Writing Through the Senses
Chateau de Borie, Agen, France
Saturday May 16th – Saturday May 23rd, 2026
Limited to 8-10 participants
For most writers, vision is the default sense—but smell, taste, touch and hearing are the stealth superpowers in a writer’s toolkit. Using them helps us craft extraordinary descriptions that immerse our readers in a scene.
This generative workshop will help you access your subliminal senses and make your work come alive through both writing prompts and hands-on experiences.
Imagine mornings filled with writing and learning and sharing, afternoons spent immersing yourself in the smells and tastes and sounds and textures of southern France.
Imagine a room of your own in which to write, a group with which to share your thoughts. Imagine bakeries, perfumeries, farmer’s markets, thermal baths and wineries. Not to mention chef-cooked meals, the scents of cooking winding their way through your words.
Inspiration is just waiting for you.
Your teacher:
Erica Bauermeister
Erica Bauermeister is the NYT bestselling author of 5 novels, including No Two Persons, The Scent Keeper, and The School of Essential Ingredients, as well as her memoir House Lessons: Renovating a Life. Her books have been a Reese’s Book Club Pick, a Washington State Book Award Finalist, and Indie Next Picks, and have been translated into over 25 languages. Before becoming a full-time writer, she earned a PhD in literature and was a teacher and the co-author of two readers’ guides — 500 Great Books by Women and Let’s Hear it for the Girls.
When describing her writing, Erica says: I write about the things we don’t pay attention to—our sense of smell, the food we cook, the houses we live in, the way our filters affect our perceptions of the world. I write about those quiet spaces between words, and all that goes on in them. But most of all, I write about compassion—because that is what teaches us to see everything else.
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. She now lives full-time at the Chateau with her minion, Lulu.
About the Retreat
The Goal of the Retreat
Our goal is to create a truly magical experience at a French château — one that blends writing with the pleasures of food, wine, travel, and friendship. Over the course of the week, you’ll deepen your craft by learning to write through the senses, while also savoring long meals, music, laughter, dancing, and the warmth of new connections. Immersed in French culture and surrounded by its people, you’ll discover that France is the perfect place to awaken your senses — and in turn, to infuse your prose with greater richness, resonance, and meaning.
Who Should Sign Up?
We welcome beginner and advanced writers, and this retreat would be beneficial for fiction, memoir, and creative non-fiction writers. 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.
Local Market and Cooking Demo
Join us on an unforgettable culinary adventure with an esteemed chef, where we'll explore the vibrant Agen farmer’s market, handpicking fresh produce. Later, back at Chateau de Borie, we will be guided through an immersive cooking workshop, crafting our evening feast.
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 a lesson and discussion, followed by an hour of writing to a prompt, and conclude with a half-hour of debriefing and discussion on the generated writing. 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.
Pricing
Premium Room:
Cygne, Etoile, Gingko, Rossignol, Jasmin
Solo: €4,600
Shared: €4,000 per person
Standard Room:
Magnolia, Colibri, Chouette, Renard,
Lapin, Paon
Solo: €4,000
Shared: €3,600 per person
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All rooms have a private bathroom down the hall with the exception of:
Rossignol: Partial ensuite (shower down the hall)
Jasmin: Full ensuite
Twin/2-bed options are ideal for friends:
Lapin (two doubles),
Paon (double + single),
Cygne (double + single).
Rooms with one bed are perfect for solo guests
or couples.
Premium Rooms
Standard Rooms
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.
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.
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.
Lulu, 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 before 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: Saturday, May 16th, before 4 pm
Retreat/workshops: Monday, May 18th - Friday, May 22nd, 2026
Departures: Sunday, May 23rd, 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 Saturday, May 16th, requires a flight departure from North America on Friday, May 15th..