Welcome to our writers' workshop
Welcome to Love Comes in at the Eye
"Love Comes in at the Eye" is like no other writing workshop anywhere, and it takes place in a magical landscape-- which becomes part of the story. The far west of Ireland is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The workship borrows its title from "The Drinking Song Poem" by William Butler Yeats. A century ago, Yeats himself wrote and honeymooned at Renvyle House, in Connemara, Ireland, where we work.
The workshop is founded by memoirist and former NPR host Jacki Lyden, who teams with some of the most exciting writers working. This year our co-leader is acclaimed novelist Alice McDermott, National Book Award winner, author of nine novels, and on the Pen-Faulkner shortlist for her latest, "Absolution."
We limit "Love Comes in at the Eye" to just ten writers of various disciplines. The size makes for dynamic individual attention, group work, and generative work, and we conclude with a public reading in Clifden, an arts town (and Jacki's ancestral hometown.) We take an archaeological hike, we do observation exercises, we hear some music, dance, and meet at 1pm each day to work together. We go out for dinner all but two nights. The goal is progress amid camaraderie and daily reading. That's right -- you read daily, or almost, from your work and we do a group critique. But keep in mind, we also generate work together. Please write to us to tell us what you’d like to work on. These pages and your project are how we decide whom to accept. You will need to send us up to 20 pages, but not more. Thank you.
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How does this work?
Please submit your work to Jacki for review. If accepted, we will ask for a down payment of $950 out of total cost of $3950 for eight nights, seven days. (Nonrefundable) The remainder is due by April 30. Please write Jacki.Lyden@gmail.com and include submissions of your work of up to 20 pages.
We'll send an early morning coach for everyone May 23 to meet you at Shannon International Airport-(do NOT fly into Dublin if you want our transport, though you can always make your own arrangements) and we send a coach back on the last day May 31. We stay in the gorgeous Renvyle Hotel, which is on the Renvyle Peninusla. It's a four-star hotel, featuring rooms with thrilling views, of mountains or water or gardens, and common areas that are inviting and relaxing. There's usually a turf fire in the evenings. (The Nobel-prize winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney and the former President of Ireland--also a poet!-- have both stayed here -- Heaney even planted a tree.) Opening night there's champagne and oysters!
We kick off at 5:30 pm that night. You'll have had a chance to rest. Many attendees have come in a day early and stayed near Shannon for the departure on May 23; suggested, not required, and you will need to make your own arrangements.
Every afternoon, at 1pm, we gather in the library having turned in our work, reflecting with exercises and supportive group feedback on where we are. We have a short break for tea and coffee and sandwiches. We're usually done around 5:30 or 6pm.That leaves an hour walking or private time til we go out to eat. (It's light til nearly midnight that time of year, that far north.) Integrating your experience to the landscape and seascape, people have hiked, ridden horseback on the beaches and walked with a Bronze Age Archaeologist. The main thing of course, are your pages, but the food, music and explorations are part of the heartbeat here. We are very near Connemara National Park, and there are many gentle walks on the Renvyle Grounds. (There's also golf and tennis, if the wind lets up! And a heated swimming pool and seaside hot tub Yoga by us! :-)
The "Love Comes in at the Eye" fee includes tuition and lodging, daily buffet breakfasts, two bar lunches, and two lovely dinners at the hotel from award-winning chef Tim Sullivan, and most of your transportation. In other words, you are paying for about five dinners out, and any transportation outside dinner or a scheduled activity, like our hike or reading.
The "Love Comes in at the Eye"reading at Christchurch, at 7pm on our penultimate night, introduces our writers to Connemara, and Connemara to our writers. The reading becomes a program and podcast on Connemara FM, and we meet after for dinner at a pub in Clifden. Check out what our writers have to say about the workshop!