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About this trip-
Persuasion is Jane Austen’s final completed novel and is widely regarded as one of her most mature and introspective works.
On this pilgrimage, we'll look at the theme of bloom through Anne’s development in the novel. Exploring Anne’s journey of coming into her own through her relationship to Wentworth, her family, and herself, we will ask ourselves questions such as: How can experiencing regret impede growth? What parts of yourself need to take root so you can bloom? What does coming into bloom look like in your own life?
In Lyme Regis, pilgrims will explore the seaside town where Anne first begins to reclaim herself. We will walk the Cobb, Lyme’s famous sea wall (where ideally no one will behave rashly and concuss themselves) and immerse ourselves in the rugged majesty of England’s Jurassic Coast. From rolling green hills to rocky beaches, we will roam broadly and meditate upon how this place impacted Austen as she imagined this story.
Our home base throughout will be the lovely Royal Lion, a beautiful hotel nestled in a village teeming with charming pubs and community gardens–positioned just a short walk from Front Beach.
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We expect to walk up to 8 miles per day, but most days will require less walking. The weather in England in August has an average low of 50° F and an average high of 70° F. We will walk/utilize the outdoors come rain or shine, and we recommend that pilgrims prepare for varying temperatures and potential rain. We won’t rush our walks, but we expect to be tired at the end of each day.
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The full tuition of the trip is as follows:
Private Room $5,750
Shared Room $4,950 (tuition per person)
Shared Rooming: If you wish to share a room with another person, you will each purchase your own shared rooms. This enables us to functionally receive one registration form per participant. Please do not purchase a private room if you prefer to share a room with another participant.
Meeting Up
We will meet in Lyme Regis after lunch on August 16th and end programming before lunch on August 20th. Specific meeting time and location will be offered privately to pilgrims upon payment.Travel Expenses & Arrangements
Each pilgrim is responsible for handling their own travel expenses and arrangements prior to our meeting on August 16th and after we say goodbye on August 20th. Flights are not included.Accommodations
Throughout the pilgrimage we will stay at the Royal Lion Hotel, a historic coaching inn dating back to the 1600s. Just steps away from the Dorset coastline, the hotel offers cozy rooms, delicious pub fare, and relaxing sauna facilities.Scholarships
We occasionally offer partial scholarships for pilgrimages. If you are interested, please fill out our form here.
Trip Faculty
Julia Whelan
Faculty Leader (she/her)
Dubbed "The Adele of Audiobooks" by The New Yorker, Julia Whelan is an author, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and acclaimed audiobook narrator of over 700 titles. Recently, she won the Audie for Best Fiction Narrator, received a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, was awarded a Gracie from the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation, and Spotify named her its "Audiobook Narrator of the Year", as she was the most listened to voice, globally, in the app.
Her performance of her own debut novel, the international bestseller My Oxford Year (now a Netflix film), garnered a SOVAS award. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, was a Best-of-the-Year pick at Amazon, Audible, and NPR. Her latest work, the Audie-nominated audio original Casanova LLC, will be published in Spring 2027.
Julia is the founder of Audiobrary, an audio publishing company and retailer seeking to change how creatives are compensated in the audiobook industry. She is also a Grammy-nominated audiobook director, a former writing tutor, a half-decent amateur baker, and a certified tea sommelier.
Julia will serve as lead faculty for this trip.
Casper ter Kuile
Chaplain (he/him)
Casper brings new possibilities for community and spirituality to life. He's the co-creator and founding co-host of both Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and The Real Question, and a board member of Not Sorry.
Casper is the author of The Power of Ritual (HarperOne, 2020) and the co-founder of Sacred Design Lab, a soul-centered research and development lab. A graduate of Harvard's Kennedy and Divinity Schools, he served as a Ministry Innovation Fellow for Harvard Divinity School from 2016-2021.
Casper is at his happiest when he's harmony folk singing, keeping his tech sabbath, or stopping for a tea break on a long country walk. Originally from England and Holland, he lives with his husband in Brooklyn, NY.
Casper will serve as chaplain for this trip.
Julia Argy
Logistics Coordinator (she/her)
Julia is a writer from Massachusetts. Her debut novel, The One, was published by Putnam in April 2023. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Statistics, and from the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program with an MFA in Fiction.
Julia will serve as the logistics coordinator for this trip.
“Twelve years had changed Anne from the blooming, silent, unformed girl of fifteen, to the elegant little woman of seven-and-twenty, with every beauty except bloom, and with manners as consciously right as they were invariably gentle.”
— Persuasion, Jane Austen