We are so excited you are joining us in Pantelleria, Sicily this May! Consider this page your Welcome Guide.
Have a moment and thank yourself for taking this leap of faith and taking the time to nurture your writing life.
This is a Welcome Guide just to cover all the basics and the not so basics. We’re talking everything from travel insurance to workshop details, how to get to where you’re going and what it means to really connect with us. We’ve got travel information and suggestions, retreat schedule, some reading suggestions, and ways to prepare. Trust us and give the whole thing a look over.
It is a risk, as a writer, to take a workshop—to place your trust and your words with another person, and to let the process take you where you need to go. We recognize that risk, and honor it. Each person in this retreat has been selected with care, so there is a symbiosis for the group, as well as for each individual. The more we know about you before the workshop, the better we can guide you.
If there is anything we missed please reach out. While we cannot meet every need, we will always do our best to accommodate you.
We look forward to meeting you in Pantelleria for an experience devoted entirely to you, your process, and your work.
The Themes of Trust & Travel
This retreat is designed to help you take your writing further—and deeper— whether you are just starting out, haven’t written in ten years, or are knee deep in a project. We will both support you and challenge you to sift through what is on the surface, to move beyond it, and create original work. Often in writing we find out what we think and feel. We will engage with our intuitive abilities to move beyond simple description and language.
One of our goals will be to help you identify experiences which naturally draw you to evocative prose, where the story tells itself-- while coaxing your inner maker and seer to spill the words onto the page.
We’ll be considering ourselves as storytellers, rather than simply recorders or writers; we’ll be allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, rather than ordered categorizers of our emotions; we’ll be dropping into our inner knowing, and translating the languages we discover.
Coming to this workshop is a commitment to your work. While you will be located far from home, in beautiful Pantelleria, you have come all this way to do something new, different, and extraordinary: spend time working on your writing. The fact that you took the leap and decided to commit to yourself is wonderful.
We want you to leave this retreat not merely enthused by being in community, but inspired by yourself and your capabilities; refreshed not simply by the break from home, but the ability to return home with a renewed perspective on your commitment to your writing; and with enough impressions of this country that your inner reserve of imagery and adventure is at its peak for some time to come.
What’s In A Workshop - Expectations & Reality
Here is how we like to do things in our workshops:
There are a lot of ways to run a workshop. If you’ve been in one before this might seem familiar or still totally foreign. Our workshops are designed around years of experience as both students and teachers. We find this is what works best.
We keep our workshops analog, so plan on writing with paper and pen. (If you’d like to use a laptop during your personal free writing time you are welcome to do so.) Every workshop will offer you both instruction and time for writing. There will also be built-in time for questions, sharing, and critique for those interested. You are never required to share, but we would always love to hear what you write. Often after sharing a piece we like to go around in a circle and mention one thing that really stood out, or something that is working in the piece. It’s helpful to get a sense of audience even at the early stages of a piece.
Everything shared in the workshop is private, and remains in the workshop. Please ask privately if the writer would like to discuss their work with you. If we want to write our best work, find our best stories, fall into a place—we need to have an atmosphere of trust and warmth.
With that being said, while we are confident we will have no issues it is important to remind everyone: this is an encouraging environment. Respect is required and we reserve the right to remove anyone from a workshop if we deem them disrespectful.
Our goal for every workshop is to have you leave wanting to go back to your room and write more. It should challenge you and inspire you, unlock a new medium, or give you an idea for something else. You will be surprised where you find seeds of inspiration. Remain hopeful. Remain open. And most of all, have fun.
Here is a more in-depth preview of a few workshops to give you an idea of what our time together will look like:
Generative Writing Sessions- No matter what stage of your writing life you are in, these exercises will get your wheels turning and your words flowing. This is a space to play with language. We will experiment with form, read poetry and prose, and use writing prompts to simply get you started. (Which as all writers know, can be the hardest part.)
Sensory Language – There is a reason this is our first workshop, and at the core of it, it might seem elementary. That’s because it is. We too often forget the things that are most vital and important to us, they become rote, over-written, and soft. In this workshop, we focus on reconnecting to our senses and learning to find the language of specificity, because after all, strong writing should make us feel, hear, smell and almost touch your story.
Finding Your Narrative- If you could be writing about anything in the world without shame, hesitation, or question what would it be? This workshop is designed to help you dig deeper into your truth as a writer, discover what has been holding you back and help you get past it. It’s about tapping into your intuition, listening to your gut. We will practice letting our guards down and owning the stories that shape us.
Letter Writing - This has become a Trust and Travel favorite. It always produces some of the most interesting work. In this workshop, we will explore famous letters, the writers behind them, and how to use this form to unearth your most authentic voice.
Some Reading We Love
Writing is a muscle and skill just like anything else and the more you flex it, the stronger it gets. So, we’d like to invite you to use this reading list and the writing exercises below as a way of getting in the mindset and sharpening your skills before the retreat. This isn’t homework (this is not required), we like to think of it more like stokework. This is all just to stoke your fire in the months before.
Quick Reads/Listens:
On Keeping a Notebook, Joan Didion
Silencing the Inner Critic, Mark Coleman
Shitty First Drafts, Anne Lamott
The Dangers of a Single Story
Books:
Zen in the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury
The Forest For The Trees, An Editor's Advice To Writers
The War of Art, Steven Pressfield
The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer
A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott
Milk Blood Heat, short stories by Dantiel W. Moniz
Writing Exercises
Start Journaling
This will be a part of our morning work and it’s nice to get in the habit beforehand. Even if it’s just ten minutes when you wake up or before bed. If you find yourself struggling with where to start, try these: “Today I am grateful for...” “When I am not here I hope I remember...”
Write A Letter.
A great deal of writing is just figuring out how to say the things that rattle around in your heart cage. We want you to write a letter to someone that you have unsaid things with. You will never send this, it is simply to get your thoughts and words out on the page. It could be to an old lover, your boss, or long lost friend you think of often.
Timed Freewrite.
Consider this your cardio. A free write is exactly that–it is free. Set a timer for ten minutes and do not stop writing. Do not reread it as you go, do not judge the work, or worry about style or spelling, or anything really. Just keep on writing. You can always come back later and play with it.
Passage Discovery.
Go dig out a favorite read that you have at home. Find a paragraph in those pages that really stands out to you, really moves you, really makes you want to write like that. Copy it down word for word. Then take some time and identify three reasons why this passage stands out. Try rewriting it in your own language and mimic the things you love about it.
The Important Travel Details
Below you will find everything travel related from where to fly into, to what to pack, and everything else. If there is anything we missed, please reach out and we will answer any questions you have!
Destination: Parco dei Sesi, Pantelleria, Italy
Dates: May 28th - June 3rd, 2023
Arrival/Departure: Check in is at 1pm, check out is at 11am.
Instructors:
Jade Moyano || jade@wetrustandtravel.com || @jadeamazonia
Erin Belair || erin@wetrustandtravel.com || @roseblacque
When to Arrive: Please plan to be on the 10:50 am flight to Pantelleria from Palermo, if possible. The next flight is at 17:05 pm and would get you there a bit too late. The venue is located 20 mins from the airport and we will have a driver available to pick everyone up. Our welcome circle and dinner will begin at 6 pm on May 28th. Of course, we can make exceptions for late check ins but need to be informed of any late arrivals in advance.
Airport: Pantelleria Airport (PNL). Flights to Pantelleria depart from Palermo twice a day, or from Milan Bergamo.
To Enter Italy: To enter Italy, you will need a valid passport. We require a negative COVID test for attending the retreat, which will need to be sent to us prior to your arrival, but you do not need one to enter Italy. The test will have to be carried out in the 24 hours prior to arrival in Italy.
US citizens do not currently need a visa to travel to Italy for less than 90 days. You must carry a valid identity document at all times. Please be sure your passport is valid for at least 3 months and has enough pages. Citizens other than U.S. may have other requirements such as a visa. Please contact an Italian consulate or embassy near you. You are responsible for your own arrangements.
Advisories on Entry: Whenever you go anywhere, the advice is always the same. Do not accept gifts or packages from strangers; do not agree to carry merchandise for others; do not leave your bag unattended in airports, bathrooms, or while waiting in line. Make sure your bag is carefully marked, with your final destination. Make sure you have either printed out this packet, or have written the vital information down, so that you can contact us in an emergency.
Getting to Parco dei Sesi from the Airport: Shuttle services and private drivers will be provided by us. Once you book your flight, send us your confirmation so that we can schedule your airport transfer.
Money: Italy uses the Euro. For current exchange rates, check online. There are ATMS in the airport. Our suggestion is that you get money from one of those or bring it from home. It’s a good idea to bring some of your home currency or dollars if you lose your bank card and need to exchange money.
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is an important part of any travel experience. When you travel outside your home country, you have no guarantee your home insurance will pay for accidents or medical care. Travel insurance is a simple and inexpensive step you can take to make sure you are protected wherever you go, for any length of trip. You can research travel insurance companies online—they usually will insure you for anywhere from a week to a month to a year. You are expected to be covered for this journey, and make the decisions you need to make regarding that on your own. It’s also important to contact your physician if you have any ongoing health issues and let them know of your forthcoming journey so they can help prepare you. Disclaimer: We are not responsible for your health, accidents, or medical care during this retreat.
Communication: We will be creating a Whatsapp group prior to the trip for us all to stay connected. Not only can you find updates from us there, but you can see who else is attending and connect with them there or elsewhere, as you wish. Please be sure you have downloaded Whatsapp to your phone, it’s how we will communicate before and during the retreat and is the best way to keep your phone working while abroad.
What to Bring: This is not a packing list, by any means. However, there are some specific things we suggest you bring for maximum comfort:
Comfortable warm weather clothes for the day, layers for cool nights, sunscreen, sun hat, flashlight, writing utensils, comfortable walking shoes, a bathing suit, comfortable clothes for yoga and stretching (mats are provided), a few snacks, especially if you are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or have food allergies. If you have special needs, bring everything you require with you.
Meals: The venue provides us three meals a day, a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Coffee and tea will be available in the mornings. Food and drink is available outside of our scheduled meals, however, you would simply charge that to your room and cover the expense.
*Be mindful that alcohol is not included in the retreat price. Tips are also not included. The tips are shared between the whole staff, we suggest setting aside $5 USD per person, per day to leave at the end of their stay.
THANK YOU
Trust and Travel simply would not be what it is without brave humans like you. We want to thank you for taking this leap of faith, for believing in us to create this space, and believing in yourself to come and join us.
This is something special and we hope as the dates near you feel as much excitement in your heart as we do. Nerves are normal, it means you’re doing something big. If we have missed anything here, or if there is anything you want to ask please reach out. We are here to help and make this as seamless as possible for you.
“We will come to face our inner peace and chaos, while the cool breeze of the ocean brushes our skin reminding us we don’t need to rush. We believe in the heart and the way it works, in the power of a good sentence, in the magic of reading out loud, in the sustenance of good talks and eye contact. We are made up of big dreams and small words, of Trust and Travel.”