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By Rex Weiner
“What better place to read, write, and talk about the art and craft of writing than Todos Santos, where all the saints of the sea and sky watch over you?” mentioned Christopher Merrill after his first go to to Todos Santos, a city perched on the Tropic of Cancer between the rugged mountains of the Sierra Laguna and the wild shores of the Pacific in Baja California Sur, Mexico. “I can’t wait to return.”
Merrill has returned many instances since his 2016 go to. The world-renowned poet, globe-trotting writer and translator, in addition to director of the International Writers Workshop on the University of Iowa, is a part of the college on the Todos Santos Writers Workshop the place he leads the poetry class annually. Founded in 2014 within the courtyard backyard of one of many city’s historic haciendas by a number of writers (together with me and co-founder Jeanne McCulloch, former managing editor of The Paris Review), and since expanded to incorporate a Spring Session in Paris, TSWW is a part of a journey pattern known as edu-tourism—going someplace to be taught one thing.
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
“Whether I’m writing in Todos Santos and Paris with TSWW, practicing photography in Puglia with Women Photo Tours or learning how to block print from local artisans in Jaipur with Thread Caravan, I always return home with a renewed sense of craft, connection and clarity in my creative work,” says Rebecca Haller, a Washington, DC-based author and researcher.
Beyond the workshop expertise itself, regardless of the topic and wherever on the map, there’s the sense of place that edu-tourists search out to nourish their creativity.
An formally designated pueblo mágico, Todos Santos is an hour north of the better-known luxurious resorts of Cabo San Lucas, a city “where the desert meets the sea.” From the city’s historic colonial heart, to beach-walks, whale watching and sea turtle hatchling releases, to all kinds of gastronomic pleasures, in addition to the city’s fame as a wellness heart for yoga followers and meditation practitioners, Todos Santos presents a country, tranquil expertise. As TSWW attendee Erin Rech places it: “When we needed inspiration, we roamed the streets of Todos Santos, devoured the best fish tacos, navigated the bumpy dirt roads to the beach to watch the waves pummel the shore, and took yoga class in Cuatro Vientos’ palm-gilded studio.”
TSWW’s weeklong session, which is open to writers in any respect ranges, begins with a night welcome reception, the place returning attendees and first-time arrivals get acquainted over home-made tamales and freshly blended margaritas. Daily courses start early the subsequent morning over espresso and locally-grown fruits and baked pastries, persevering with to 1PM. Early night occasions (non-compulsory but inspired) embrace a college studying, panel discussions, and craft talks with visitor authors, in addition to a fiesta evening with regional delicacies and dancing to a scorching native band.
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
In between, whereas exploring the city, strolling the seashores, climbing desert trails, and even doing homework, there’s a particular type of reset, unplugging, slowing down, being totally current within the supportive group, camaraderie, and artistic expression as a sort of catharsis. The week concludes on the ultimate evening with a catered dinner and open mic for individuals who want to learn their work.
And the week produces outcomes. “Attending TSWW was a commitment to jump-starting and resuming my writing practice,” says Jeremy Stone, San Francisco-based founder and managing member of Business Matters within the Visual Arts LLC. “My memoir/non-fiction work was put on the back burner in my 20s when the art world consumed my life professionally. The superb faculty, friends I have made at TSWW in workshops together, and an addiction to fresh fish tacos make returning to Todos Santos a must. Again and again.”
“Of course I can write in Brooklyn,” says Caroline Aiken Koster, a New York City-based lawyer and author, “but when I gather with creative folks each January in Todos Santos there’s an extra magica that enlivens my page. The TSWW instructors and workshoppers are world class and in Baja, somehow I’m digging for my best wisdom, my deepest prose. Whether rising at 5 AM to write my daily essay, trudging to seminar past shopkeepers, bakers, fresas and dogs, or munching churros after a poetry craft talk, inspiration swirls here. Returning each year to dedicate myself to my art in the presence of others doing the same—I don’t tire of trying to catch it. I’m hungry for that—and the fish tacos.”
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
Courtesy Emanuela Gardner
For the college, the expertise can be rewarding. “I’ve taught in a number of workshops, and they all have their unique identities, but Todos Santos has truly stayed with me,” says Madison, Wisconsin-based novelist Michelle Wildgen (Wine People). “I think it was thanks to its invigorating contrasts— relaxed and intimate but also thoughtfully curated, an incredible faculty and passionate participants. There’s something about a fresh and unfamiliar setting that wakes a writer up, takes you out of your daily life and gets your senses excited again. Writers know that leaving behind their usual routine can help with their writing, but this experience got me thinking about the benefits of more stimuli rather than less. And if at least some of that sensory shake-up comes in the form of locally made tortillas, well, even better.”
Courtesy Rob Gilley
Courtesy Rob Gilley
In addition to supporting the native financial system by the variety of resort rooms and AirBnBs booked by TSWW-ers, and eating places patronized, the workshop contributes to the city’s fame as an artist’s neighborhood. Jamie Sutton, a longtime resident who might be attending his sixth TSWW this winter, says “I have owned a home for twenty-five years in beautiful, historic Todos Santos. It is a community that has been founded on the Arts with a wide range of talented writers, actors, musicians, painters, and other creators, supported by a broad circle of appreciation and embrace.”
For travellers contemplating their subsequent journey, edu-tourism might be the subsequent journey. “There’s something sacred about a slower, more immersive style of travel that allows me to focus on deepening my craft,” says Haller, “broadening my worldview and building meaningful connections, all at the same time.”
With TSWW’s thirteenth Winter Session approaching, January 31 – February 7, registrations are open and early candidates obtain a reduction on tuition ($1800 USD as an alternative of $2200 earlier than October 15, 2024).
At the Todos Santos Writers Workshop, we imagine everybody has a narrative. Why not yours?