| 'Writing the Bright Moment' : place, longing and belonging - with Roselle Angwin |
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Dates: Sat 1 – Sat 8 Sep 2018
Cost: £275 (course) + 580€ (accommodation and meals)
EARLYBIRD BOOKING: 10% discount on total fee for bookings before 31 May
In his ‘Late Fragment’, Raymond Carver asked of himself what he wanted from this life. His response:
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
This is a week of creative and reflective writing, in both prose and poetry, to quicken the heart, fire the imagination, enliven the senses and re-tune our sense of belonging here on this beautiful planet, with the animals, birds, trees, insects, rivers (and other people) that share our home.
During this week, we’ll let our sense of longing lead our imagination and our writing. Through lively discussion, shared silence, slow walking, time outdoors, mindfulness exercises and creative prompts we’ll find new ways of being in and writing from each moment – effortlessly. There’ll be stimulating and gentle writing tasks, shared words and readings, and time simply to be in the natural world (including, if you’d like, time to immerse yourself in the waterfall pool!).
Expect a friendly group, a deepening of your sense of connectedness, a great deal of sometimes surprising writing (prose and poetry), a slowing down, some play, a lot of laughter, and a sense of depth, ease and restoration.
Mornings are given over to a quiet prompted start, followed by inspiring writing tasks. In the evenings there are shared activities and events, often around the firepit. Each afternoon there will be an optional reading-back session, with feedback if wanted. Another optional extra is generally a wake-up dance/movement/yoga/meditation session in the early morning.
"It isn’t easy to put into words what a haven of peace, quietude and relaxation Gardoussel is. Having never attended a creative writing course before this was a revelation for me and I wrote more in a week with Roselle than I have in my life so far. Her techniques, encouragement and critiques set my creative juices flowing and gave me tools to continue my writing when I get home." (Kerryn Alt)
"Roselle’s deep and thoughtful humanity, her affinity with nature, her skilled handling of material and participants, her inspirational writing and readings created a deeply healing and creative space". (Chloe Balcomb)
"The week was marvellous and truly inspirational, in so many different ways. The exercises in poetry writing fired up my neurons and this improved my prose writing as well. Highlights were the delicious, healthy food, the atmospheric fire pit in the evening, the fun, laughter and the sharing of poetry and prose." (Anja de Jager)
Access to a printer (bring a UBS key) can be arranged and we have a wifi point.
As with our other weeks, massages are available from our on-site therapist, Frances. Walking maps can be provided, hammocks abound, and we’ll show you to the firewood pile in case you'd like to light the outdoor firepit in the evenings.
As part of the informal atmosphere at Gardoussel, guests are asked to participate in tidying up after meals, on a rota basis. This is generally considered to be a plus rather than a chore - as it helps the group to get to know one another better.
Arrival is from 4pm on the first day, departure is after breakfast on the final day.
Pricing
Course cost is £275
Accommodation (twin room), meals & wine is 580€ (single room supplements 150€)
Tutor
UK poet and author Roselle Angwin is a much-loved tutor with a 27-year track record who leads the Fire in the Head creative and reflective writing programme, and The Wild Ways ecosoul project, a path of reconnection with self, other, story and land. She’s passionate about wild places and the natural world, as well as the creative imagination. She’s tutored for many establishments from Oxford University to Arvon, The Poetry Society and The Poetry School to the National Trust and Natural England.
Well-published in fiction, poetry and non-fiction, she has been described as ‘a poet of the bright moment whose own sources of creative inspiration are her native Westcountry, Brittany, the Scottish islands, and a highly individual blend of Celtic myth and metaphysics, psychology, shamanic and Buddhist thinking’. Her work has won many awards, including Arts Council England support, and her courses have been featured in The Guardian.
Roselle read Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic with mediaeval French at Cambridge, with a focus on Celtic language and mythology. Later, she trained in Transpersonal Psychology and holds a counselling qualification.
For more info visit www.fire-in-the-head.co.uk or http://thewildways.co.uk or Roselle's blog
EXTERNAL ATTENDEES:
Although we are not set up for camping (we have no bespoke camping facilities for example), as an exception we are offering a 'wild camping' option on this retreat only. Pitch your own tent anywhere on our land (45 acres of meadow and woodland) - taking your chances as most of it is not 100% flat - or on a flat grassy terrace we will clear for the purpose - and share rustic bathroom facilities (bath with shower head, wash basin: but the water's hot!) with our resident cook and massage therapist Frances who lives in a yurt. For the loo, you'll need to walk down to the main building to use the 'public' Gardoussel toilet - or pee in the woods, the choice is yours. This option costs 450€ / week (accommodation & meals).
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