I was co-hosting the Retreat this year with Nawe's Chair Liz Cashdan. It's essentially an unstructured opportunity to get away from everything and write. The environment is calm and conducive with delicious and healthy meals provided (all dietary requirements catered for!) by Gwynn and Erin who live on site, and a congenial office staff on hand to help with anything from printing to taxis and local info.
Optional workshops were also available including one on poetry and a novel writing workshop from a published author.
Liz and I also offered one to ones which allowed time for individual participants to explore aspects of writing and writing for wellbeing.
A highlight of the week was the visit from Jill Teague of Lapidus, who lives nearby in the North Wales forest, to facilitate her Writing in Nature
workshop. This gave us an opportunity to focus on the landscape around
the centre, encounter nature and its inhabitants and process the
experience in writing and words.
Robert Graves' The Welsh Incident begins with the lines
‘But that was nothing to what things came out
From the sea-caves of Criccieth yonder.’
The Retreat is held each year in April at Ty Newydd. More details are available from Nawe.
