I don’t know why, but even after teaching thousands of classes for 25 years, and dozens of retreats around the world, I’m still always nervous before a first class, with a brand-new group of writers. But as soon as we settled in and began, the magic was there. That first sense of trust and connection, […]
A Magical Little Notebook Read More »
Click the image above for a quick tour of the outside of the Villa at the start of the retreat.
Arrival at the Villa Read More »
Just a few hours from now, we’ll be meeting with our group participants at a nearby spot in Central Florence (close by, but with luggage, still requiring a taxi to get there) to catch our shuttle to the Villa. On our group What’s App thread, people have been checking in, sending pictures of negative Covid
So Many Gifts About to Be Opened Read More »
“Like any artist with no art form, she became dangerous.” —Toni Morrison Tell me what this means to you.
An Artist with No Art Form Read More »
Sniffing the roses. Rose garden, Florence. Perfect spot for a jet-lag induced catnap. This is my favorite moment in Florence so far. I just love street musicians with absolute talent. He didn’t have his name out front but I left him a generous tip! TURN UP THE SOUND! He has a fantastic voice. Another shopping
Moments in Florence Read More »
Well, too many fires burst into flame in the days leading up to our departure and my toes remain unpainted, my usual travel ritual woefully incomplete, my toes bare, but we did get on the plane and arrived in Florence last night. I am doing my best to get in this time zone right away.
I Didn’t Get a Pedicure, But I Am in Florence! Read More »
Made it on the overnight flight to Paris. Waiting for our connecting flight to Florence. Both with or Air France breakfast on the plane and with the piece of flan I just bought, we were given compostable bamboo silverware. Why don’t they do it everywhere?
Compostable in Paris Read More »
It’s my ritual for getting ready to go overseas on a long trip, something I like to do before any big event (like a wedding) or before teaching a major retreat. I’m leaving for Tuscany tomorrow and “get a pedicure” has been on my list for several days now. But it has dropped off my
All I want is a pedicure. Read More »
“Eight of the ten things you have decided about yourself at the age of twenty will, over time, prove to be false. The other two things will prove to be so true that you’ll look back in twenty years and howl.” —Cheryl Strayed Where did you think you life was going at twenty? Who did
A week from today, Karyn and I will be heading to the airport to fly to Tuscany for the 2023 Write, Travel, Transform retreat at a 15th century villa. This morning, I got up early and had a couple of hours before my morning class, so I went to my closet and started pulling out
Italy, Here I Come! Read More »
“It’s not what you produce as you write that’s important; it’s who you become as you write that’s important.” —Louise DeSalvo, American writer How has writing changed your life? When I write, I become…
Who Do You Become? Read More »
“You have the need and the right to spend part of your life caring for your soul. It is not easy. “You have to resist the demands of the work-oriented, often defensive, element in your psyche that measures life only in terms of output – how much you produce – not in terms of the
Caring For My Soul Read More »
“Each time I write, each time the authentic words break through, I am changed. The older order that I was collapses and dies. I lose control. I do not know exactly what words will appear on the page. I follow language. I follow the sound of the words, and I am surprised and transformed by
“I have forced myself to begin writing when I’ve been utterly exhausted, when I’ve felt my soul as thin as a playing card . . . and somehow the activity of writing changes everything.” —Joyce Carol Oates How do you change when you are writing?
Writing as Transformation Read More »
“Grief is the rope burns left behind when what we have held to most dearly is pulled out of reach, beyond our grasp.” —Stephen Levine Describe your grief in as much vivid detail as you can.
