My first family/solo adult writing retreat to Costa Rica has now concluded – and what a wonderful week it was! Our group stayed at Finca Luna Nueva, a gorgeous bio-dynamic farm and lodge in the heart of the rain forest, where sloths lazed outside our windows and hummingbirds flitted past the pool. To kick start the week, I gave a reading – from The Finding Place, and from two new novels, one written (Beyond Chaos) and another in progress (The Hibernators). There followed six mornings of writing workshops – an hour long for the younger participants, and two hours for the adult writers. We explored surrealist writing prompts, looked at structure (and planned a novel!), discovered how fiction is inspired by life experience, tried out poetry exercises, read for one another, and wrote together in a supportive atmosphere. We wrote around the farm, in the treetop viewing platform, and from the comfort of the main lodge. In the afternoons, we soaked in the hot springs, worked on our individual writing projects, discussed writing and took sightseeing trips. Our adventure concluded on the final night, when everyone read from their works-in-progress.
I was so fortunate to have such a wonderful, kind, supportive group of people on this tour, and we couldn’t have wished for a more perfect and serene location. Ishmael’s traditional chocolate-making workshop offered a welcome break from the hard work, and few things can be more inspiring than a night walk in the rain forest!
We hope this retreat will be the first of many, and the next is planned for 
January 2017. If you would like to receive information about the next trip once it is available, please email me at julie (at sign) centauriartscamp.com
