Have you heard about The Key to The Castle workshops for writers? The next one is taking place in Torre di Cittara, Italy from October 19th to 26th this year.
Kathy Curto, Patricia Dunn, William Papaleo and Angela Derecas Taylor are behind this. It's their signature workshop on the Amalfi Coast but they offer workshops for writers, artists and yoga enthusiasts both online, locally in the NY area and in other cool places abroad.
I found about this when ran into Angela at a writer’s event. I’d known her from her days working in the mayor’s office in my city. When she retired 2 years ago - she started this cool company.
So who is the ideal participant for a writers trip to Italy?
Someone who is open to adventure and discovery as a community of artists.
One benefit of working as an artist in community with others is the gaining of new insight, particularly when it comes to ways of seeing and valuing their own work. This applies on the page, the mat, out in the natural world and on the canvas.
An ideal student also recognizes the importance of getting away from their own day to day life to experience the illuminating effects of travel and the sharing of culture—in all ways.
Many students attend their workshops to collect fresh understandings of their own promise as artists and to gain the variety of perspectives that come from being in a new place.
Kathy and Patricia joined me in the studio to tell us all about it.
Kathy says, “The Key To the Castle is sort of our signature program and that is in October for, and as Pat said, writers really of all levels. We do writing and painting primarily and some meditation and yoga and lots of eating and sort of collaborating with one another. It's really community driven.
We've been doing it for several years now in Cittara. We have a great relationship with the community, with the merchants there, with the people who help us actually organize the housing and the trips.
You actually stay in this beautiful fishing town right the Amalfi coast and everybody gets apartments like the person that arranges you it's like condos Everybody gets their condos and then we actually do the writing right in the castle.”
Seems many great writers just don't really ‘get it’ until they are with other people who bring it out in them and see it.
Pat said, “You can write alone, and you might get to certain things in your work, but until you share it with people you trust, in a safe environment, you're not going to get the kind of feedback that you need to move on to the next step unless you want to wait 25, 30 years.”
Wow. Who the heck has that kind of time to waste? LOL
If this sounds like something you’d like to know more about check out KeysToTheCastleWorkshop.com.
Meanwhile enjoy this podcast of our live conversation on the Debbie Nigro Show.
