Writing About Love
Chateau de Borie, Agen, France
Sunday April 28th – Sunday May 5th, 2024
Limited to 8-10 participants
Imagine yourself in a world away, surrounded by lush forest, cradled within the protective hug of a limestone cliff face, morning doves cooing and birds twittering.
As you enter the chateau’s bright, sunny rooms, you can hear laughter and feel the excitement of fellow writers from all walks of life who are gathering to share a meal, a glass of wine, their stories, and their creativity.
In this writing workshop, you will steep yourself in these gorgeous surroundings and draw from memory and imagination to layer your fiction or non-fiction (memoir/essays) with tellings of love. The love we write of could be romantic, familial love, love for friends, animals, strangers, the planet, revolutions, or self-love. You may write just a scene or two of love that becomes the heartbeat of a larger story, or you may discover a whole new map for your tale. Your story may span emotions of desire, humor, guilt, joy, grief, longing, passion, or, yes, rage.
We will read writings on all such love, followed by brief lessons, discussions, and writing prompts. Sonora will draw upon her experience as a writer of fiction, memoir, political essay, and journalism to help you craft that love story within you.
Soon, your notebook will be filled with luscious moments as you explore Chateau de Borie, its environs, the French countryside, and all the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells that come with it.
Experience the magic that is Chateau de Borie.
Your teacher: Sonora Jha
Sonora Jha is the author of the novels The Laughter (2023) and Foreign (2013) and the memoir How To Raise A Feminist Son: A Memoir and Manifesto (2021). The Laughter has earned rave reviews from The New York Times, The New Yorker, India Today, and The Seattle Times and received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Bookpage, and others. Sonora was formerly a journalist covering crime, politics, and culture for the Times of India and for East Magazine, Singapore. She moved to the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Political Communication. Dr. Jha's OpEds, essays, and public appearances have been featured in The New York Times, on BBC, and in several anthologies such as the recent essay collection Wanting: Women Writing About Desire (Catapult 2023). Sonora is a professor of journalism at Seattle University and teaches workshops and masterclasses for Hugo House, Hedgebrook Writers’ Retreat, Creative Nonfiction, and Seattle Public Library.
Your host: Abigail Carter
The owner of Chateau de Borie, Abigail Carter is a published author, artist and website designer. Her memoir, The Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation was published in 2008, a cathartic expression after the death of her husband, Arron in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Her second book, Remember the Moon, a novel, was published in 2014 and is also based on themes of grief and loss.
After a difficult breakup in 2017, Abby returned to painting after a thirty-year hiatus, re-discovering another outlet for her renewed grief and self-discovery.
During the pandemic, Abby became obsessed with the idea of owning a chateau in France that could be used as a retreat center and managed to see the dream come to fruition in 2022 with the purchase of Chateau de Borie. The Writing About Love Retreat will be the second retreat at the Chateau, coming off the heels of a very successful artist’s retreat.
Chateau de Borie
Chateau de Borie is located in Pont-du-Casse, just a five minute drive from Agen, located between Toulouse and Bordeaux in an area renown for it’s fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly its dried prunes. The area is a little off the beaten path for many tourists, but boasts beautiful countryside, proximity to two splendid wine regions, historic “Bastide” villages and incredibly fresh local food.
Agen and environs
The town of Agen is equidistant between Toulouse and Bordeaux and boasts a TGV train station, making it a 3-hour journey from Paris or a 1-hour journey from either Toulouse or Bordeaux. The town is fairly substantial with a population of 35,000 and has a wide array of shops, restaurants, bars, weekly markets and annual festivals. There is also a wonderful Art Museum and an Opera House, as well as several cathedrals, one of which has an intricately painted interior.
The surrounding countryside is known for its orchards and fruit growing, particularly its prunes, which you can find in all forms - stuffed, soaked in alcohol, or made into aperitifs.
The surrounding countryside is beautiful and dotted with many “Bastide” towns – fortified, medieval towns often built atop hillsides with a templated grid pattern (developed by the brother of one of the kings of France) with a main town square, surrounded by a covered gallery housing shops and restaurants.
About the Retreat
The Goal of the Retreat
Our objective for the retreat is to provide a magical French Chateau experience that includes writing, food, wine, travel, free time, new friends, dancing, music, and connections to French culture and people. It’s really about learning to have fun and rediscovering our playfulness through creativity.
Who Should Sign Up?
We welcome beginner and advanced writers alike. We will explore various facets of creativity – how creativity shows up for us; the healing power of creativity and how creativity can be incorporated into our everyday lives. We aim to create a safe, inclusive, and positive experience for people of all levels and writing experience and our goal is to motivate and inspire your creative muse.
This workshop will accommodate 8-10 people. To apply, please fill out this form, which includes a brief synopsis of your writing project. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Retreat Experience
Each writer will be housed in a private room equipped with a desk. During your stay, you will enjoy the sweeping views of the French countryside, free time, intimate workshop mornings, and organized excursions to explore nearby sites and partake in the local wine and cuisine.
Writing Inspiration, Instruction
Each day, we will have 1 hour of lesson and discussion, followed by an hour of writing to a prompt and closing with a half hour of debrief/discussion on the writing generated. You will also have some free time on most days to do self-directed writing in many of the nooks, the garden and private spaces on the property.
Fresh, locally-sourced French home cooking
Continental breakfast and family-style dinner will be served daily. Lunches will either be provided at the chateau or will be on your own during excursions. All meals will be prepared by a local French chef using fresh local ingredients. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available throughout the day. We will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions.
Excursions
Cooking Class at Chateau Ladausse
We will visit Chateau Ladausse, a stunning chateau near Monflaquin where we will partake in a cooking class taught by Diane Anthon, the proprietor of Chateau Ladausse and a professional chef hailing from Chicago. We will prepare our own lunch and learn a little about the wines of the area from Diane’s husband Eric who is a font of knowledge on both wines and the local region. After lunch, we will explore the nearby medieval town of Montflaquin.
Sommelier Visit
Learn about and taste local wines from passionate sommelier, Stephan who will come to Chateau de Borie bearing some wonderful wines of all types from a variety of areas. Cahors.
An afternoon in Agen
Agen is an easily accessible town that has an excellent art museum, opera house, two cathedrals, and lots of shopping along a pedestrian-only boulevard. You will have the option of spending some time at the Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Agen or spend the afternoon at your leisure before meeting the group at the end of the day for an aperitif back at the Chateau.
Dinner in a local restaurant
There will be a dinner at a nearby restaurant specializing in French cuisine with particular emphasis on farm-to-table and local specialties.
Ground Transportation
Pick up and drop off at the train station in Agen will be provided.
Transportation will be provided for all outings to local sites or events during your retreat week.
Not Included:
On-call transportation to local village or city. If you would like the freedom to explore the region at any time, we recommend renting a car.
Airfare
Train fare
The Details
Accommodations
Except for three bedrooms that contain two beds, all bedrooms are private. Two bedrooms have a private ensuite bathroom. All other rooms have a private bathroom down the hall. You will have access to all amenities: a large, shared living room, kitchen and dining room, garden, and terraces, with reading nooks and seating, and a wooded trail. There is WiFi throughout the Chateau, and laundry services are available.
NOTE:
The Chateau de Borie is multi-leveled, with no bedrooms on the ground floor. Good physical mobility is required for retreat, as the Chateau has one or two sets of stairwells depending on the room you choose, and we will be on foot on the cobbled streets around France. The physical ability to walk unassisted is necessary for this retreat.
Because of the proximity of the cliffs and the seven springs on the property, mosquitos are an issue between July and October. Bug spray is highly recommended.
Chloe, Abby’s Boston Terrier will be in attendance. She is very companionable, but if you have any issues with small dogs, you might want to consider this before booking.
Participants might want to consider arriving in France a day or two prior to the retreat to get acclimated. Toulouse is an enjoyable place to explore. Citiz Hotel in Toulouse is well situated a block from the train station and a block from the center of town and is reasonably priced.
Travel
Arrivals: Sunday, April 28th before 4 pm
Retreat/workshops: Monday, April 29th to Saturday, May 4th, 2024
Departures: Sunday, May 5th before 12 pm.
Class participants are responsible for their own flights and travel to Agen. The closest international airports are Toulouse and Bordeaux, France. It is an hour's train ride to Agen from both cities. You can also fly to Paris and take a 3-hour TGV train from Montparnasse station in Paris to Agen (via Bordeaux).
It is recommended that you purchase your train tickets ahead of time, as trains do fill up. We recommend using www.thetrainline.com or https://www.sncf-connect.com/ to book your connections.
You are welcome to rent a car at the airport, though we will be providing transportation for the various excursions, so unless you want to get out on your own, it is unnecessary.
We offer pick-ups and drop-offs between the Agen train station and Chateau de Borie.
NOTE: To arrive at the villa on Sunday, April 28th requires a flight departure from North America on Saturday, April 27th.
Pricing
All prices are paid in Euros and include VAT
Payment
Once selected, you will be sent an email to pay a deposit of €1,000 to hold your spot. It will be non-refundable after February 1st, 2024. The balance must be paid in full by February 1, 2024.
Included in the price:
Pick up/drop off at the Agen train station
Welcome champagne
All meals and wine except for lunches during excursions
Transportation to/from all excursions
Cooking class and lunch at the Chateau Ladausse
Wine tasting in Cahors
Dinner at a local restaurant
Not included:
Airfare, train fare
Meals outside the villa except for the restaurant dinner.
Refund Policy
The €1,000 deposit is non-refundable after February 1st, 2024.
All rooms are to be paid for in full by February 1st, 2024.
If you need to cancel after February 1st, 2024 we will offer your spot to people on the waiting list and refund 100% of your payment, minus the deposit, if we are able to fill your spot.
If we cannot fill your spot, we will refund 50% of your payment (minus the deposit) or you can transfer your paid fees to another retreat offered within 12 months.
Participant expenses incurred in preparation for the trip (e.g., non-refundable purchased airline tickets) are not the responsibility of the retreat organizers. It is recommended that you obtain medical/trip cancellation insurance for this reason.