Women’s Narratives is a story-sharing and writing retreat. Our emphasis is on a good narrative that’s why we have named it Women’s Narratives Retreat. We believe the power of a story comes not merely by telling a story but how well you tell it.
We do not teach writing, we give writing tips that can be used in fiction and nonfiction to craft a compelling story. We make you aware of the components that go into the making of a good story. We help you in your writing efforts by providing a relaxed environment, uninterrupted writing time, delicious healthy meals, and the company of like-minded women. Our retreat has spectacular outdoor views; indoors you will find the atmosphere informal and relaxed. No writing experience is required, but a desire to write will be helpful.
We chose to have the story-sharing and writing retreat because we all know the soothing effect of listening to a good story, equally soothing is telling our own stories but most soothing is writing down the stories we tell. In fact, writing is therapeutic, research shows that writing can reduce stress. Want to experience all this? Join us on the scenic Kythera island in Greece in a complex of four quaint historic homes built in the eighteenth century and fully renovated by one of the fourth-generation owners. It is an ideal spot to immerse in a world of stories.
We all know the best stories are those we have experienced or someone dear to us has experienced and shared with us, if you are keen to write your memoirs or a biography, this retreat is the first step. If you have already started writing this is the right place to draw inspiration. Beware, given the few days of a retreat whatever you write will be just a fragment of a big story told in a memoir or a biography but that short piece can be shaped into an essay, a poem, or a short story. Whether prose or poetry; fiction or nonfiction- anything shorter gets published sooner and provides opportunities to build your platform through magazines and anthologies. We hope you will go back revitalized to continue the long journey of memoir or biography writing
Women’s Narratives Retreat is all-inclusive providing accommodation, three meals plus snacks, fruits, tea, and coffee between the meals.
A little bit about Kythera
Kythera is a small island in southern Greece located between three seas: The Aegean, the Ionian, and the Cretan Seas. It is quite unique, both in terms of its physical characteristics, but also its history. According to Hesiod, an ancient Greek poet who lived during Homer’s time, it is considered to be the birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. As such, over the centuries, the island has become a source of inspiration for artists and writers, such as the French painter Jean Antoine Watteau, as well as for the 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire, and for the 20th-century Greek filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos. It is a place endowed with great beauty: valleys that end on the seashore; mountainsides dressed in green, or rocky and barren; spring waters gurgling or cascading down the slopes; wonderful beaches; beautiful picturesque little villages; local tasty dishes; and an architecture that blends the apparent Venetian influences with the styles found on the Greek mainland and the islands. All these characteristics and more make it a perfect destination for those seeking to be inspired and indulge in the island’s beauty and tranquility, where time stops and every moment is experienced in its fullest.