astra writing in greece
for women writers who like to travelIn 1984, at the end of a two-year sojourn in the Greek village, Elika, I purchased an abandoned, deteriorating, roofless peasant house. Stone by stone, over the course of many years, I worked at restoring the structure without knowing what role the finished dwelling would play in my life. The book I went to Greece to write, Dancing Girl, was published before the house became habitable. Twenty-five years after the fateful acquisition, I am pleased to join with Meredith Hall, author of the New York Times bestseller Without a Map, in conducting Astra Writing in Greece, a program for women writers who like to travel and to walk/hike. Because Astra Writing in Greece is limited to seven participants, you have unusually direct access to Meredith Hall, who teaches as skillfully as she writes. Because I know Greece intimately, our itinerary includes sites unknown to most tourists and inaccessible to larger groups. And because the villagers regard me as an Elikiotissa—a woman of Elika—they are sure to welcome you into their cafes and tavernas. My house in Elika will serve, of course, as program headquarters in Greece.
—Thordis Simonsen
writing
Astra Writing in Greece is rooted in the understanding that the wellspring for good writing resides at the interface between experience and memory and in the awareness that travel, by generating experiences and evoking memories, replenishes the well. Our adventure takes place in the home of the Muses and homeland of legendary writers, among them Homer, Sappho, and Kazantzakis. Like them, you will be inspired and transformed by the sun-drenched landscape and glistening seas, the rich cultural history, and a people renowned for their hospitality.Working with acclaimed author Meredith Hall, you will engage daily in two or more hours of guided and independent writing. You will work on threshing floors, in ancient courtyards, on beaches, and on the terrace of a seaside chapel reached by a 90-minute walk along a coastal trail. The program includes an informal meeting each day at sunset to reflect on your travel experience and to share the writing it generated.
itinerary
Astra Writing in Greece is an eleven-day program beginning and ending in Athens and featuring a seven-day sojourn in Thordis Simonsen’s village, Elika. The road we travel between Athens and Elika crosses the rugged mountainous interior of the Peloponnese; during our stay in Elika we reside by the sea. En route to the village, we overnight in Mystras, a fortified town settled by the Franks in the thirteenth-century on a steep side-spur of Mount Taiyetos. Our week in Elika is punctuated by an overnight in a remarkable nearby fortified medieval town—the Mont-Saint-Michel of Greece and home of the renowned twentieth-century poet Yannis Ritsos. Our itinerary includes visits to select museums and historic sites, among them a tour of the Acropolis and the Benaki Museum in Athens and the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil in Sparta. Because walking and hiking are integral to the trip, participants must be comfortable walking/hiking rough paths in hilly terrain. Astra Writing in Greece is designed to ensure a balance between structure and spontaneity, between activity and serenity, between society and solitude. Note: the location may vary from year to year.program hosts
Meredith Hall’s first book, the memoir Without a Map (Beacon Press, 2007), is a New York Times bestseller. Hall won the 2005 Pushcart Prize with her first essay, also named a “Notable” in The Best American Essays 2005. She was awarded the $50,000 Gift of Freedom Award from A Room of Her Own Foundation that same year. She spent her grant period in San Francisco, where she wrote her memoir and started a collection of short stories and a novel. Her work has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, The Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Fourth Genre, The Spoon River Poetry Review, and many other journals and anthologies. She writes reviews for the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. With her three sons, Hall cleared the land, designed, and built her home and barn on the coast of Maine. She is a writer-in-residence at the University of New Hampshire.www.meredithhall.org
In 1982, Thordis Simonsen received a grant from the Ella Lyman Cabot Trust for documentary work in a Greek village because she expressed “bravery” and “venturesomeness” when she diverged from teaching biology to design and teach a course in cultural anthropology and to edit the oral history You May Plow Here: The Narrative of Sara Brooks (Norton, 1986). Her two-year sojourn in Elika culminated in the book Dancing Girl: Themes and Improvisations in a Greek Village Setting (Fundamental Note, 1991). Since 1982, Thordis has lived alternately between Denver, Colorado and Elika. At the age of 40, in 1984, she purchased and subsequently single-handedly restored a roofless village house that had been used to stable sheep. She has conducted small-group excursions in Greece since 1995; she speaks the language fluently and knows the territory intimately. In 2007, Thordis received a grant from the Kittredge Educational Fund for the completion of her third book, Dances in Two Worlds: A Writer-Artist’s Backstory (Fundamental Note, 2011).
accomodations and meals
We reside in ideally situated small family-operated establishments throughout. We usually picnic midday: markets, bakeries, and produce stands are available for provisions. We order from the menu or from cooking pots in the kitchens of the restaurants where we enjoy our evening meals. Vegetarians are easily accommodated.costs
The cost of the eleven-day Astra Writing in Greece program is $2950 (payable to astragreece inc.) plus uncovered meals ($250–$350) and airfare. Price is based on double occupancy; a single-room supplement will increase the land cost by $350. A deposit of $500 is due on acceptance into the program. Emergency medical evacuation insurance is mandatory. A formal application is required. Please refer to Mira's List for funding sources.dates
Astra Writing in Greece begins in Athens 16 May 2012 and ends in Athens 26 May 2012. Wait to purchase airline tickets until after your application and reservation deposit have been accepted.accolades
It was an amazing experience, and I can't think of a better introduction to writing. Looking forward to next year's reunion. Seriously.—T. Brobby 2009 & 2010
Everything about this trip was perfect: the travel, the hikes, the surprises, the restaurants, the writing. I felt immediately welcome, immediately embraced, and immediately safe within this group and totally confident in your leadership and planning. You were so thoughtful and attentive to everyone's needs, so incredibly accommodating, and, all in all, just a lovely spirit, a beautiful person. This trip exceeded my wildest expectations. I hope to be able to do this again next year.
—M. Pincus 2010
You have brought together a fabulous group of loving, talented women writers! It is your magic, your vision, and your charisma that does this! And this magic will not end. I completely intend to go again.
—A. Geerts 2010
Thank you, Thordis, for an extraordinary trip—something very large and very magical happened within our group. You are incredibly good at what you do, and you are an incredibly kind and generous-hearted person. Part of why the program worked so well is that we each had a very good plan, and we know how to make it look effortless, releasing the women into a joyful experience. It was a privilege to travel with you.
—Meredith Hall, writing facilitator, 2009 & 2010
application
To apply for Astra Writing in Greece, download the application form and email completed form to program director Thordis Simonsen at info@astragreece inc.Please do not book any flights until you have been notified that your reservation/deposit has been accepted.
For additional information about Astra Writing in Greece, please contact astragreece inc. at info@astragreece.com or 303.321.5403.
In addition, please refer to the Excursions and Sojourns section in this site, particularly “special features,” “accolades,” “reading list,” “considerations,” and “terms & conditions.” Most information applies to Astra Writing in Greece.