The Society's Literary Escapes

Places, books, and the women.

Read. Travel. Belong.

Each literary escape begins with a curated reading list months before departure — so by the time you arrive, you've already read this place, and the women you'll travel with have read it too.

2026–2028 on the calendar

Each escape is curated months in advance — reading list, location, women, the works. Browse below; reach out to be added to the inquiry list for any that catch you.

Nov 28 – Dec 5, 2026 · New York → Southampton

QM2 Literary Festival at Sea

Voyage M632 · 7 nights · Cheltenham Literature Festival at Sea · $1,667 pp + tips

Seven nights crossing the Atlantic aboard Queen Mary 2, with the Cheltenham Literature Festival bringing authors, journalists, and historians aboard. Book through the Society and you won't arrive as a stranger.

Booking open
March 2027 · Barbados → Martinique

Age of Sail: Windward Islands

Hosted cohort · 8 women · 7 nights aboard the Royal Clipper

Eight women. Five months of reading together. One week on a five-masted tall ship in the Caribbean. Barbados to Martinique. The arc starts in October. This is the spring break you never actually got.

Booking open
October 2027 · Harrogate, North Yorkshire

A Literary Escape to Yorkshire

Hosted cohort · 8 women · 8 nights at the Boar's Head, Ripley Castle

Eight women. Five months of reading the same books. One week in Yorkshire at the Boar's Head at Ripley Castle. Day trips to York and Fountains Abbey. One evening in the ruins with wine and a choir. Betty's. The train from King's Cross. The arc starts in May.

Booking open
June 2028 · The Burren, County Clare

The Long Light: West of Ireland

Hosted cohort · 8 women · 8 nights at Gregans Castle Hotel

Eight women. Five months of reading Irish women's fiction. One week on the limestone edge of the Atlantic. The Burren in June, when the wildflowers are out and the sun doesn't set until after nine. The arc starts in January.

Expressions of interest

2028 and beyond — in development.

The Society's lineup grows. Retreats currently in development include literary escapes to Istria, Croatia; Alaska in winter; Transylvania by rail; a Dark Danube gothic literary cruise; and a literary Promised West aboard VIA Rail's The Canadian. Join the inquiry list to be first when each opens.

First on the list.

Expressions of interest open before public booking. Join the list and get first call when each retreat opens.