Travel Archives - Page 2 of 2

March 23, 2017October 5, 2023

Disquiet International Literary Program: Two-week adventure in Lisbon, Portugal

Love literature and love travel — but don’t want to do all the plotting and planning to make an international literary adventure happen on your own? Try the Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon, Portugal.

I went two summers ago, and loved it. I mean, this was the view from my Airbnb.

Plus I got to meet fantastic authors, workshop with acclaimed writers, go on excursions to castles and beaches, and explore the pretty streets. I went to readings and receptions at gorgeous, historical places all over Lisbon.

Oh, and I got to meet my literary hero, Mary Gaitskill!!!!

But first some basic info: Disquiet International Literary Program is a two-week program in the city of Pessoa, author of The Book of Disquiet. Here’s me holding hands with Pessoa —

It all kicked off on a Sunday with a reception at the official residence of the U.S. Embassy — with drinks and appetizers! Then we got into a rhythm. In the mornings, participants went to writing workshops. Each person had two different workshops! A “core” genre workshop met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays — I was in one of the fiction ones with Noy Holland.

Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays were the “fun” workshops — in my case, “Lisbon is Our Muse” led by the playwright Elaine Avila. For this workshop we walked around to cool places around the city and wrote as the spirit of Lisbon moved us. Here’s my favorite place we visited as part of that class: Carmo Archaelogical Museum.

Then we’d break for lunch. Around 2:30, there would usually be a reading — some by faculty, some by other visiting writers. I got to hear Stefan Kiesbye and Alexander Chee, both of whom were workshop faculty — as well as many other authors including did I mention Mary Gaitskill?!

Many of these readings were held at amazing places: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Casa Fernando Pessoa, Casa dos Bicos – Fundação José Saramago —

Late afternoon, there were other fun activities — like The Pessoa Walk which took me on a guided walking tour around the city.

Then in the evenings, came more readings, receptions, film screenings, and lectures — like one on fado, traditional Portuguese folk music, given at Museu do Fado!

After that talk, we went to hear actual fado singers while dining —

One night was a participant open mic — It was really great to hear everyone’s work as well as to get to read some of my own. Another night was a party at the Fundação Luso-Americana para o Desenvolvimento (Luso-American Development Foundation) — with readings, performances, and drinks and appetizers. All the buildings were gorgeous —

On Saturday, there was an excursion to Cascais, a beach city, where we first visited the Paula Rego Museum and had an amazing lunch at the museum restaurant before hanging out at the beach.

On Sunday a bunch of people went to visit the castles in Sintra. Here I am at The Pena Palace:

The very last event was a farewell reception at Reservatório da Mãe d’Água — also with drinks and appetizers. I loved the architecture of this place —

All in all, Disquiet was an amazing way to experience a city I initially knew nothing about. The gorgeous tiled streets, the fun street art…. Sometimes you would go for a walk in the evening, turn a corner, and a gorgeous cathedral would suddenly appear —

Which is to say, I didn’t get much writing done while I was there. But I did get some great feedback on pre-existing work.

This year’s Disquiet happens June 25 to July 7, 2017. Cost: $1,950, not including flight and room and board — which might sound steep to some, but if you consider all the workshops, lectures, readings, activities, the opportunity to visit all sorts of historical places that would be tough to get into on your own, and the drinks and appetizers, it’s a pretty good deal.

Plus, you can apply for The Disquiet Literary Prize, with the grand prize being a full scholarship including tuition, lodging, and a $1,000 travel stipend, as well as the Luso/Lusa-American Fellowship if you’re a North American writer of Luso/Lusa descent. Unfortunately the deadline for the prize has passed for 2017 — but rolling admissions are still open!

Have more questions about Disquiet? Ask me in the comments —

March 16, 2017October 5, 2023

My writing residency at Vermont Studio Center

Earlier this winter, I left sunny SoCal for snowy Vermont — where I meditated, yoga’d, read, and drew.

No, I wasn’t in rehab — or at a wellness retreat, for that matter. I was at a writing residency! For two weeks, I got to live at Vermont Studio Center, a residency program that brings together 50 artists and writers each month to form a temporary community in a tiny town called Johnson.

And I’m so glad I did. I loved this place — and already have hopes to go back for a full month soon, though perhaps in warmer weather.

In case you’re not familiar with them, writing residencies are basically like getaways with a literary goal. That goal would be to write — in a peaceful place with uninterrupted time, away from the pressures and responsibilities of normal life. Each residency is a bit different. The one I did at The Anderson Center last summer hosted just five people at a time and was fully funded, covering room, studio, and board for all residents — so it had a very different feel than Vermont Studio Center with more structure and more amenities for the 50 people there, many of whom received full or partial scholarships to fund their stay.

Here’s how a typical day went. I woke up in my cute room at Pearl House — I was one of the lucky people who got a private bathroom —

and looked out the window to see if it was snowing.

Then I went to the mediation room — a standalone building where residents can go at any time to light candles, sit a while, and focus the mind.

After that I went to the Red Barn — VSC’s main communal space — for breakfast.

Then I walked over to one of the artists’ studio buildings to draw for an hour — because VSC offers life drawing with a model weekdays from nine to noon! I’d never done figure drawing before, but I felt I couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste. Here’s my drawing from the first day of the residency:

And here’s my drawing from the last day.

At ten, I finally went to my writing studio to write. I had a desk, a chair, a bookcase, and a little couch with a yellow blankie —

The 16 writers’ studios are all in the same building, overlooking the river:

At noon everyone congregated at the Red Barn for lunch, served buffet style, always with a salad bar:

Menus went up on a chalkboard:

After lunch I went back to the studio to write:

Then at 4 pm I left to change because yoga class started at 4:30 on weekdays:

Then at 6, it was back to the Red Barn for dinner:

Post-dinner, there was usually some activity: Resident readings or slides and talks by visiting artists or writers. Each month, two visiting artists and two visiting writers — one fiction, one poetry — would come to the center not only to talk about their work but to do studio visits, meeting one-on-one with residents to offer feedback on their creative work. Unfortunately, I was only at the Center for two weeks — and the fiction visiting writer had come by the previous two weeks — so I didn’t get to do a studio visit….

But I was busy enough — every day was full! Late night, I read novels borrowed from the studio library before falling asleep —

On the weekends my schedule was a little bit different. Among other things, I took some walks around the little town, which is cute and very small. Other residents tacked on other things — from karaoke night at the one karaoke bar in town (that was really a pizza place), hot wing eating contests at the one wing restaurant in town, snowball fights, to studio portraits (a photographer came around) — that you might want to try too.

I made some friends too and wish they all lived in L.A. — In the meantime, we’re keeping in touch on Facebook.

The next fellowship deadline for Vermont Studio Center is June 15, so start thinking about applying! Have questions about VSC — or about residencies in general? Ask me in the comments —

Earlier: My Writing Residency at the Anderson Center

February 17, 2017October 6, 2023

AWP 2017: Books, Literaoke, chocolate & Cake Time

AWP 2017 was my favorite AWP conference ever — partly because I got to see the first copies of Cake Time, my first book! And it came with chocolate!

AWP, if you’re not familiar with the acronym, stands for Association of Writers & Writing Programs — a professional organization for writers with a focus on college and university writing programs. Each year, AWP has an annual conference that brings many thousands of people together, and this year that happened last week at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

The AWP conference can be an overwhelming four days — but I love going every year. It’s a chance to get great deals on small press books and literary journals, hear from writers whose work I’ve admired from afar, learn about writerly concerns at the many panels, and reconnect with writer friends who are usually scattered all over the country.

In fact I ran into writers before I even got on the plane! I got to LAX early Wednesday morning last week to find David Rocklin, host of Roar Shack, who immediately squished me out of my selfie. (Actually, I just misaimed the camera.) Then I boarded the plane to find out crime fiction writer Steph Cha and Carla Samath were sitting in my row!

The days of the conference went by in a blur. I went to a bunch of panels ranging from turning books into movies to supporting indie bookstores to considering the money-making side of writing. I wandered the gigantic bookfair, picking up way too many books (My luggage was twice as heavy on the way home; I was glad American Airlines made me check it at the gate because I’m not sure I could’ve lifted it into the overhead bin!). I went to friend’s book signings and saw friends at my own. To those who did, thanks for stopping for Cake Time!!

I caught up with friends I made at the Tin House Winter Writers Workshop. Great to see you Sara and Ananda!

On Thursday night, Cake Time‘s publisher Red Hen Press organized an offsite reading at Busboys & Poets. I got to read with many other writers to a full house —

Then on Friday night was Literaoke, organized by Kaya Press at Dupont Underground, a closed subway station. A dozen or so writers each belted out a song for a minute — then read for a few minutes.

I sang Nothing Compares 2 U — and a nice guy called Russ put a video of it on Instagram!

A post shared by Russ (@russdubb) on Feb 10, 2017 at 7:51pm PST

On Saturday the Red Hen booth sold out of Cake Time — Yay!

Because there’s always so much going on at AWP, there’s no way to do it all. There were political protests, a very popular event with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ta-Nehisi Coates, happy hours galore, and many, many other offsite readings and parties I missed.

I did get to see my college friend Anne though with her two mini Annes in tow — and to visit the National Gallery with Jen Walton, artist and a fellow Vermont Studio Center resident from earlier this year.

Now I’m back in L.A. with a gigantic stack of books to read. You’ll see them appear soon on my Instagram and monthly book reviews —

I’m already looking forward to the next AWP, and am working on my panel proposals. Who else is planning on going to Tampa in March 2018?

Photo of Red Hen Press reading by Tobi Harper; bottom photo by Jenny Walton; all other photos by Siel Ju

February 6, 2017October 6, 2023

I’ll be at AWP in DC signing and reading from Cake Time

Will you be in Washington DC later this week? If so, let’s catch up! I’ll be signing books — and reading — and singing karaoke — at the AWP conference, and hope to see your friendly face —

AWP, for those who don’t know, stands for Association of Writers & Writing Programs — a professional organization for writers with a focus on college and university writing programs. Each year, AWP has an annual conference that brings many thousands of people together, and this year that conference happens February 8 – 11 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington DC.

And I’ll be there! First, about the book signing: Officially, Cake Time isn’t out until April 6, 2017 — but early copies of my novel-in-stories will be available at AWP! Please come by the Red Hen Press booth — # 412/414/416 — to check out a copy and say hello. I’ll be there all three days:

* Thurs, Feb. 9, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
* Fri, Feb. 10, 10:30 am – 11:30 am
* Sat, Feb. 11, 11 am – noon

Continue reading “I’ll be at AWP in DC signing and reading from Cake Time”

October 12, 2016October 6, 2023

11 reasons to attend the Tin House Winter Workshops

Thinking about a writer’s getaway this winter? Read on to see if the Tin House Winter Workshops — which I attended early this year — might be a good fit for you.

1. You need a vacation. A weekend away spent on a gorgeous beach sounded like a dream to me. And at $1300 for the hotel, all breakfasts, a five-course dinner, plus cocktail parties in the evenings — not to mention the actual writing program itself!! — the price felt alright (I realize opinions will differ on the reasonableness of the price).

2. You’d like to see the Oregon Coast. Once I got to the Tin House offices in Portland, I quickly met the other workshop participants — before we piled into a van and headed up up to Newport. There, we were dropped off at the hotel, located on a gorgeous 45-foot bluff overlooking the Pacific.

3. The idea of staying at a literary-themed hotel makes you happy. Each of the 21 rooms at the Sylvia Beach Hotel are individually themed around a famous author. I got the Dr. Seuss room! Most of the rooms are more — sedately decorated — if the bright yellow’s too much for you.

4. You want some feedback on your writing. Well before the workshops began, all the participants submitted a short story — then got copies of the stories of all the other writers in the workshop group. We read and wrote up a page or two of feedback for each of the stories — then arrived in Oregon ready to discuss the stories during the morning workshops.

5. You want to learn from writers you admire. I’d enjoyed Wells Tower’s short story collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned, and was psyched to be in his workshop, which met for about 3 hours each morning. It was great to hear Wells’s take on my story — as well as those of my fellow workshop members —

6. You like parties. Each night there was a social event of sorts, whether a multi-course dinner party plus book exchange, or a cocktail party at the nearby Hemingway House (owned by Tin House’s editor), or a karaoke fest at a nearby divebar that drew a strange and eclectic crowd.

7. You love seafood. The seafood is fresh and delicious here! One evening we even got a chance to visit the best seafood restaurant in town — though the name now escapes me.

8. You’re curious about Tin House. I enjoyed getting to know the Tin House staff members who came along on the trip, sharing info about how the editorial process at Tin House works. One of the highlights of the weekend was Meg Storey’s talk about her work as an editor for Tin House books. She ran through the process for acquiring one Tin House book, from showing us the first pages of the initial manuscript she rejected, to the detailed editorial letter she wrote to the author about why the manuscript was rejected and how it could be improved, to the first pages of the much revised and finally accepted manuscript. It was really illuminating!

9. You like bookish freebies. My Tin House welcome tote came with an issue of Tin House plus a Tin House book.

10. You enjoy meeting other writers. The workshop group ran the gamut, from young women just out of MFA programs to older women retirees. Why did I just say women twice? Because in terms of gender, the workshop is not diverse. There was one brave guy in our cohort of about 20! I’ve noticed that writing workshops and programs in general tend to be women-heavy; I don’t know why that is but I would be curious to hear your theories.

In any case — I made some great new friends at this workshop, and though we’re scattered all over the country now, we keep in sporadic touch via Facebook and email — and cheer on each others’ literary successes.

11. You’d like to hang out in Portland. I’d actually never been to Portland before, so I tacked on a few extra days after the workshop to walk around Portland, visit Powell’s Books and hang out with Kevin Sampsell (above), and drink lots of good coffee.

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Interested in taking part in the workshops? This year, the fiction faculty members are Kevin Barry, T. Geronimo Johnson, and Michelle Wildgen — and I have to admit I’m not familiar with their work! If you’re thinking about applying to attend, I recommend reading each of the faculty members’ books, then asking to be placed in a workshop with the author whose work you feel most attuned to.

Tin House will run three different sessions in early 2017: Fiction from Jan. 20-23, creative nonfiction from Jan. 27-30, and poetry from March 3-6.Get your application in by Oct. 19 to be considered for a scholarship! The general application deadline is Nov. 7. Tin House also runs summer workshops, a longer, more in depth program with more people and more events — but applications for that program won’t be open for some months.