Three nights. Three books. Three great discussions.
Feb. 6-9, 2026
Just one hour from DC/Baltimore areas in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains
Feb. 6-9, 2026
Just one hour from DC/Baltimore areas in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains
Welcome to the fairy tale of book clubs!
Spend three nights in the grand yet welcoming ZigBone Eco-Lodge, eating delicious farm-fresh meals and talking to your heart's content about books with fellow book lovers. Does it get any better? Yup! We also include a yoga class, bring in a massage therapist (additional fee), drink cocoa by the fire, and take walks on ZigBone Farm's 100-acres. Bring snow boots!
What We’ll Read
Everyone will read the National Book Award Winner, as a shared touchstone for our retreat book club discussions. The winner will be announced on Nov. 19, 2025, and we will update folks once it has been announced!
Each participant will also select a second title from the Fiction Long List to dive into, creating a mix of shared conversation and fresh perspectives. Readers are welcome to read more than one long list title if they'd like! The National Book Award for Fiction honors the best fiction writing in the United States. Each year, the titles selected represent a range of contemporary themes explored through impeccable writing from a diverse group of authors.
Once we know the National Book Award winner, we will send an email to registered participants with a special ordering code for a $50 gift certificate, which covers the price of the winning title and most of the second title you choose.
What to Expect
Farm-fresh meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and always coffee and tea at the ready.
Facilitated book club discussions led by your hosts.
Uninterrupted time to read and reflect in cozy common spaces or your own private nook.
Connection with fellow readers who share your love of books.
Natural beauty: Zigbone offers breathtaking views, hiking paths, fields dotted with charming farm animals
Comfortably appointed rooms for the perfect winter retreat.
A $50 gift certificate to Old Town Books, which covers the price of the winning title and most of the second title you choose.
Why This Retreat
Midwinter can feel long and dreary. This retreat is designed to give you a pause: a time to rest, to read deeply, and to connect with yourself and other thoughtful readers. It’s a weekend of literary discovery, nourishment, and community in a truly idyllic setting.
It's a weekend all about books, relaxing in beautiful surroundings, and finding your book-loving community.
Price ranges from $900-$1300, depending on accommodations (see below)
Spend three nights in the grand yet welcoming ZigBone Eco-Lodge, eating delicious farm-fresh meals and talking to your heart's content about books with fellow book lovers. Does it get any better? Yup! We also include a yoga class, bring in a massage therapist (additional fee), drink cocoa by the fire, and take walks on ZigBone Farm's 100-acres. Bring snow boots!
What We’ll Read
Everyone will read the National Book Award Winner, as a shared touchstone for our retreat book club discussions. The winner will be announced on Nov. 19, 2025, and we will update folks once it has been announced!
Each participant will also select a second title from the Fiction Long List to dive into, creating a mix of shared conversation and fresh perspectives. Readers are welcome to read more than one long list title if they'd like! The National Book Award for Fiction honors the best fiction writing in the United States. Each year, the titles selected represent a range of contemporary themes explored through impeccable writing from a diverse group of authors.
Once we know the National Book Award winner, we will send an email to registered participants with a special ordering code for a $50 gift certificate, which covers the price of the winning title and most of the second title you choose.
What to Expect
Farm-fresh meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and always coffee and tea at the ready.
Facilitated book club discussions led by your hosts.
Uninterrupted time to read and reflect in cozy common spaces or your own private nook.
Connection with fellow readers who share your love of books.
Natural beauty: Zigbone offers breathtaking views, hiking paths, fields dotted with charming farm animals
Comfortably appointed rooms for the perfect winter retreat.
A $50 gift certificate to Old Town Books, which covers the price of the winning title and most of the second title you choose.
Why This Retreat
Midwinter can feel long and dreary. This retreat is designed to give you a pause: a time to rest, to read deeply, and to connect with yourself and other thoughtful readers. It’s a weekend of literary discovery, nourishment, and community in a truly idyllic setting.
It's a weekend all about books, relaxing in beautiful surroundings, and finding your book-loving community.
Price ranges from $900-$1300, depending on accommodations (see below)
Tentative Schedule
Friday
Arrive between 4pm-5pm
5:30pm Welcome Reception with mulled wine and hot chocolate. Farm dinner at 6:30pm
Saturday-Sunday (all sessions optional)
Coffee & breakfast
Book discussion
Lunch
Yoga class or massages
Book discussion
Community dinner
Free Book Discussion
Monday
Breakfast & wrap-up
11am Departure
Friday
Arrive between 4pm-5pm
5:30pm Welcome Reception with mulled wine and hot chocolate. Farm dinner at 6:30pm
Saturday-Sunday (all sessions optional)
Coffee & breakfast
Book discussion
Lunch
Yoga class or massages
Book discussion
Community dinner
Free Book Discussion
Monday
Breakfast & wrap-up
11am Departure
About The Facilitators
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Ally Kirkpatrick holds an M.A. in Creative Nonfiction from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She has been a writing fellow at The Vermont Studio Center and The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a 2024 awardee of the McCoy Writer-Bookseller Award. Her debut essay is forthcoming in Roxanne Gay’s The Audacity. She owns the independent bookstore Old Town Books in Alexandria, Va.
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Nicole Tortoriello has been building community through books & reading for over two decades and across more than a dozen book clubs. She has been a bookseller with Old Town Books since 2021, where she leads two of their standing book clubs and hosts pop-up events and discussions of all kinds throughout the year. She also has a separate career as a civil rights & labor attorney, but that's only relevant to her reading life insofar as it occasionally provides good stories to share during book club.
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What past participants have to say about ZigBone Farm Retreat:
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“ ...The place itself is nestled in the middle of a beautiful landscape which made for peaceful walks or reflective moments on the porch watching the sunrise. ... Zigbone is clearly a labor of love that shows in its character and charm. It was a wonderful escape that provided plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in your own writer’s bubble if you wanted, or engage with other writers whether in classes, over meals (the food was another bonus-delicious, healthy, fresh and aplenty), or in a nook somewhere while drinking mulled wine or hot chocolate!
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“Zigbone is heavenly and down-to-earth at the same time. I just revelled in a superlative writing retreat there, where our host and Zigbone co-owner, Dena Leibman, made us all feel at home. The accommodations are perfect and comfy, the setting is splendid, and every detail was attended to. Food was out-of-this-world... I can't wait to go back to Zigbone." - P. Steckler
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“Think of the most lovely getaway - charming rooms, fabulous meals, gorgeous views - within 90 minutes of DC. That’s Zigbone Farm." - M. Tindall
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Scenes from past winter retreats:
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Rooms & Pricing: Prices below include all meals, retreat books, and activities.
The Springhouse (private, en suite): $1300. Stand-alone English-style cottage with deck with meadow views, timber-beamed, cathedral ceilings, roomy bathroom with walk-in shower, writing alcove. Just steps from the ZigBone Lodge.
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The Log Cabin Room (private, en suite): $1300. Spacious room in original log cabin portion of ZigBone Lodge, with full, moroccan-tiled bathroom.
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The Parlor (private w/ private bathroom): $1300. Queen bed in very spacious room with sitting area and French doors opening onto a large stone, wisteria-covered terrace with meadow views.
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Private Rooms/Shared Bathrooms (six available): $1100. Spacious private rooms in ZigBone Lodge, moroccan-tiled bathrooms shared with one-two other people. Either sinks in room or shower in separate room from toilet and sink. Take $200 off per person sharing a room.
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