3 - 5 June 2026
In this contemplative and creative three-day retreat, poet and priest Esther Lay will offer a programme of prayer, reading, discussion, and creative writing. Participants will have the chance to encounter both sacred and secular poetry spanning five centuries, from the magisterial and emotionally raw work of John Donne to the ecological protest poetry of Karen Solie, winner of the 2025 TS Eliot Prize. The retreat will be shaped around the daily offices and two writing workshops each day, with space for silence and independent writing in between.
Esther Lay is an Anglican priest, award-winning poet, and classical singer. Following a distinguished ten-year career in music, she trained for ministry at Cuddesdon and was the first woman to serve as curate of St Magdalen, Oxford. She is now Rector of Wootton, Glympton, and Kiddington in West Oxfordshire, where she lives with her husband and children. Details of published work can be found at estherlay.com.
11am on Wednesday 3rd to after lunch on Friday 5th June 2026 at Ripon College Cuddesdon.
Cost: £195, to include the programme, accommodation and meals.