What is Books in the Woods?
Books in the Woods is a book arts retreat created exclusively for members of the Handmade Book Club at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. Ali and the team have carefully curated teachers, classes, and activities to provide members with an unforgettable experience that goes far beyond the studio.
It’s an inspiring time to gather, deepen existing relationships, form new ones, and immerse ourselves in creativity together.
Together, we will:
•Create side by side in the same studio, celebrating our shared love of book arts, learning new techniques and drawing inspiration from one another.
•Share stories, laughter, and a glass of wine around the fire, building memories we’ll carry with us forever.
•Form connections that turn fellow members into close friends, and perhaps even lifelong kindred spirits.
Whether you’re reuniting with friends from a previous retreat or joining us for the first time, this gathering is all about fostering connection, creativity, and community. It’s an experience that will leave your heart full and your hands inspired—and we can’t wait to share!
What Makes Books in the Woods so Special?
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO HEAR FROM PAST PARTICIPANTS
What's Included:
Single Room
27 Spots Available
Enjoy 4 nights' accommodation in a single room with shared bathroom, 3 delicious meals per day, 3 days of classes, 24 hour studio access, all class supplies, all morning and evening activities, and more! Non-refundable $750 deposit due at sign up, final payment due July 20th, 2026.
$3500 if purchased before March 31, 2026
(Price goes up to $3,750 on April 1st)
Double Room
6 Spots Available
Enjoy 4 nights' accommodation in a double room with shared bathroom, 3 delicious meals per day, 3 days of classes, 24 hour studio access, all class supplies, all morning and evening activities, and more! Non-refundable $750 deposit due at sign up, final payment due July 20th, 2026.
$3250 if purchased before March 31, 2026
(Price goes up to $3,450 on April 1st)
Off Campus
10 Spots Available
Enjoy 3 delicious meals per day, 3 days of classes, 24 hour studio access, all class supplies, all morning and evening activities, and more! Accommodations not included. Non-refundable $750 deposit due at sign up, final payment due July 20th, 2026.
$2800 if purchased before March 31, 2026
(Price goes up to $3,050 on April 1st)
Teachers & Classes
we are so excited to welcome (and welcome back for some) this talented group of instructors. You will have the opportunity to choose 3 days of classes by ranking the list of class offerings. We will do our best to accommodate your top choices and will announce your class assignments in August.
Liz Constable
Dyed and Gone to Heaven
Dyed and Gone to Heaven is a highly experimental class, and while Liz can offer some guidance, the experience lies mostly in "what happens when I combine these materials together and throw some heat into the mix!"
It's a day spent experimenting and laughing, while creating a stack of delicious papers that you'll love so much you won't be able to stop stroking them!
Karen Beal Crosby
Low Tech Printmaking for Handmade Books
Learn the basics of linoleum block cutting and printing to create a series of unique prints. Then we will use our prints, simple calligraphic text, and multiple embellishments such as hand-cut stencils and gouache to create a one-of-a-kind handmade book complete with content.
The class covers safe carving techniques, image transfer, inking, and hand-printing methods.
Leslie Giuliani (opens in new tab)
Cover to Cover
In this class we will be making beautiful and engaging book covers using Encaustic Paint on Microfiber cloth. Encaustic is a beeswax-based paint. The covers will be handleable, rip-proof and waterproof.
These covers can be used with or without mounting on book board. Encaustic is a great alternative to leather and cloth. We will be able to paint, print, puncture and sew on our covers.
Tony(a) Lemos (opens in new tab)
Large-Format Wet Cyanotypes | Eco Prints
Tony will be teaching two classes.
Wet Cyanotypes: Explore the alchemy of large-format wet cyanotypes, a process that welcomes unpredictability, texture, and the wild beauty of botanical contact. Students will work on expansive sheets of paper, layering plant material, soaps, spices, and found pigments to create richly atmospheric cyanotype surfaces.
Eco Prints: Gather freshly fallen leaves, wind-scattered botanicals, and late-season dye plants from the surrounding landscape, combined with Tony(a)'s seasonal collections. Through simmering, steaming, bundling, and gentle alchemy, these materials imprint their shapes, tannins, and autumn pigments directly onto paper.
Catherine Cross Tsintzos (opens in new tab)
Book Covers with Clay | Explorations with Paper and Surface Design
Catherine will be teaching two classes.
Book Covers with Clay: Slab, pinch, roll to create up to two book covers ( front and back) with clay. Learn how to create textures from nature and texturing tools, use underglaze for surface design techniques and to create book covers that are uniquely yours.
Explorations with Paper and Surface Design: Try out papermaking from a prepared vat using plant material gathered at Snow Farm. Explore planographic printmaking techniques that include Cyanotype and toning, stamp carving, natural dyes, earth pigments, inks and water soluble materials, wild mark making, and more.
Susan Smereka (opens in new tab)
Playful Monotypes for Future Books
A hands-on exploration of monotypes, from happy accidents to intentional sequences, with an eye on a book. Using an etching press, you’ll create original prints to use in a variety of book structures. Ink up, roll out, peel back, and see what happens.
Memories from Books in the Woods Retreats
Everything was so well planned and organized, it was just relaxing and easy!
My favorite thing would be the classes and teachers, including the morning journaling with Ali. Of course the food was amazing and the setting gorgeous, the people fantastic!
-Sara E.