Writing Retreat, Mallorca
A Writing Retreat in the heart of Mallorca
Monday 11 - Saturday 16 November 2024Residential £675 SOLD OUT
Non-residential £395
What We Do
We are delighted to be working again with the team at one of Mallorca's most beautiful rural fincas, Son Sant Andreu, and writer extraordinaire, Paul McVeigh, to bring you a five-day writing retreat in the heart of the beautiful Spanish island of Mallorca.We have created a retreat designed with creativity at its heart. The finca has stunning, peaceful views across the island which are guaranteed to inspire you to write and we will provide nourishing, delicious meals to fuel you through the week.There will be daily writing workshops as well as evening activities including sunset yoga and wine tasting, fresh local food and communal evening meals over delicious wine and great conversation.November in Mallorca is beautiful, much like the UK in springtime. The average temperatures are highs of 19° and lows of 11°.There is a beautiful (unheated) swimming pool for you to dip in to.Son Sant Andreu is steeped in history with a selection of individual, eclectic rooms. It has a private chapel, a wine cellar, fires, and many places for you to think and write.
The retreat includes– A comfortable shared room (single room available for a £50 per night supplement)
– Transport from and to the airport in Palma, Mallorca on selected flights
– Delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner and a glass of wine or soft drink in the evening
– A plethora of beautiful settings to write in
– Daily workshops with tutors Paul McVeigh, Anna Burtt and Laura Lockington for beginner and advanced writers to spark ideas and help develop existing projects
– The opportunity to book an hour-long private one-to-one feedback session with Paul McVeigh for £200, based on 3,000 words of your work
– Optional evening activities including yoga and wine tasting, Ask Us Anything events, and nightly literary salons for you to share your work and receive feedback
– Access to a private swimming pool
– Tea, coffee and water throughout the day including herbal tea and decaf options
Information, Terms and Conditions– The retreat costs £675 for a residential place
– It includes 3 meals a day but not additional snacks, so if you know you more writing fuel, we can take you to the shop to stock up
– The retreat is held at Son Sant Andreu We will have the run of the property for the duration of the retreat
– We can not offer refunds after May 1st 2024 – but we can offer ticket transfers
– If you are coming from the UK, we are able to collect you from and take you to specific flights:On EasyJet
Monday 11 November: Gatwick 12.45 – Palma 16.00 (£32.99)
Saturday 16 November: Palma 10.30 – Gatwick 12.00 (£32.99)– It is your responsibility to book your flights and transport to and from Gatwick airport
– We will only be organising transport from the specified flights
– Transport will need to be organised separately if you’re arriving at different times or coming form elsewhere. Car hire is often cheaper than taxis
– If you’d like a private room, there’s a supplement of £250 (£50 a night) These are limited and will be issued on a first come, first served basis
– We will observe dietary requirements to the best of our abilities, please let us know upon booking
– Please take out your own travel insurance
– A glass of wine or a delicious soft drink with dinner is included. Additional wine can be purchased at €12 a bottle. Mallorcian white, red and rose will be available
– Please bring cash. There is not a cash machine on site
– It is your responsibility to bring an EU adaptor for technological devices
– If you're coming with a friend or friends, please let us know that you'd like to share a room upon booking and we will do our utmost to facilitate this
– This is a stunning, old building and therefore the rooms are not regimented in their size. They are, of course, all very comfortable, clean and welcomingNon Residential Places– We have a limited amount of places for people who live on the island, or would prefer to organise their own accommodation and breakfast
– Non-residential tickets are £395 for the week and include lunch and dinner as well as workshops and evening activities. It will be your responsibility to get to and from Son Sant Andreu
– Please join at 18.00 on Monday in time for introductions and dinner
– Please arrive by 10.45 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in time for workshops to begin at 11.00Payment
– If the retreat is cancelled then you will receive a full refund
– We can not refund flights or transport booked outside of the tour
– To secure your place, please pay a deposit
Deposit for residential guests: £250
Deposit for non-residential guests: £150
– To book, please contact us via the 'contact' page
The Team
Paul McVeighThe Good Son, Paul's debut novel, won The Polari First Novel Prize and The McCrea Literary Award. It was shortlisted for The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, the Prix du Roman Cezam in France and was a finalist for The People’s Book Prize. The Good Son was chosen as Brighton’s City Reads 2016 and was given out as part of World Book Night 2017. Paul has written comedy, essays, flash fiction, a novel, plays and short stories, and his work has been performed on radio, stage and television, and published in seven languages.Paul began his career as a playwright before moving to London where he wrote comedy shows, which were performed at the Edinburgh Festival and in London’s West End. He returned to theatre in 2022, with Big Man at Lyric Theatre, Belfast, which was nominated for 6 Broadway World Ireland Awards and won an Irish Times Theatre Award.Paul's short stories have been published in anthologies, newspapers and literary journals and read on BBC Radio 3, 4 & 5. Hollow’ was shortlisted for Irish Short Story of the Year at the Irish Book Award. His ten-part short story cycle, The Circus, aired of BBC Radio 4 in 2023. His stories have been televised on Sky Arts, and he has edited three anthologies.Paul has taught creative writing and read his work, in Australia, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mallorca, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland and Turkey. In the UK he taught at the Barbican Centre, British Library, Hampsted Theatre, Tricycle Theatre, Waterstones Piccadilly and at universities in Brighton, London, Swansea and Wolverhampton. He judges international literary prizes including the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, the Seán Ó Faoláin International Short Story Prize, the International Dylan Thomas Prize and the Royal Society of Literature’s V. S. Pritchard Award. He reviews for the TLS and The Irish Times. He has interviewed authors in print and on stage including five Booker Prize-winners.Paul co-founded the London Short Story Festival, of which, he was Director and Curator for 2014 & '15. He is associate director at Word Factory, ‘the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story’ The Guardian. Paul’s blog for writers which posts on submission opportunities for journals and competitions has had over a 2 1/2 million visitors. He founded the Paul McVeigh Residency at The Harrison in 2023.He was acting Head of Literature for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland '22-'23.Laura LockingtonLaura Lockington has had 7 books published, 2 plays on BBC Radio 4, and has written numerous audio dramas for The Other 1%. as well as a film script for Mallorca Film Productions. She also works as a developmental and structural editor. She worked in publishing in the UK for a decade before moving to Mallorca permanently. She curated The Bookish Supper Salon in Brighton alongside Anna Burtt for many years, where she interviewed best selling authors over a home cooked supper. Books should be discussed with elbows on table, and a good glass of wine in front of you!Anna BurttAnna Burtt has worked in publishing for almost a decade. She is the host of the Brighton Book Club, a podcast dedicated to all things literary and bookish in Brighton & beyond, on Radio Reverb. She founded the West Hill Writers group which has run successfully for the last four years and extensive experience in organising, running and hosting events and writing retreats. She was Head of Events at global Writing Consultancy Jericho Writers for four years. She is a proud trustee of New Writing South.
Testimonials
'Paul is an inspiring tutor who has given me more ideas and motivation than any online courses or books that I’ve ever taken. Highly recommended'‘Beautiful location and fantastic writing spaces. Loved the fire in the corner!’‘Food was lipsmackingly good! Gorgeous finca in a beautiful part of Mallorca’‘Paul’s workshops were truly inspiring. All in all a fantastic week. Thank you!’‘I LOVED the writing exercises – I am motivated now to finish my book!’‘Wow! This has been one of the most enjoyable and informative sessions I have ever experienced.’‘Laura and Anna have been simply amazing! Wonderful food, beautifully presented to a very appreciative collection of wonderful writers in what can only be described as a perfect setting. Thank you.’'Five stars are insufficient praise for Paul, Anna and Laura. Loved it!’‘This was my first time arriving alone for a retreat. I soon had some great new, supportive writing friends, I enjoyed my stay very much and now have the confidence to continue my writing. I loved it!’‘Paul is an engaging and inspirational tutor (as well as being very very funny) I have applied his advice to my own work and am thrilled with the results’‘Wonderful hospitality! Great food and a relaxed, life enhancing atmosphere. I enjoyed every single moment. It was just what I needed. The location and accommodation were exceptional. I feel very fortunate to have been part of this week.’‘A fabulous retreat in a wonderful location. It was a writers paradise!’‘I wish I could have stayed for a month! Writing in the sunshine, being fed wonderful food, chatting with Laura and Anna about all things bookish, being inspired by Paul, and a wonderful wine tasting!’‘A stunning finca in a gorgeous location. Stimulating and thought provoking writing sessions with a lovely group of people!’
Contact Us
PLEASE NOTE THAT RESIDENTIAL PLACES HAVE SOLD OUT. IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE SEND US AN EMAIL.If you'd like to book a place, please email the following address. Make sure to mention:
– if you'd like to book a residential or non-residential place
– if residential, whether you'd like a shared or single room (+£50 per night)
– dietary requirements
– whether you'll be getting the Gatwick transfer
– if you'd like to book a one-to-one with Paul McVeigh including advice and an hour-long session based on a 3,000 word sample of your work