Cultivating a Writer's Life
Cultivating a Writer’s Life is both virtual and physical meeting grounds for fellow word shepherds following Cultivating and The Maker’s Project. Over the course of Cultivating’s growth, we have looked for ways to offer our ‘loaves and fishes’ to those seeking the same encouragement and companionship that we nurture in house. We know that for every one of our fellowship members there are 100 more longing to be part of this work.
One way we know well that serves some of this need is experienced in conferences and workshops, and can be further met with a podcast and online webinars. In 2024 we launched our first writer’s conference in partnership with the C.S. Lewis Foundation, and we offered that extraordinary conference again in May 2026. This summer we will open up our first online workshops and post conference gatherings, and we will launch our long in the making podcast!
C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference | Shepherding words 2026
The C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference 2026!
Lancia E. Smith
Ten years ago three friends visited Glen Eyrie Castle exploring the possibility of it becoming a site for future C.S. Lewis Foundation events. What followed was a series of waiting periods and setbacks, detours and unforeseen changes in our lives. And yet when so much of it seemed truly out of reach, we saw the Lord do amazing things and what He brought to pass was beyond our first imagining. The result of all that? The birth of the
C.S. Lewis Writer's Conference!
Our approach to writer’s conferences is unique in the industry. We do
not
address how to build a “platform,” how to find an agent, how to write and pitch a successful proposal, or how to get published. Why? Because there are already outstanding Christian writer’s conferences that do that and we heartily recommend them. What we offer is different intentionally.
We believe that before writers can put their best work into print with truly lasting value, before all the focus is paid to the practical elements of publishing, attention must first be paid to something that comes before the process of publishing: the condition of the life of the writer. So, we tend writers themselves. We tend to the soul-craft of word shepherds.
In the
C.S. Lewis Writer's Conference
we offer you a gathering of ‘mere Christians’ in an ecumenical environment of welcome and kinship in Christ, surrounded by beauty and, in the Lord’s presence, we address the deep questions of where our words come from and what they are really for.
Esteeming Christ as Lord we share these values in common:
We believe that
words matter.
There is an age-old, bone-deep calling to carry words into the world that bear witness to the Holy I Am. Something woven right into our DNA as humans urges us to craft words. For some of us it is our primary calling for vocation, but for all of us, we bear a shared responsibility for how we shepherd words every single day. This isn’t just about getting published but about shepherding the living elements that form creation and reality.
More of Our Values
We believe that
place matters.
The C.S. Lewis Foundation has built its history on hosting conferences in exceptionally beautiful settings purposefully with the belief that beauty conveys truth and that place itself communicates realities about the nature of the Triune God. How we receive an experience is shaped by the environment in which it is offered. We chose Glen Eyrie to make the remarkable experiences of C.S. Lewis Foundation events available to those who may not be able to attend our events in Oxford, Cambridge, or Belfast, but deeply yearn for a taste of that. We chose Glen Eyrie to offer you a tangible foretaste of the Kingdom coming.
We believe
formation matters.
Human beings flourish in sound relationship with other humans and we thrive in community. Before we can create any meaningful expressions of human creativity, character must be established and nurtured both in the individual and in community. All the writers and artists we have loved and been shaped by over the years are people of deeply formed character. And the formation of deep-rooted souls is where the life-giving writing comes from.
The
C.S. Lewis Writer's Conference
is a truly one-of-a-kind event. There isn’t another conference exactly like this. If you are a writer, editor, publisher, agent, graphic designer, educator, song-writer, or student seeking to cultivate a life of word craft, ask the Lord if He is calling you here. If He is, ask Him to make a way for you to meet Him here. He is faithful. If He is calling you, He will provide the way for you to come. We look forward with all our hearts to welcoming you into the gathering of shepherds!
Back to the Start
“Easily the most beautiful writing conference I’ve ever attended—and not just because of the gorgeous venue. The entire weekend was a feast for heart and mind, from the thoughtful keynotes and breakout sessions to the delightful conversations with fellow writers over (delicious!) meals. A felt sense of joy permeated the rooms of Glen Eyrie, a testament to the time, effort, thought, and prayer that the organizers poured into this conference.”
— KI
“As a young adult, feeling blown about in her post graduate existence and wondering what place writing may still hold in her life…..this was perfect. The Lord used it all for exactly what I didn’t know I needed. I just told someone yesterday, “I don’t remember what it was like to be me before May.” Praise God.”
— M
“It is like church for writers!”
— SW
“The venue, Glen Eyrie Castle, was absolutely wonderful, and I believe it helped to quiet my mind as well as create an ambience of the sort of English world where Lewis himself was cultivated. Just as in a story, setting has its profound effect, and the conference itself would have not been the same if held elsewhere. This coupled, of course, with the people, who drove home how special it was for me.”
— JWLC
“This [conference] came at an opportune time for me. I was hesitant to think of myself as a writer, and the retreat helped me to realize that what I feel called to write might help meet a need of a person out in the world. My part in this is to take that step and let myself be vulnerable so that the Holy Spirit can take it from there.”
— JD
“I walked away from the C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference changed. You could feel the presence of God throughout the space. I not only grew astronomically in my writing, but my faith in God was also strengthened. The speakers all had such great wisdom to share and the fellow writers surrounding me were so kind and welcoming. I can say for certainty that that weekend in Colorado is one I will never forget.”
— BR
“The venue complemented the material. Though no doubt expensive, Glen Eyrie itself is good for the soul, and hosting an event that loves the world as God does without conforming to it in a venue that feels like a place out of time that also calls attention to the beauty of creation helps everything said here resonate all the more.”
— DR
“The conference at Glen Eyrie this past weekend was outstanding beyond all of my hopes!”
— DC
“There are lots of conferences that overwhelm you with ideas or throw you in the path of interesting people, but it’s rare for a conference to do what this one did — to create a cohesive experience that anoints and enriches, and commissions you in your craft of shepherding words to the glory of God, while also locating that craft in the bigger work of turning our lives toward worship.”
— Brian L. Brown, Anselm Society
“Thank you for the INCREDIBLE conference live streamed.”
— MG
“I attended the life-changing C.S. Lewis Writer’s Conference, put on Cultivating Oaks Press and the C.S. Lewis Foundation...Those two and a half days were some of the most life-giving of all my forty years. So much beauty, truth, and goodness utterly suffused and shot through with words that constantly brought everything back to God’s love. And I was left wondering where to go from here, as that weekend will definitely be one that defines my life. There was life before, and then life after, and they’re not the same. ”
— JT
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We look forward to connecting with you in all the ways we cultivate a writer’s life!
Lancia
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