I’ve been home for two-and-a-half days now, and despite the early mornings and the buses stuck in traffic and having to feed the toddler dinner in the bath, I can still feel it - the gently shimmering residues of retreat.

Last week I was in Italy, teaching in Umbria on my now-annual writing retreat, A Haven for Stories. It is a favourite week in my year, one of my favourite places in the world, serving up my favourite food, but this time felt like the best yet. Somewhere between the hillside mist and the woodsmoke and the sage pesto pasta I bumped into parts of me that have been dormant for so long. As if my lungs gained a little more capacity; my body learned to regulate a little swifter; my brain dusted off a gear it had forgotten. I’m not sure how long it will last for, but I’m grateful for it.

It’s also the first year that we’ve got our act together to confirm next year’s retreat straight away. I’m delighted to announce that A Haven for Stories 2025 will take place from 18-25 October, in Villa Pia, Umbria. A number of places have been filled by returning writers, and I’m not sure how many I can keep doing due to family commitments, so if you have been thinking of joining, I’d advise reserving your place soon. We always sell out, and we always have a waiting list. Book via email, details here.

I’m also teaching and retreating in other capacities over the next few months, from £35 masterclasses you can join from your sofa, to residential escapes in 5-star luxury. I’d love to work with you on one of them:

Taking your stories to a broader audience

Arvon Masterclass: 5 November, online

One of the less-discussed parts of writing for a career is the very real work of getting people to read it. I took a 90-minute-long call about publicity for my forthcoming book Hark (have you pre-ordered it yet?) with C snoozing on me earlier this week; it was neither the first nor the last for this campaign. Beyond books, I make podcasts and post on Instagram. Thousands of you are reading this. It’s not showing off so much as an essential part of keeping my bills paid - and, as I’ll teach you in this masterclass, it can also be a huge creative playground that can directly feed and inspire your longform work.

If you want to improve your profile as a writer, if you’re curious about writing on substack or social media as a writer, this will be worth your time - and you can watch it back at leisure if you can’t make next Tuesday. Book here.

The Savour Retreat

12-13 November, Limewood, New Forest

The first-ever savour retreat is rapidly approaching, and I am so excited. I’ve been fortunate to stay at Limewood a couple of times while plotting it and there really is no other hotel like it - this year it was awarded the best spa in the UK, quite possibly because of the fact you can stare out at the forest from the pool. Magic.

There are a tiny handful of places left, both residential and day passes, and as well as spending the morning in an accessible creativity workshop with me, you’ll be treated to impeccable food, dinner in the chef’s kitchen, a sound bath, foraging in the forest and a cosy fireside reflection session. Just the thing to carry you through the winter with calm and delight. It was very cool to see it named among the best UK retreats this week by The Times. Book here.

Writing & Drawing: a gentle creativity retreat

27-30 January, 2025, Pye Corner House, Cotswolds

In the summer artist Lisa King arrived on my doorstep with a styling and photography crew and, for a couple of delirious hours, made me feel like a rock star. Since then, we’ve discovered that we both walked down the aisle to Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of You’ and sent countless voicenotes, many of which have been cooking up Writing & Drawing. Lisa is an artist inspired by nature, and, selfishly, I want to be taught by her. I’ll be leading an approachable writing workshop to get you geared up for the year ahead. We intend to gently banish the “new year, new you” nonsense for an inspiring and energising start to the year; to quote Virginia Woolf: no need to sparkle, no need to be anyone other than yourself. Again, spaces are filling up so if you fancy joining us drop Pye Corner House a line here - and as a savour member, you benefit from 10% discount: mention ‘early bird’ in your enquiry.

more on making things

lead

Alice Vincent · July 12, 2023

I started to draw the next morning. Feet, long and narrow, like mine. A curled hand with a tiny bloodstained plaster on its palm. A thumb hidden inside a fist. An ankle, a sole.

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madonna

Alice Vincent · Oct 23

She has the most remarkable face, this Mary. It’s timeless, really. It’s a face I could see on the Tube, after a long day at work, immune to the announcements overhead. Her beauty is unshowy; a gentle blush in her cheeks, a slightly downturned mouth, eyebrows that are lightly expectant.

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painting

Alice Vincent · July 19, 2023

I threw most of the paintings away in the end. My parents left the house they raised us in and we were encouraged to clear out what we didn’t need. I remember driving to the tip with my dad and throwing my sketchbooks into the huge metal trough signposted for paper.

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