Are you looking for a space amidst your busy life to connect more deeply with yourself and your community in a supportive and inspiring environment?
Touchstone Retreats offers you the chance to immerse yourself in the creative process of sharing your stories through art and writing. We facilitate weekend and day-long art and writing retreats at Alton L. Collins Retreat Center in Estacada, Oregon.
We also facilitate retreats for organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest. We provide specialized programing for staff retreats, spiritual and meditation programs, and community groups including caregivers, educators, counselors, artists, writers, and social justice activists.
We invite you to:
Take a break from your responsibilities and enjoy the opportunity for self-reflection and creativity.
Allow yourself to be nurtured and nourished, supporting the process of regeneration and renewal.
Embark on your own journey of transformation, stepping more fully into your personal power and expressing your authentic voice and vision.
Share insight, inspiration, and wisdom through deepening community connection.
We honor writing and art as a creative process that belongs to all people. Each person’s voice is unique and of value. All writing, art and creativity is welcome here. No previous experience is necessary, just an openness to exploration.
*Artwork & Illumination photograph on this page by Lisa Kagan
Emergence: Coming into Balance ~ A Journey of Flow, Care & Compassion:
Sunday, April 16th, 2023 from 10:00am-5:00pm at Alton L Collins Conference & Retreat Center. Click here for more details
Here is what participants have to say about Touchstone Retreats Fall 2019 Retreat: Self-Portrait of the Inner Landscape, Exploring Personal Mythology Through Writing and Mask Making
"I have now been to two art and writing retreats with Dawn Thompson and Lisa Kagan and both provided so much healing for my soul. There is nothing like gathering with others to create. Much like meditating with a group of people, the experience is very powerful in a way that cannot be replicated on your own. Dawn and Lisa are both very thoughtful, kind and supportive and just an inspiration to work with. I feel very nurtured with them, even (especially) at my most vulnerable moments sharing my work with the group. I am so grateful for them and can’t wait to retreat with them again!"
– Touchstone Retreats Participant, Summer 2022
“Extraordinary things happen when a group of women come together and commit to writing, creating, and exploring in nature. Dawn and Lisa of Touchstone Retreats provided a safe, nurturing space to simply be— without judgment or expectation. We were invited as individuals to experience our weekend as we needed. There’s such freedom in that. I wrote, hiked, put my feet up, and got my fingers sticky with paint. It was fantastic! Our group quickly became a unique type of family, forged in a creative space so often unattainable in the bustle of modern life. The delicious, locally-sourced meals prepared by an amazing chef made the weekend extra special. This was a writing and art retreat, but it was also a nature and foodie retreat! Dawn and Lisa are two of the most welcoming and talented humans I’ve ever met. I left feeling loved, nurtured, and inspired. I can’t wait for the next Touchstone retreat!”
– Touchstone Retreats Participant, Fall 2019
“I registered for this retreat because I wanted time away in the forest with like-minded creatives. It was so much more ~ from the beautiful venue to the incredible meals & ‘forest bathing’ to the deep dive into writing & mask making, it was a pure joy. I hope to attend many more.”
– Touchstone Retreats Participant, Fall 2019
“I recommend this retreat to women who are looking for a safe place to connect with their inner voice and creativity, and also to connect with kindred spirits. Life is such a hectic race through our to-do lists that we hardly ever disconnect not only from electronics, but from our self-talk to do more and be more. Taking time for reflection is so important. Participating in a retreat like this is a way to be kind to yourself through taking time to write and create.”
– Touchstone Retreats Participant, Fall 2019
About Touchstone Retreats Facilitators:
Lisa Kagan is a writer, artist, educator and personal historian. Her business, Family Heirloom Arts, is dedicated to helping individuals and families celebrate their life stories and significant life milestones through the creation of illustrated heirloom books and custom art. Lisa offers art and writing workshops and retreats throughout the Pacific Northwest and is a facilitator through Portland Women Writers. Lisa believes in the transformative nature of the creative process to heal, empower, challenge, inform, and awaken the human spirit. Lisa has published two books of original art and poetry, Coming Home to Myself (2021) and Emergence (2009).
Dawn Thompson oversees and facilitates workshops and retreats through Portland Women Writers. She was a staff member for Write Around Portland and has held writing circles for caregivers, adults in assisted living and memory care. Dawn holds on-going writing circles for individuals healing from cancer at Oregon Health Science University. She believes writing our stories, whether they originate from our life experience or our imagination, is a sacred act that liberates, heals and transforms us.
Please contact us with questions, to register for our upcoming retreats, or to brainstorm on ideas for bringing a Touchstone Retreats program to your community.
