Laura Davis

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The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Lost Twin

February 18, 2014 By Laura Davis 13 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Lost Twin

Some of you may know, from my previous writing, or from being in class with me, that I had an identical twin sister who died when I was a day old. I’ve grieved Vicki all my life and have always had a deep fascination with twins. Last year at the conference in San Miguel, I met a woman who’s almost as good as a twin—playwright, memoirist and screenwriter Amy Ferris. The interesting thing about Amy is that we have all kinds of bizarre things in common (like we both joined a cult when we were teenagers). But the funniest thing is that we look kind of alike—alike enough that people who don’t know us well constantly mistake us for one another. So all last year, when we were at the conference together, people kept coming up to her and with great sincerity, thanking her for writing ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Coauthors Forever

February 17, 2014 By Laura Davis 12 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Coauthors Forever

One of my favorite things about this year’s San Miguel Writer’s Conference is that my co-author from The Courage to Heal, Ellen Bass, is here teaching poetry and giving a keynote speech. I had the honor of introducing her and preparing my remarks took me on a long trip down memory lane. My introduction was a lot more personal than many of the others I’d heard at the conference—introductions that focused more on accomplishments—after all, I’ve known Ellen intimately for more than 30 years. I had to edit down my original version to stay within my time limit, but I thought I’d publish the longer version here. “I first met Ellen Bass when I was 23 years old, three days after I moved to Santa Cruz, California in 1979. I was doing my laundry when I saw her flyer thumbtacked to a ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, Ellen Bass, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, poetry, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: The Loneliest Book Club in the World

February 16, 2014 By Laura Davis No Comments - Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: The Loneliest Book Club in the World

Since the San Miguel Writer’s Conference is a tri-cultural festival, the conference features evening keynotes from authors from the US, Mexico and Canada. This year’s Canadian author was Yann Martel, best known for his bestselling novel, The Life of Pi. The conference brochure described Yann’s talk as follows: “At a time when the arts are increasingly marginalized, reduced to being mere entertainment, Yann Martel will speak about how the act of creating art and the act of receiving it are fundamental to human understanding and happiness.” My favorite part of his presentation was his vivid, wry description of the guerilla book club he founded—a unique book club with a membership of two. [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: David Whyte

February 15, 2014 By Laura Davis 4 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico - David Whyte

A small snippet from David Whyte’s keynote address about why readers need to live a courageous life:

"Writer's block has to do with the attempt to keep a conversation going long beyond its shelf life."
As an antidote, David suggested the discipline of asking ourselves "beautiful questions," questions that enable us to have a conversation between our history and the ground on which we stand and the new, unknown horizon before us. These are some of the beautiful questions David suggested:
  • What is my relationship to the unknown?
  • What is my relationship to silence?
  • How much am I in a real conversation with something other than myself? What relationship do I have to voices other than my ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Between The Cracks

February 15, 2014 By Laura Davis 2 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico - Between The Cracks

The most fun thing about coming to a writer’s conference is not what happens in the officially scheduled sessions, but what happens in the cracks between sessions. There’s the fun of exploring San Miguel, but there’s also the conversations, connections and adventures that happen with fellow participants over meals, while getting lost, while shopping, or sometimes while drinking tequila. Last night, for instance, I was supposed to have dinner with Ellen Bass, my co-author, who’s doing a keynote speech at this conference, and her dear friend Beverly, who lives nearby and is spending the week with Ellen.  I made some reservations at a nearby restaurant with a great view of the city, but when it was time to meet, Ellen told me she had to go to a special event with the other keynote ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: The New World Of Publishing

February 14, 2014 By Laura Davis 2 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

The Virtual Vacation Mexico - The New World of Publishing

The San Miguel Writer's conference, in its ninth year, attracts writers from all over Mexico, the United States, Canada, and this year included participants from England, Australia and Morocco. This year, there are 300 full conference attendees, and some of the keynote speakers draw as many as 900 people. There are workshops on everything from travel writing to playwriting, from how to find an agent to how to make characters come alive, from young adult novels to book promotion, and so much more. This morning, I attended a panel on the new era of publishing, covering everything from traditional publishing to do-it-yourself and everything in between. The panelists described five types of publishing, all ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Dexter And The Missed Pedicure

February 13, 2014 By Laura Davis 21 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

This morning I headed out in search of a pedicure before the conference begins. I was wearing open toed shoes and my toes look like crap. I stripped off the old polish before I left California, but now they have red ghost residue on them and look tawdry. I'm not particularly vain, but I think my feet should be more presentable. I followed Susan's perfect walking directions and headed off on the 20 minute walk downtown through the dappled, cobbled streets. I practiced my "Buenos dias," to the people I passed on the street and enjoyed the freedom of movement of setting off alone. I carried the dog-eared detailed street map I'd saved from last year's conference in my hand and easily arrived at the salon Susan had recommended when they opened at 10 AM. But no luck--they were fully ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: The Start Of The Revolution

February 12, 2014 By Laura Davis 9 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

Virtual Vacation Mexico: The Start Of The Revolution

Today, Susan needed to go to Dolores Hidalgo, a small town a little more than an hour from San Miguel, to replace her ceramic water dispenser and its wobbly wooden stand. I went along for the ride and got a Mexican history lesson in the bargain. The first Mexican Revolution, Susan told me in the car, the one that freed Mexico from Spanish rule, started in Dolores Hidalgo on September 16, 1810 when Father Hidalgo, a Spanish priest, stood on the steps of the church and gave the rallying cry--the grieto—a fiery Spanish version of, “We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.” Father Hidalgo was one of four men who led the Revolution—and one of the others was Ignacio Allende, whom San Miguel is named for. September 16th is the Mexican 4th of July, and every year, ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: creative writing, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

The Virtual Vacation Mexico: Saying Goodbye to Mom

February 9, 2014 By Laura Davis 34 Comments · · · · · · Read & Respond

Virtual Vacation Mexico: Saying Goodbye to Mom

I dropped by Mom’s place today to remind her (for the sixth time) that I’ll be leaving to go to Mexico tomorrow. I’m heading back to teach at the San Miguel Writer’s Conference for the 4th year in a row, and I wanted to be sure that Mom would be okay while I was gone. While she sat beside me in a nest of newspapers, I wrote in giant letters on her calendar, “LAURA IN MEXICO” across each of the 13 days I’ll be gone. This trip means more to Mom than some of my others. Mom used to go to San Miguel herself every winter, for a dozen years, way before I ever went there, to escape the New Jersey snow. She even thought of moving there, but never quite rallied the courage. Three years ago, I brought her with me to visit her old friends while I attended the conference. It’s hard to believe ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Mexico, The Virtual Vacation Tagged With: Aging Parents, Alzheimer’s, creative writing, dementia, entrepreneur, marketing, memoir, mexico, Mother-Daughter, teaching, travel, writing practice, writing tips

What Chance Does a New Author Have of Making a Living from Writing?

January 4, 2014 By Laura Davis 1 Comment - Read & Respond

My agent Charlotte Raymond recently sent me this letter from acclaimed novelist Richard Russo. In his open letter, Russo discusses the current status of publishing and the challenges faced by aspiring writers who are starting out, hoping to earn money from their writing--and ultimately make it a career. Although his letter includes a lot of discouraging information about the status of publishing, I think it's important information to put out there. It's a powerful statement that illuminates the way our new digital world is eroding the ability for writers--and all artists and musicians--to make a living with their craft. For me, the letter was part of a pitch to join the Author's Guild, which I immediately did.

An Open Letter to My Fellow Authors

It’s all ... [Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: creative writing, writing tips

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More Featured Students?

For years, I’ve been showcasing the work of one of my students in my monthly newsletter and here on my site. If you’d like to see a complete list of the students I’ve published, with links to their work, you can find it in the Featured Student Archives. Just click the link below.

Featured Students

What is the The Writer’s Journey Roadmap?

I send out inspiring quotes and provocative writing prompts via email Tuesday. You can collect them for their own use—or you can post your writing online and enter into dialogue and conversation with a very supportive group of writers who have made this part of their weekly writing practice.

I invite you to become part of my brilliant, supportive, intimate, honest, inspiring free online community.

I hope to see you up on the Roadmap soon!

First time visitor? Click here to learn about our community.

Like this Virtual Vacation?

You can also read about Laura’s travels to:

Peru 2017

In which Laura and Karyn and 18 writers explore Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of Peru.

Serbia 2017

In which Laura leads a workshop at the Incest Trauma Center.

Greece 2016

In which Laura explores the wonders of Crete and Santorini with a wide-eyed group of Write, Travel, Transform adventurers.

Vietnam 2015/16

In which Laura, who grew up during the Vietnam War, goes to Southeast Asia and finds out what Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are really like today.

Commonweal 2015

A journey toward healing loss and grief in a magnificent Northern California setting.

Scotland 2015

In which Laura returns to Scotland with a new group for another jaunt through the wonders of the Scottish Highlands.

Scotland 2013

In which Laura attends the Edinburgh theatre festival and leads 14 writers to a magical retreat in the highlands of Northern Scotland.

Bali 2013

In which Laura visits Australia, and spends three weeks diving, exploring, and teaching in three regions of Bali.

Florida 2014

A journey into old age in America in which Laura brings her 86-year-old mother to Florida so she can see her last surviving sister one final time.

Mexico 2014

In which Laura attends the San Miguel Writer’s Conference and explores the artistic towns around Patzcuaro.

About Laura Davis

In the course of my career as a communicator, I have also worked as a columnist, talk show host, radio reporter, radio producer, blogger, editor, and speaker. Words have always been at the core of my work and my self-expression. Read More . . .

Photo taken by Jason Ritchey

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What People Are Saying About Laura Davis:

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Retreating with Laura: Julie Sheehan

Julie Sheehan

For many years I put off my dream of writing and traveling. I told myself the kids were too little, my husband could never survive without me, that I couldn't possibly be so selfish. I couldn't imagine realistically stepping out of all of my responsibilities and roles. Then I started attending Laura’s summer retreat at Commonweal in northern California and that became an annual gift to myself for the next three years.

When the opportunity to travel with Laura internationally came up, my Land of Later mentality said I could never pull it off. But when my friend got cancer at age 39, I decided to stop taking life and it's endless opportunities to grow, live, nurture and explore myself for granted.

My children were 6 and 9 when I began allowing myself the luxurious pleasure of taking 10 days to two weeks each year to travel abroad with Laura, to spend time with like minded, soul searching people who share a passion for living and writing, to have all my meals prepared for me, to have the space and freedom to stretch out of my cage and check in with who I am, what I want, and how best to get there.

Laura is a skilled and nurturing teacher who encourages her students to take risks, to grow as human beings, and to be vulnerable. She has provided me with a forum where I can gain all my CEUs and learn techniques on how to become a more engaging writer, all while completing yearly emotional rehab.

I return home from each of Laura’s trip a little wiser, a little more open, and a lot more compassionate. I greet my family, friends and daily life with sparkly, clean energy and a renewed patience, brought about by way of re-writing old stories that I needed to let go of. I come home ready to move forward in my life.

A retreat with Laura Davis is one of the best gifts I ever received and gave myself. It took many years to realize that I was worth the time and financial investment, but now there is no looking back.

Julie Sheehan, Livermore California

Recent Comments

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Writing Retreats

Whether you are a beginner, an established writer, a published author, or are looking for a creative vacation with your spouse…I have a retreat for you.

Read more . . .

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