Creative Writing: Led by a dynamic team of publishing authors, this program presents an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to improve their skill as they experience the cultural and sensory magnificence of modern India. Ancient shrines, luxurious palaces, colorful markets, natural reserves where tigers and elephants roam, the tensions of class and caste, and India’s character-filled street life all provide unparalleled opportunities for the writer. Dynamic field workshops allow participants to focus on their own writing interests – fiction, nonfiction, or poetry – under the supervision of highly qualified leaders.

The Program: The group is based in Mysore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, home to nearly one hundred royal palaces as well as the Devarajah Market, one of India’s most colorful bazaars. Resting as it does on the slope of a high plateau, Mysore’s summer climate is considerably cooler than most of the lower subcontinent. It is an ideal base for exploring the surrounding region, including bird sanctuaries, thirteenth century Hindu temples set among orchards and cane fields, a Tibetan monastery containing a sixty-foot golden Buddha, the summer palace of an eighteenth century Muslim hero, and a Hindu pilgrimage site where monkeys play on ornate stone carvings and fragrant garlands are offered up to the gods.

Active exercises and sustained attention to the development of each participant’s writing talent are combined with immersion in India’s diverse cultural life. Spend time in a busy market, using your five senses to bring a sense of place to your writing. Eavesdrop on an interesting conversation for an exercise on dialogue, or create a fictional scene set in an ancient temple. Interview street children for an essay on the contradictions inherent in modern Indian life. Participate in seminars on meditation, Indian cooking, or ayurvedic medicine. Students begin each day with the ancient devotional practice of yoga, led by a distinguished local master. Daily feedback enables participants to refine their writing in the company of others passionate about the craft. Readings, craft talks, and discussions of India’s rich literature alternate with opportunities to sample India’s delicious cuisine and vibrant street life.

Excursions: Overnight excursions take participants to the ruins of one of the great Hindu empires amid an eerie boulder-strewn landscape; ancient cave-temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu carved into red sandstone cliffs; and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, where elephants and tigers live on in their native habitat. The program culminates with an open reading of participants’ work.

In addition to daily writing sessions and cultural exploration, participants collaborate with local organizations dedicated to helping poor and homeless children. Significant community service hours will not be accumulated, but a portion of the tuition goes to helping these organizations.