Tuscany
“That first Gateless Retreat completely changed my career, my writing and my life. I will never be the same.”
~ Sarah Montana, Screenwriter
The Place
Cypress-lined hills, sun-drenched medieval towns and gorgeous Renaissance art, from the rugged Apennine Mountains to the Tyrrhenian Sea, there’s no better place to write than Tuscany. Run away with ten writers to the seat of creative inspiration, the medieval city of Cortona, one of the only pedestrian cities in the world, only an hour-long train ride from Florence and two hours from Rome. Overlooking the vineyards and villas of lower Tuscany, Cortona is a historical marvel of cobblestoned streets, ancient architecture, galleries, cafes and some of the most charming people in the world. Register or request more info HERE!
The Experience
This is our third year in Tuscany, and all we can think about is going back. Elizabeth Farren, a literature and writing professor from Rome is our private guide to the history and beauty of the area. And our private Tuscan chef, Claudia, provides us with delicious gourmet food of the region. You will stay in a private room in our small cluster of apartments and write in an Estrucean-styled salon with a view to the hills of Umbria. In the afternoon we explore the galleries, shops and cafes of Cortona, and adventure to the nearby thermal baths and vineyards of Tuscany. Register or request more info HERE!
The Writing
Rising to the light of the Tuscan sun, you will feast in the dining room, where our chef has prepared fruits, coffee, tea and a hot breakfast (gluten-free available). We start our first writing salon with Reiki, Thai head massage and a deep meditative prompt. After writing and sharing the work, Gateless feedback mirrors your unique talent and singular genius in your story. Midday, we spread out for a long Tuscan-style lunch before afternoon excursions. One last writing session after dinner moves you into the creative before sleep, giving you a profound understanding of your power on the page. Register or request more info HERE!
“The Gateless Writing Retreats are transformative, electrifying, nothing compares to the elation you feel when you receive feedback in the circle. That incredible infusion of community and soaring creativity can really only happen in Gateless. The critical voice falls away and you find again the pure bliss that’s been inside you all along. Nothing else compares.”
~ Lauren Myers, MFA, Newton, Massachusetts
The Result
Known for its beauty, the Tuscany retreat is also a high-touch experience. By radically nurturing you and elevating your craft, the retreat gives you the permission to take huge creative risks. New writers discover personal narratives that have the power to change the domain. Celebrated non-fiction writers have been surprised that novels poured out. Corporate olympians have peeled off layers of conditioning and found the true bliss of what it means to be artistically alive. This is the escape you have been craving. Register or request more info HERE!
The Schedule
Arrive by noon on the 5th—just let us know your plans so we can meet you at the train. Claudia will be cooking up a storm and we can sit down for lunch before exploring Cortona on that first afternoon. Dinner is served around 6:00 pm and we have an evening salon thereafter. Each day breakfast is at 8:30 am, and a Gateless writing salon begins at 9:30 am. We break at 12:30 pm for lunch and excursions, then come back for an evening salon after dinner. Register or request more info HERE!
Travel & Cost
Fly to Rome, and take a scenic two-hour train from Termini Station to Cortona (multiple trains daily). From Florence, take the one-hour train from Santa Maria Novella Station to Cortona. An inexpensive option is to fly to London Gatwick Airport, take a quick two-hour flight on Vueling, Ryanair or EasyJet to Rome (about $100), then the train to Cortona. All can be booked easily online. We can help with travel and will pick you up at the station in Cortona. Your private room, all meals, excursions and writing salons is $3300. Payment plans are available. Register or request more info HERE!
“A Gateless Writing Retreat is like 1,000 Christmas mornings…you never want to leave.”
~ Kate Baldwin, MFA, writer and editor
How do I sign up?
Retreats do fill fast, so reserve your space as soon as you can by sending us a note HERE.
If you would like to find the perfect retreat for you, we can help. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Your Retreat Leader:
Suzanne Kingsbury is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed author whose work has been translated widely abroad and optioned for film.
In 2007 after graduating from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop with Frank Conroy, and the Bennington College Masters in Fine Arts in Writing and the Literary Arts program, Suzanne founded Gateless Writing, a global literary arts organization whose unique methodology combines brain science, ancient Zen techniques, and therapeutic nurturing to develop writers’ unique talent and singular genius, enabling them to move through residual blocks and create domain-changing prose.
Suzanne is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship and the Oxford Town Fiction Award and her work has been profiled in Rolling Stone Magazine (European edition), The Guardian, The L.A. Times, O Magazine, BuzzFeed, Bustle, Ms Magazine, Thrive Global (named Top Writing Retreat of 2017), NPR syndicates, and more.
Suzanne is also trained in Reiki and certified in Thai head massage and can “read” a writer through touch. She began working as a scribe channel while she was leading her first Gateless Teacher Training in 2014, receiving messages from a divine source of unconditional love that helped writers find clarity and power in their words. As a writing intuit, she uses the sacred spirit of the word to understand deep patterning and repeated archetypes in a writer’s work, that leads to profound alchemy in their lives.
Through retreats, workshops, one-on-one intensives, and career training programs, Suzanne has helped countless writers on their way to landing top agents, signing lucrative book deals and winning prestigious literary awards. Her writers have also been profiled in some of the world’s top media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, USA Today, The Jane Pauley Show, the Today Show, CBS, NBC, ABC and more. She believes if you are a writer, you have been tapped by the divine to be a conduit for a message only you can tell and that writers can move a crowd with the power of their story.