Thriving Narrators Retreat
Providing space for Creativity, Business Growth, and Camaraderie for Audiobook Professionals
Nestled in the vibrant heart of Cincinnati, OH, the Thriving Narrators Retreat is a unique opportunity for audiobook narrators to learn and grow together, alongside producers, coaches, casting directors, and fellow narrators.
Hosted by award-winning narrator and creative entrepreneurship coach Jennifer Jill Araya, the Thriving Narrators Retreat provides four days packed with opportunities for honing your craft, expanding your business, and building relationships within the audiobook community.
August 27-30, 2026
at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center in Cincinnati, OH
Learn the Craft
The Thriving Narrators Retreat will include ample time to study the craft of audiobook narration, with the guidance of our retreat faculty and the support of your colleagues.
Each of the four days of the retreat will provide focused learning opportunities, including workshops, seminars, masterclasses, and group coaching sessions.
Study the Business
Audiobook narration requires balancing the creative and business sides of your work, often a difficult task.
The Thriving Narrators Retreat is the perfect opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues as you seek to build an audiobook business that works.
Connect with Your Colleagues
No man is an island, and no audiobook narrator is an island! The audiobook industry is built on the supportive, nurturing relationships between the artists and actors who inhabit the audiobook community.
The Thriving Narrators Retreat allows you to spend time "in real life" with your audiobook colleagues and friends, sharing experiences and building relationships that will help all of us take ownership of our true identity as thriving audiobook professionals. We can do it, together.
Is This Retreat Right for You?
The Thriving Narrators Retreat is for working audiobook narrators who are seeking to develop their audiobook narration performance skills, and who are striving to improve their knowledge and understanding of the audiobook business in general, and their audiobook narration business in particular.
This retreat is not for narrators who are new to the audiobook business. (If you are new to the audiobook world, check out this coaching option instead, as it would likely be a much better fit for your needs.)
To get maximum value from the retreat programming, attendees at the Thriving Narrators Retreat should have experience narrating audiobooks and should also have completed some audiobook-specific coaching.
If you're not sure if the Thriving Narrators Retreat is right for you, reach out and ask. We are happy to answer any questions you have!
The Details
Date & Time:
Thursday through Sunday, August 27-30, 2026.
Retreat activities will begin at 4:00pm ET on Thursday, and will last through 6:00pm ET on Sunday.
Retreat Presenters:
The Thriving Narrators Retreat Presenters are an accomplished group of audiobook narrators, coaches, and casting professionals. We are all excited to share our time and expertise with you!
The Presenters for 2026 are not yet finalized. We will make an announcement when Presenter participation has been confirmed.
Health and Safety:
We take it as a given that, as audiobook narrators (and as human beings), our health is vitally important. We will have N-95 and surgical face masks available for everyone who chooses to wear one, HEPA air filters in each event room, and a red-yellow-green lanyard system so attendees can indicate their comfort with physical closeness. We also ask that all attendees take Covid tests prior to travel and submit a photo of their negative tests. (Details of how to do this will be made available to all attendees prior to the retreat.)
Location:
All retreat activities will take place in the beautiful Clifton Cultural Arts Center, or CCAC, located at 3412 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45220 in the heart of Cincinnati's vibrant and bohemian Clifton neighborhood.
Lodging:
Lodging for retreat attendees is available at the Hampton Inn & Suites, which is a walkable one mile from the CCAC. We will also be providing shuttles between the hotel and CCAC at key points during each day of the retreat for those who prefer not to walk.
A link for the retreat's group hotel block will be made available to those who are registered for the retreat. The Hampton Inn & Suites offers a complimentary breakfast.
**Please note that since retreat activities will last through the entire day on Sunday, August 30, we recommend that you plan to depart Cincinnati on Monday morning, August 31.**
Retreat attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. The hotel cost is not included in the retreat participation fee. We encourage attendees to share rooms with their audiobook friends and colleagues to reduce cost.
Retreat Fee: $1,647, which includes ...
-
Four focused days of audiobook learning, entrepreneurship coaching, and relationship building, guided by our incredible Retreat Presenters.
-
Catered hors d'oeuvres during Thursday's opening celebration.
-
Catered box lunch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
