided by [UpTrek](https://uptrek.com)*