Creative Writing Retreats in the Pyrenees
Spectacular views, country walks, Basque food & wine and professional writing instruction
An inspiring home from home - with a human touch!
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Are you in search of an inspirational setting? Of a place where you can shut out the hullabaloo of daily life and focus uniquely on your own creative writing and thinking?
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Do you crave a place of peace and solitude, while also seeking warm-hearted exchanges with fellow travellers and like-minded writers?
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Do you need professional guidance on how to harness the creativity within you and channel it into your writing?
- Are you looking to grow your writing skills, focus on finding your voice, shape your writing, sculpt your story arcs and give depth and gravitas to your characters and themes?
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Are you finishing a novel, or perhaps pondering its inception, and searching for a place to curl up with your thoughts in a private space with a cup of tea - or a glass of wine?
Join us at Pyrenean Experience for a creative writing retreat where you can hunker down and shake away the cobwebs, relax to the sound of the sheep bells across the valley or simply soak up the sublime views that greet you from every window in the house.
All Writers Welcome at our Creative Writing Retreat in the Pyrenees
We offer a warm welcome to all writers looking for a little head room at our beautiful farmhouse retreats in the Pyrenees. Whether you are new to writing or an established author we are here to support you. We gather each morning around the kitchen table to explore various pillars of creative writing such as voice, structure and dialogue. Guests are invited to participate in exercises designed to unleash their creativity. The rest of the day guests can enjoy the private spaces offered by our beautiful home and take advantage of the charming walks that step out from the door.
At seven each evening we come together for an informal dinner and to share the creative processes we have explored during the day. We also share our daily writing experiences, which may include anything from roadblocks and doubts to triumphs and breakthroughs.
Georgina Howard & Diana Friedman
I feel privileged to have worked with Diana for several years. Her professional guidance and incisive thinking have been pivotal in bringing my memoir 'Life on a Basque Mountain' to fruition, and an excerpt adapted from my memoir has also already been featured in The Sunday Times.
My background as a published author, and the story of how I arrived in the Basque Pyrenees over two decades ago, with little more than a dream, a box of teabags and a Ford Escort called Fred, can be found on my biography page. Georgina Howard.
Diana Friedman is an award-winning writer whose fiction, articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications including New Letters, The Huffington Post, Newsweek, The Baltimore Sun, Bethesda Magazine and Whole Earth Review. She is the recipient of the Alexander Patterson Cappon Fiction Prize and a Pushcart Prize nomination, and her work has been selected as a finalist and short-listed at multiple presses.
Diana Friedman
Diana is extremely passionate about teaching and working with other writers. She has taught professional writing at the University of Maryland, creative writing at Writopia Lab, and has facilitated numerous workshops for writers at all levels.
As a “midwife of sorts” for emerging artists, Diana also specializes in providing workshops for those new to the artistic process who are seeking to claim their voice. She is delighted to be joining forces with the dynamic Georgina Howard, founder of Pyrenean Experience Ltd, as together they bring a new crop of writers and writing workshops to the uniquely inspirational setting of Iaulin Borda.
Creative Writing Retreats of Unique and Unparalleled Beauty in the Basque Pyrenees
Dates: 16th - 23rd May 2022
Farmhouse Accommodation
En-suite rooms with inspiring mountain views from every window. An open house and full use of living rooms, dining rooms, kitchen, log fires and flowery terraces with all sorts of creative nooks and crannies.
Food & Wine
The kitchen is stocked with all sorts of food, coffee, teas, wine etc. for help-yourself breakfasts and light lunches. In the evening we enjoy a delicious, communal 3-course evening meal together around the kitchen table.
Walks
There are over 10 amazing circular walks from the farmhouse door many leading to small Basque villages. Detailed maps and notes are available and we are happy to show our guests some of the paths personally and tell them the stories of the area.
Daily Programme
Each day we gather after breakfast to discuss various aspects of creative writing as well as participate in writing exercises designed to stimulate our imagination. The rest of the day is free for guests to work on their writing before we come together again at dinner time to discuss our day´s work and writing experiences. Evenings are then enjoyed listening to readings (for those who wish to share their work) and exchanging ideas and individual perspectives.
Transport
There are easy connections to the house from Bilbao airport and San Sebastian. We operate a pick up from the San Sebastian bus to our local village (Santesteban/Doneztebe) on the first and final day of our retreat. (Please consult us about times).
Prices
1250 Euros includes en-suite room, daily morning workshops, all food and wine, full use of the house & bus pick-up. This week there are NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS.