Craft and Courage: A Writing Retreat in the Himalayas
Thu, 13 Jun
|Kufri
This unique writing retreat, led by award winning writer and facilitator Aditi Rao, and set in an eco-friendly campsite a mountain peak in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.
Time & Location
13 Jun 2024, 4:00 pm – 17 Jun 2024, 11:00 am
Kufri, Gallu, near Fortune ITC Resort, Kufri, Himachal Pradesh 171012, India
Guests
About The Event
This unique writing retreat, set in a campsite in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.
Every morning, you will spend a few hours closely reading texts, learning new tools to sharpen your writing, and writing in response to structured exercises aimed at improving craft. Every evening, our Sunset Writing Circles will push you differently, asking you to be brave in your writing, to risk vulnerability, to write and to share from your whole, honest heart. These evening sessions take place in our Baithak, which boasts incredible view of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peak; here, we write by sunset, share by candlelight, and let the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in an apple orchard, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.
Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient writer but also as a braver writer, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and writing companions.
ACCOMMODATION
Participants will stay in Swiss-style luxury tents, with British campaign style furniture. All tents have ensuite washrooms that have geysers, hot showers, and private sitouts.
For college students, or participants needing fee reductions, we will also have the option of staying in pub tents without ensuite washrooms. Please get in touch if you would like to know more.
COST
The 5 day workshops costs Rs. 34,000 per person on twin sharing or Rs 44,000 per person on single occupancy (based on availability). Reduced rates are possible for those who are happy to stay in our smaller pub tents without ensuite washrooms.
Total cost includes:
- 6 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days
- Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5
- Field trip with picnic
- Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning
- Special local Himachali dinner one night
- Live Music and Bonfire on one night
- Basic first aid and stationery
Total cost excludes:
- Travel from participants’ respective cities
- Additional food, alcohol etc.
- Medical expenses beyond first aid, if needed
- Insurance
- Other Personal Expenses
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Aditi Rao is a writer, teacher, potter, and narrative practitioner. She is the author of two full length books of poetry, The Fingers Remember (Yoda Press, 2014) and A Kind of Freedom Song (Yoda Press, 2019). Her essays and poems have been published widely, including in Eclectica, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, Four Quarters Magazine, The Feminist Wire, the Indian Quarterly, Qarrtsiluni, The Black Rabbit Review, InfochangeIndia, the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict, the Earth Charter Initiative, The Hindu Business Line, The Ken, and The Morning Context. Aditi’s work has also received national and international recognition through awards and fellowships, including the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the Hedgebrook Residency, the Sangam House International Writers’ Residency, the Srinivas Rayaprol Prize for Poetry, the TFA Creative Writing in English award, the Muse India – Satish Verma Young Writer Award, and others.
Aditi holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and she completed the South Asian Diploma in Narrative Practices in 2023. She has been teaching creative and research writing since 2005.
SCHEDULE
Day 1
2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help figuring out transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Camp before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Gallu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby.
4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks
5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone. We then move into our first writing exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of writers’ block (if you believe in such a thing!).
8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars.
Day 2
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.
9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.
10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the first Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.
1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.
4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break
5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen.
8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)
Day 3
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.
9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.
10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together for a walk to the nearby Deodar forests, where we will conduct the day’s session.
12:00 - 2:00: Today’s Craft Session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together.
2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!
4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea.
6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.
8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!
Day 4
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.
8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day
9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.
10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the third Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.
1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like..
4:30 - 5:00: Chai
5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. .
8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali meal cooked by our local chefs.
Day 5
7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!
8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains.
9:00 - 10:00: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.
10:00 - 11:00: We meet at 10:00 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs.
11:00 - 12:30: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance.
CANCELLATION POLICY
In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:
More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 90% refund
3 - 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund
2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund
Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency or a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.
TRIP DISCLAIMER
- We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.
- In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas.
- If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest.
- If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.