Tuscany-Fiction

You cannot force inspiration to come … not with muscular effort.
There are ways, however, to create in yourself
a state of receptivity, a hospitable environment.
~Madison Smartt Bell.

Come create that hospitable environment for yourself at a country vineyard in Tuscany. Explore and refine the craft and self-expression inherent in your writing in a place that has been inspirational to all types of artists and craftsmen for centuries.

Tuscany-in its tranquility, beauty and stillness-will create within you an environment where inspiration can thrive. This week-long workshop will focus on inviting inspiration as well as exploring and refining your skills as a fiction writer. This adventure will be a hands on experience: we will actively make, investigate, explore, create and share. As a community of writers, we will work together to help all participants realize their intentions on the page in a nurturing, honest and productive environment. Writers of all levels are welcome. The workshop will include:

investigative discussions about readings and the craft, tailored specifically to the group's needs
instructive writing exercises that draw on the lush setting and unique experiences of Tuscany as well as the dynamic creativity of the group
one-on-one conferences to explore your individual needs as a writer in more depth
opportunity to share your writing and receive constructive group feedback
an encouraging, challenging, supportive environment in which to take risks in your work and, as a result, grow as a writer

The week-long workshop will leave plenty of time for participants to devote to their own creative pursuits and personal writing projects, be it a journal, prose descriptions, memoir, short stories or a novel. We will also explore the area with optional excursions to villages, Etruscan tombs, markets, vineyards, historic towns like Siena and Radda with the goal of using those experiences as inspiration to create and express ourselves using the written word. One afternoon might be devoted to completing a short story you've been working on, another might be spent exploring a hilltown and recording the sights and sounds. Open your writerly self to what awaits you-and only you-in Tuscany and share those discoveries and observations over dinner or a glass of wine with a community of writers eager to hear them.

About the Instructor

Brandi is a writer and a teacher. Her fiction has received several awards, including grants from Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs, and has appeared in journals like the North Dakota Quarterly, Rattapallax and Elixir. Her writing on the craft of fiction has appeared in Writing Fiction, and she edits Letterpress, an e-newsletter for fiction writers. She is currently the James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow at the University of Wisconsin and will be a writer-in-residence for the Kerouac Project of Orlando and teaches fiction workshops for Gotham Writers Workshop. Brandi holds an MFA from New York University.

For inquiries about the workshop, you can contact Brandi at 773.250.3701 or brandi_reissenweber@hotmail.com.

Price and Registration: $1,695 p/p
($350 p/p supp. for ensuite bathroom or single room-limited availability)

Getting There: Florence will be our meeting point on the first day of the workshop. For suggestions about getting to Florence, accommodations or other logistics, please consult our Travel to Italy link. Renting a car from all the major rental agencies is possible if you prefer to be more independent during the week.