I’m often aske
d – if you run a summer camp, what do you do the rest of the year? Well the answer is complicated. Camp is a year-round job, because there are staff to hire, there’s marketing to do, supplies to buy, the summer schedule to plan and so on… but we do many other creative things throughout the year, and one highlight is our annual Creative Writing Retreat to Costa Rica.
I love to write, and I love to teach writing. I do it weekly with two amazing classes at the Centauri Arts Academy in Toronto, and I do it each February in Costa Rica, as well – usually with 8-10 writers aged 18-85, mostly attending alone, and occasionally with friends or family members. This weekend I returned from 8 memorable days at our partner-lodge in the heart of the rainforest. Finca Luna Nueva is a haven for writers and wildlife alike. It has everything you could possibly want for comfort: a spa, hot tub, swimming pool, lovely rooms, decks with hammocks and a restaurant which serves amazing food. It also has glorious places to sit and write, and it is teeming with wildlife such as toucans, hummingbirds, sloths, coatis and agoutis. It is, quite literally, a paradise on earth.
Here is a typical day on the Centauri Writing Retreat:
7am
Wake to the sound of rainforest birds. There is a songbird that likes to sit on my hammock each morning. His melody is far, far better than an alarm clock!
8am
Share breakfast with our group in the special open-air restaurant next to the pool. Eggs, fried plantain, home made breads and pastries, cheese, rice/beans, homemade kefir, terrific coffee and as much tropical fruit as you can eat.
9am
Our workshops begin. We try to stay focused on our work while hummingbirds flit past. Each morning is packed with writing prompts and each day focuses on a different aspect of writing – building plot, creating character, writing poetry and so on. Our classes end with a chance for everyone to share what they have written, and there’s time for a dip in the pool before lunch!
Noon
Back at the open air restaurant, we talk about writing while tucking into soups, salads, nachos, plantain chips, chicken, yucca fries and a wealth of other foods.
1pm
Each day, some of us depart for local tours, while others stay on the property to write. Participants have enjoyed zip-lining, caving, hiking, horseback riding, the hanging bridges, trips to the volcano, relaxing 
trips to hot springs and shopping jaunts to La Fortuna. Right here on the property you can swim, enjoy the hot tub, wander the farm, try the rainforest trails, or take chocolate making workshops. But sometimes, the freedom to write is the best thing of all. I prefer the hammock at the top of the lookout tower. Others write at the desks in their rooms, in the hammocks, on the patios or by the pool. Additional writing prompts are always provided.
6pm
We meet for dinner, and to share stories of our adventures, writing and otherwise. As we begin dinner, the toucans are in a feeding frenzy beside the restaurant. As we finish, the night is buzzing with crickets.
7pm
Tonight we meet Ishmael, the wonderful nature guide, for a Night Hike in the rainforest. This is a magical, not-to-be-missed experience. We see an opossum high up in a tree. Sleeping birds. A multitude of frogs and lizards. Even a sloth, hanging upside down to munch on the choicest leaves.
9pm
We meet for drinks and part to relax and sl
eep. Another spectacular day of writing and adventuring awaits us tomorrow.
Julie
Learn more about the Centauri Arts Creative Writing Retreat here.