RAINY LAKE – Fourteen Ely teen girls recently participated in the second annual writers retreat on Rainy Lake’s Atsokan Island. They were joined by authors Mary Casanova and Margi Preus to enjoy both solitude and fellowship as they honed their writing skills.
“Students walked away from this retreat with renewed energy to follow their dreams, the skills to both take and give constructive criticism, and a supportive sisterhood of fellow writers,” said Heather Cavalier, middle school language arts teacher at ISD 696. She was joined by fellow teacher Molly Olson
“The island stay was extremely special because it is the setting for Casanova’s historical fiction novels Frozen, Ice Out, and her newly published third book in the series, Waterfall,” she said.
Cavalier noted that because so many girls participated this year, they were able invite Preus, a New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Honor book Heart of a Samurai and other notable books for young readers, including the Minnesota Book Award-winning West of the Moon. 
Preus’ books have been honored as ALA/ALSC Notables, selected as an NPR Backseat Book Club pick, chosen for community reads, and translated into several languages. New titles include Village of Scoundrels, The Littlest Voyageur, and The Silver Box, part of the Enchantment Lake mystery series. Before writing full time, Preus taught Fiction Writing at UMD and Creative Writing at the College of St. Scholastica. 
The local girls who participated in the retreat included Esther Anderson, Evelyn Cavalier, Zoe Devine, Sydney Durkin, Margaret Fetterer, Abigail Johnson, Morgan Lassi, Morgan McClelland, Ella Nappa, Cora Olson, Abigail Rehbein, Lauren Rehbein, Sylvia Shock and Juliet Stouffer. 
During the five-day retreat the girls enjoyed both solitude and fellowship.
“In the mornings the authors met with each girl individually to conference about writing,” Cavalier said. “When not meeting, the girls spread out across the island to write (on porch swings, on the dock, in the historic lodge, or in nature). The afternoons were spent together as a whole group, sharing inspirations and learning new techniques. Our group meals were full of lively conversation and bonding laughter. In the evenings we played improv games, found more time to write, and continued conversations around the campfire or in the sauna.”
Cavalier has hopes to make the writing retreat a tradition for Ely teen girls who love to write.
“The girls all enjoyed it so thoroughly that they will return again next year, along with six more teen girls in grades 8-11. I plan on taking up to twenty girls next year,” she said. 
The endeavor received generous support from the Ely community.
“The Ann Bancroft Foundation awarded three of the girls a $500 Dare to Dream Grant,” she added.
Donations toward next summer’s trip can be sent to Camp Atsokan, c/o Story Portage, PO Box 286, Ely MN 55731, or made online at www.givemn.org/organization/Story-Portage.