Community Collaborations
We love teaming up with others in our community! Check out our upcoming collaborative events below.
For information on registering for an event, be sure to click “Learn More.”
If you’re interested in hosting a Wildfire writing workshop for your community email April.
April 17-19, 2026
In person: Philadelphia, PA & streaming online
Thriving Together: 2026 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer (Paid)
An in-person & online conferene hosted by Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) — April Stearns is speaking & exhibiting.
“Now marking its 20th year, this conference brings together people living with metastatic breast cancer, caregivers, and experts from across the country for a weekend centered on real answers, real stories, and real help. The program offers up-to-date education, practical tools, and opportunities to connect with others who understand the unique realities of life with metastatic breast cancer.”
In collaboration with Project Life, April Stearns is leading a session called Integrative Oncology: Tending the Inner Self—A Writing Workshop (Sunday, April 19).
This session is a quiet, supportive writing workshop for those living with metastatic breast cancer. Together, we’ll use simple writing prompts to explore inner landscapes—thoughts, emotions, memories, and moments of meaning. This is not about writing “well,” but about listening inward, honoring your experience, and giving voice to what wants to be expressed. All are welcome, exactly as they are.
Visit April in the conference exhibit hall on Saturday as well.
In person: Bayfield, Wisconsin
May 3-7, 2026
Temple of Kinship MBC Retreat (Free)
An in-person retreat hosted by Alyssa Tsagong and Temple of Kinship with expressive writing support from April Stearns.
Temple of Kinship’s 5-day retreats are for thrivers with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer to attend with a chosen friend. This retreat will be held at Wild Rice Retreat on the shores of Lake Superior in Bayfield, Wisconsin beginning the afternoon of Sunday, May 3rd - the morning of Thursday, May 7th, 2026. It will include immersion in nature, nourishing meals, therapeutic art and writing activities, movement, and conversation practices designed to be carried home to support thriving. We will go deep, and we will also REST. Your guides will be Temple of Kinship’s co-founder, MBC thriver Alyssa Tsagong, and her friends April Stearns, the founder and editor-in-chief of Wildfire Journal, and Bridgette Christiansen, Conscious Connected Breathwork facilitator.
We invite applications, in pairs, from kin who meet the following criteria: 1) One of the applicants has been diagnosed with (Stage 4) Metastatic Breast Cancer that was diagnosed before they were 50 years old, 2) are platonic friends, 3) identify as female or non-binary, and 4) have clearance from their health team to travel. Both the MBC Thriver and their chosen friend must submit individual applications (by February 28, 2026) to be considered.
Ready to deepen your writing connection? Check out our other workshops.