Writing courses in Greece
| country: | Greece |
| location: | Sporades Islands |
| departures: | 2008: 20 Sep |
| price: | From £575 - £595 (8 days) and from £775 - £1075 (14 days) excluding flights, depending on session. Optional single supplement £95 - £140 per week, depending on accommodation. Price includes shared accommodation (half board) and all courses |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This writing programme in Greece offers writers, thinkers and dabblers the opportunity to learn from distinguished writers, share the joys and struggles of the creative process, discover their strengths and polish their skills. In an idyllic environment, far away from the demands and routines dictated by a busy life, course participants can navigate beyond old boundaries and emerge with pieces of writing to be proud of. Indeed, participants have gone on to publish books or to stage plays started, developed or completed with us.
Courses are open to novices with a secret passion for writing as much as to writers who have a book under their belt. The tutors enjoy helping people at any stage of development – so do come with work in progress or just an empty page.
Our writing programme has built up an excellent reputation over the years. Steven Berkoff, Rachel Billington, Margaret Drabble, Hanif Kureishi, Alison Lurie, Hilary Mantel, D M Thomas, Sue Townsend, Marina Warner, Hugo Williams and many others have graced the place over the years and given hundreds of people the benefit of their passion and experience.
Courses convene for up to three hours every morning. They may include group and individual exercises, feedback sessions, varying scenic locations and always camaraderie and fun. Their pace and content are determined by the participants themselves.
The course is housed in Atsitsa in the first three sessions and then at the village centre. Writers are welcome to join in either centre’s activities, including early morning yoga, and to be an integral part of all community events.
3 - 10 May 2008 (1 week) Fiction Writing with Romesh Gunesekera £575
This course is ideal for aspiring and also experienced (but unpublished) writers, who want to know the essential elements of good fiction and do lots of enjoyable writing. Romesh’s first novel, Reef (1994), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and his second one, Sandglass (1998), was awarded the BBC Asia Award. His Heaven’s Edge was published in 2002 and The Match in 2006.
10 - 23 May 2008 Imagination & Voice with Andrew Miller £775
This is a broad-based fiction course for committed writers of all levels of experience. It offers a mixture of workshops and tutorials aimed at freeing the imagination while staying rooted in the craft. Andrew Miller is the author of five novels including Ingenious Pain (a winner of many awards) and Oxygen which was shortlisted for the Booker and the Whitbread Best Novel. His work is published in over twenty languages. His latest novel will be published later this year.
24 - 31 May 2008 The Inner Places of Poetry with Alan Jenkins £595
On this informal course, reading some well-known poems will be the starting point for the adventure of writing poems; both reading and writing will also enrich the experience of the beautiful island setting. Alan has won many awards and prizes for his poetry – collections include The Drift (2000) and A Shorter Life (2005). He is an editor of the Times Literary Supplement and has taught Creative Writing in England, France and the USA.
31 May – 13 June 2008 (2 weeks) The Blank Page & Other Myths with James Kelman £825
What can we do if we want to be writers? Things cannot just happen. How do we start? Are concepts such as inspiration, genius, talent etc useful? We will assume that participants are either inexperienced or feel that it is time for a different approach. James’ novels include How Late it was, How Late (1994), which won the Booker prize for Fiction, Translated Accounts (2001) and You have to be careful in the Land of the Free (2004). He has tutored Creative Writing courses in the UK & the USA.
14 - 27 June 2008 (2 weeks) Your Writer’s Voice with Crysse Morrison £875
Going through shared exercises and from memories to wild imagination, Crysse’s course will focus on aspects of style and narrative including creating characters, storylines, settings and dialogue.Techniques are adaptable to all aspects of writing from poetry to novels. Crysse’s first novel, Frozen Summer, was published in 1999 and was followed by her second one, Sleeping in Sand. She also writes short fiction and poetry and has a regular column in Writing Magazine.
28 June – 11 July 2008 (2 weeks) The Art of the Story with Christopher Hope £925
The form, the magic, and the difficulty of getting a story right is entirely beguiling. We’ll be looking at stories by writers whom we’ve been reading forever, and seeing how it is that they get their story to work so well that it flies right off the page. Christopher was born in Johannesburg and is the author of nine novels including the award-winning A Separate Development and Kruger’s Alp and also Serenity House which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His most recent novel is My Mother’s Lovers (2007)
12 –25 July 2008 (2 weeks) The Novel Under the Bed with Julia Bell £975
Novelist Julia Bell invites you to bring ideas gathering dust in order to write, rewrite, edit and extend. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College, University of London, and formerly at UEA, and co-editor of The Creative Writing Course Book (2001). She has published two novels, Massive (2002) and Dirty Work (to be released this year). Currently she is working on a longer work of adult fiction.
26 July – 8 August 2008 (2 weeks) The Fundamentals of Writing Fiction with Monique Roffey £1,075
Always wanted to write a novel or short fiction – don’t know how or where to start? Help is at hand. This course is a practical beginner’s guide to the basic narrative elements of writing fiction. Through tutorial-lead presentations and exercises, we will examine the components of story-telling: showing and telling, making vivid but credible characters, place, dialogue, choosing your point-of-view and ideas around capturing the first draft of a novel. Monique’s first novel, Sun Dog, was published in 2002. Her second one, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, will be published next year. She has worked as a journalist and for Amnesty International, and she was a Centre Director for the Arvon Foundation. She is currently RLF Fellow at Sussex University.
9 - 22 August (2 weeks) Starting to Write with Nicholas Blincoe £1,075
Nicholas Blincoe will offer practical courses on writing both drama and fiction, focussing on story-telling and heart-stopping dramatic narratives. The course will draw upon television, contemporary novels and genre fiction, including detective stories, thriller, spy fiction and romances. We will look at ways of avoiding problems in story-telling such as predictability or outlandishness, and how to use research material to convince the reader or audience of the reality of the world in which the tale is set. Nicholas Blincoe is the author of six novels, and a past winner of the Crime Writer's Silver Dagger for his thriller, 'Manchester Slingback'. He has written for the BBC TV crime drama, 'Waking the Dead', among other television series and has had an award-winning play produced at London's Riverside Studios. He is a columnist and critic for the Daily Telegraph and was a founder member of the short story writers, the New Puritans.
23 August - 5 September 2008 (2 weeks) Life Writing with Rachel Cusk £1,025
Life Writing aims to create a new form for the narration of personal experiences. In this course we will study some of its techniques and examine some of the pitfalls and pleasures of memoir and autobiography. Rachel’s first novel, Saving Agnes, won the Whitbread First Novel Award. Her most recent, Arlington Park, was shortlisted for the 2007 Orange Prize. Rachel teaches Creative Writing at Kingston University.
6 – 19 September 2008 (2 weeks) Seduce Your Reader with Charles Palliser £925
The art of narrative is about enticement. And so we will look at the many ways to catch the attention and keep the reader intrigued in a novel or drama. You will be helped to write fiction full of mystery and suspense. Charles has taught literature and creative writing in universities in the UK and the USA. Among his four novels are The Quincunx and The Unburied. His fiction has been translated into a dozen languages.
20 – 27 September 2008 Get Going! with Michèle Roberts £575 - fully booked
Michèle uses exercises and games to guide you through writer’s blocks, exploring a variety of forms and techniques. She is the author of many novels including the acclaimed Daughters of the House (1992) that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Other novels include A Piece of the Night (1978) and The Looking Glass (2000). The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene was published last year. Michèle is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.
Courses are open to novices with a secret passion for writing as much as to writers who have a book under their belt. The tutors enjoy helping people at any stage of development – so do come with work in progress or just an empty page.
Our writing programme has built up an excellent reputation over the years. Steven Berkoff, Rachel Billington, Margaret Drabble, Hanif Kureishi, Alison Lurie, Hilary Mantel, D M Thomas, Sue Townsend, Marina Warner, Hugo Williams and many others have graced the place over the years and given hundreds of people the benefit of their passion and experience.
Courses convene for up to three hours every morning. They may include group and individual exercises, feedback sessions, varying scenic locations and always camaraderie and fun. Their pace and content are determined by the participants themselves.
The course is housed in Atsitsa in the first three sessions and then at the village centre. Writers are welcome to join in either centre’s activities, including early morning yoga, and to be an integral part of all community events.
courses
In addition to the programme listed below, all sessions include morning yoga and a full course from our holistic programme (May sessions) or morning yoga plus ‘A Taste of Greece’ activities (e.g. Greek wine-tasting, cooking, dancing and much more) and a selection of other one-off events (sessions commencing 31st May onwards). 3 - 10 May 2008 (1 week) Fiction Writing with Romesh Gunesekera £575
This course is ideal for aspiring and also experienced (but unpublished) writers, who want to know the essential elements of good fiction and do lots of enjoyable writing. Romesh’s first novel, Reef (1994), was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and his second one, Sandglass (1998), was awarded the BBC Asia Award. His Heaven’s Edge was published in 2002 and The Match in 2006.
10 - 23 May 2008 Imagination & Voice with Andrew Miller £775
This is a broad-based fiction course for committed writers of all levels of experience. It offers a mixture of workshops and tutorials aimed at freeing the imagination while staying rooted in the craft. Andrew Miller is the author of five novels including Ingenious Pain (a winner of many awards) and Oxygen which was shortlisted for the Booker and the Whitbread Best Novel. His work is published in over twenty languages. His latest novel will be published later this year.
24 - 31 May 2008 The Inner Places of Poetry with Alan Jenkins £595
On this informal course, reading some well-known poems will be the starting point for the adventure of writing poems; both reading and writing will also enrich the experience of the beautiful island setting. Alan has won many awards and prizes for his poetry – collections include The Drift (2000) and A Shorter Life (2005). He is an editor of the Times Literary Supplement and has taught Creative Writing in England, France and the USA.
31 May – 13 June 2008 (2 weeks) The Blank Page & Other Myths with James Kelman £825
What can we do if we want to be writers? Things cannot just happen. How do we start? Are concepts such as inspiration, genius, talent etc useful? We will assume that participants are either inexperienced or feel that it is time for a different approach. James’ novels include How Late it was, How Late (1994), which won the Booker prize for Fiction, Translated Accounts (2001) and You have to be careful in the Land of the Free (2004). He has tutored Creative Writing courses in the UK & the USA.
14 - 27 June 2008 (2 weeks) Your Writer’s Voice with Crysse Morrison £875
Going through shared exercises and from memories to wild imagination, Crysse’s course will focus on aspects of style and narrative including creating characters, storylines, settings and dialogue.Techniques are adaptable to all aspects of writing from poetry to novels. Crysse’s first novel, Frozen Summer, was published in 1999 and was followed by her second one, Sleeping in Sand. She also writes short fiction and poetry and has a regular column in Writing Magazine.
28 June – 11 July 2008 (2 weeks) The Art of the Story with Christopher Hope £925
The form, the magic, and the difficulty of getting a story right is entirely beguiling. We’ll be looking at stories by writers whom we’ve been reading forever, and seeing how it is that they get their story to work so well that it flies right off the page. Christopher was born in Johannesburg and is the author of nine novels including the award-winning A Separate Development and Kruger’s Alp and also Serenity House which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His most recent novel is My Mother’s Lovers (2007)
12 –25 July 2008 (2 weeks) The Novel Under the Bed with Julia Bell £975
Novelist Julia Bell invites you to bring ideas gathering dust in order to write, rewrite, edit and extend. She is a lecturer in Creative Writing at Birkbeck College, University of London, and formerly at UEA, and co-editor of The Creative Writing Course Book (2001). She has published two novels, Massive (2002) and Dirty Work (to be released this year). Currently she is working on a longer work of adult fiction.
26 July – 8 August 2008 (2 weeks) The Fundamentals of Writing Fiction with Monique Roffey £1,075
Always wanted to write a novel or short fiction – don’t know how or where to start? Help is at hand. This course is a practical beginner’s guide to the basic narrative elements of writing fiction. Through tutorial-lead presentations and exercises, we will examine the components of story-telling: showing and telling, making vivid but credible characters, place, dialogue, choosing your point-of-view and ideas around capturing the first draft of a novel. Monique’s first novel, Sun Dog, was published in 2002. Her second one, The White Woman on the Green Bicycle, will be published next year. She has worked as a journalist and for Amnesty International, and she was a Centre Director for the Arvon Foundation. She is currently RLF Fellow at Sussex University.
9 - 22 August (2 weeks) Starting to Write with Nicholas Blincoe £1,075
Nicholas Blincoe will offer practical courses on writing both drama and fiction, focussing on story-telling and heart-stopping dramatic narratives. The course will draw upon television, contemporary novels and genre fiction, including detective stories, thriller, spy fiction and romances. We will look at ways of avoiding problems in story-telling such as predictability or outlandishness, and how to use research material to convince the reader or audience of the reality of the world in which the tale is set. Nicholas Blincoe is the author of six novels, and a past winner of the Crime Writer's Silver Dagger for his thriller, 'Manchester Slingback'. He has written for the BBC TV crime drama, 'Waking the Dead', among other television series and has had an award-winning play produced at London's Riverside Studios. He is a columnist and critic for the Daily Telegraph and was a founder member of the short story writers, the New Puritans.
23 August - 5 September 2008 (2 weeks) Life Writing with Rachel Cusk £1,025
Life Writing aims to create a new form for the narration of personal experiences. In this course we will study some of its techniques and examine some of the pitfalls and pleasures of memoir and autobiography. Rachel’s first novel, Saving Agnes, won the Whitbread First Novel Award. Her most recent, Arlington Park, was shortlisted for the 2007 Orange Prize. Rachel teaches Creative Writing at Kingston University.
6 – 19 September 2008 (2 weeks) Seduce Your Reader with Charles Palliser £925
The art of narrative is about enticement. And so we will look at the many ways to catch the attention and keep the reader intrigued in a novel or drama. You will be helped to write fiction full of mystery and suspense. Charles has taught literature and creative writing in universities in the UK and the USA. Among his four novels are The Quincunx and The Unburied. His fiction has been translated into a dozen languages.
20 – 27 September 2008 Get Going! with Michèle Roberts £575 - fully booked
Michèle uses exercises and games to guide you through writer’s blocks, exploring a variety of forms and techniques. She is the author of many novels including the acclaimed Daughters of the House (1992) that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Other novels include A Piece of the Night (1978) and The Looking Glass (2000). The Secret Gospel of Mary Magdalene was published last year. Michèle is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.
how this holiday makes a difference
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When you book one of our writing holidays you are joining a 30-year tradition of supporting the local community and working together to maintain a responsible lifestyle. We aim to create a total living experience which can lead to changes beneficial both to the individual and to the world we live in.
As part of your booking, you will be provided with a copy of the company philosophy and pre-trip information on the host community to raise cultural awareness and help you to make decisions on how to integrate responsibly. During your holiday you will have opportunities to learn some local language, and will be fed on locally-sourced national cuisine. Many holiday sessions include courses on local history and culture, language or art forms, visits to the woodcarvers, potters, cheesemaker etc. (depending on the time of year some visitors can even tread the grapes to help with local wine production!). On some sessions there are other opportunities to further integrate with the host community in various ways e.g. volunteering to enter the mini-marathon which brings visitors and locals together. This year we are also organizing volunteers for a tree-planting program on the road from the harbour to the village. At Atsitsa Bay: Although we can accommodate up to 80 participants at a time, the site is self-contained with all the facilities our participants need – because of this, and as a result of the environmental policies we have put in place, impact on the local community and environment is minimized. At the village: The village is protected by the Greek government because of its architectural heritage. We limit sessions at the centre to a total of 30 participants and staff to minimize impact on the local community and environment. Guests wishing to visit bars and tavernas offsite will also be directly benefiting the local economy as internationals are virtually unheard of here. Visitors are also requested to help with a few chores to assist with the running of the on-site community, from sweeping the yard and chopping vegetables to fruit picking from the garden. The objective is the creation of an ethical mini-society in which decent human behaviour counts more than money. We also have a long-standing history of supporting the local community financially– e.g. the company has contributed £18,000 toward the purchase of medical equipment for the local health centre and £3000 towards the refurbishment of the island’s school theatre. However our commitment to positive action is not restricted to this island alone. At our administrative offices various environmental policies are in place, including: |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |