Unleash Your Story
The Ultimate Writer’s Journey to Morocco
An 8-day creative writing journey through Morocco during the Marrakech’s storytelling festival
An 8-day creative writing journey through Morocco during the Marrakech’s storytelling festival
Overview
A Journey for Writers Who Want More Than a Retreat
This is an immersive, on‑the‑ground experience designed for writers who want their work to come from real moments, real places, and real cultural depth. This is not an all-day-in-the-hotel-conference-room type of retreat.
Set during Marrakech’s International Storytelling Festival, the journey seamlessly brings together cultural visits, local meals, creative workshops, festival experience, and intimate writing workshops led by Holly Kammier — award-winning author, founder of Acorn Publishing, and 2025 Publisher of the Year at the San Diego Writers Festival.
This January, we invite a small group of writers and writing-minded travelers to leave the blank screen behind and join an intimate circle for an extraordinary journey designed to open up your senses, elevate your craft, and give you meaningful access to a publishing professional in a setting shaped by travel, reflection, and story.
You do not need to be a professional author to join. This experience is designed for writers, journalers, storytellers, and creative travelers who want to use travel to deepen their writing practice, notice the world with a writer’s eye, and return home with reflections, pages, or the beginning of a story that is uniquely their own.
Overview
A Journey for Writers Who Want More Than a Retreat
This is an immersive, on-the-ground experience designed for writers who want their work to come from real moments, real places, and real cultural depth.
Set during Marrakech’s International Storytelling Festival, the journey brings together cultural visits, local meals, festival experiences, and intimate writing workshops led by Holly Kammier, award-winning author, founder of Acorn Publishing, and 2025 Publisher of the Year at the San Diego Writers Festival.
This January, we invite a small group of writers and writing-minded travelers to leave the blank screen behind and join an intimate circle for an extraordinary journey shaped by travel, reflection, and story.
You do not need to be a professional author to join. This experience is designed for writers, journalers, storytellers, and creative travelers who want to deepen their writing practice and return home with reflections, pages, or the beginning of a story that is uniquely their own.
Why the Storytelling Festival Matters
Marrakech is one of the last places on earth where the ancient art of oral storytelling is still a living part of daily culture. For centuries, traditional storytellers have gathered in the city's vibrant square, Jemaa el-Fnaa, using nothing but voice, rhythm, and gesture to hold crowds spellbound.
For a writer, stepping into this festival, where performance spaces range from grand central tents to intimate riad courtyards, is a masterclass you cannot get in a traditional classroom. It strips away the mechanics of formatting, forcing you to look at the raw skeleton of what makes a narrative work.
By hearing stories performed aloud, you will learn how cadence, suspense, and audience connection translate directly to your written page, helping you keep readers turning your own pages.
The Workshop Experience with Holly Kammier
This journey is structured to give you intentional, consistent access to Holly’s publishing expertise while leaving plenty of room
for exploration and independent reflection.
Four Core Creative Workshops
Holly will lead four structured workshops throughout the week. These sessions focus on the practical craft of writing, helping you capture sensory details, build narrative tension, and translate the raw inspiration of Morocco onto the page.
Guided Writing Sessions
Following our festival visits and cultural excursions, you will participate in dedicated writing sessions. These moments are designed to help you immediately channel your experiences into fresh material while the inspiration is still vivid.
A Private One on One Consultation
Every participant will have a private, dedicated session with Holly to discuss their personal writing goals. Whether you want feedback on a current manuscript, advice on navigating the modern publishing industry, or help organizing your creative ideas, this is your time to get expert, individualized direction.
What’s Included
✦ Boutique stays: Handpicked Riads and hotels
✦ Meals: Daily breakfast plus select lunches and dinners
✦ Culinary experiences: Cooking classes, market and spice shop visits
✦ Cultural connections: Guided tour of historic landmarks; craft making workshop
✦ Storytelling festival access: Festival logistics support
✦ Entrance fees: All included sites and experiences as per final itinerary
✦ Guides: Trusted local experts and guides
✦ Private transportation: Comfortable, air‑conditioned vehicle
✦ Airport transfers: Pick‑up and drop‑off at the Marrakech airport
✦ Baggage handling and porterage: Assistance where available
What’s Not Included
✦ International airfare and related travel costs
✦ Passport and visa fees, if required
✦ Gratuities for guide, driver, hotel staff, and local hosts.
✦ Personal expenses such as alcohol, laundry, and phone calls
✦ Travel insurance and medical coverage (Required)
✦ Expenses resulting from delays or circumstances beyond the control of Morocco Bahja Tours
Join the waitlist to get notified when
final details are released.
We will reach out when the final itinerary details
are ready.
Meet the Founder & Trip Curator
Hi, I'm Sue. I was born in Iran and left as a teenager during the war. You don't forget what it feels like to leave a place that shaped you.
When I first traveled to Morocco, something felt deeply familiar. A version of home I hadn't felt in decades.
The generosity, the architecture, the way strangers welcomed me without hesitation.
I spent over 20 years in marketing and strategy at some of the world's leading companies, understanding what people truly need from an experience and making sure it is delivered. I bring that same thinking to every journey I create.
Over multiple extended trips, including six weeks earlier this year, I built the local relationships that make our journeys possible. Guides who grew up in the traditions they share. Families who open their homes. Artisans who let you into their craft.
Travel is at its best when it changes something in you. This journey is designed to send you home with fresh perspective, new pages, and inspiration that lasts long after the trip ends.
