Writing from the heart is a bold act. It is not for the faint of heart.

In writing truthfully we both confront and expose the most vulnerable part of ourselves, by discovering who we really are and sharing with others what we really believe. This can be both liberating and terrifying.

What if what I believe is mistaken, or stupid?
What if I offend someone?
What if people won’t like who I really am, or what I have to say?

These kinds of doubts can make it hard to find the courage to write with honesty and depth. And yet when we do, the almost inevitable result is that others respond with understanding, acceptance, and interest.

Do you know what you believe? (If not, writing can help you discover it…)
Do you know what you want to share with others?
Do you have the courage to express your beliefs and the wisdom you have gained through living?

Writing from the Heart is a journey into the heart of France and into your own heart…

“Essoyes, where my mother was born, has remained more or less unspoiled. There is no other place like it in the whole wide world. There I spent the best years of my childhood.”   Jean Renoir
 
"A nice peaceful place with some good light." Mary McCarthy

The workshop will be held in the inspiring village of Essoyes, in the heart of Champagne country, two and a half hours southeast of Paris.

Essoyes is surrounded by the rolling hills and open fields of the beautiful countryside that nurtured the creative genius of both Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir, and his son, filmmaker Jean Renoir, who made this their summer home.

A small village very conducive to peaceful contemplation, Essoyes offers quiet streets pleasant for walking in; there are also trails that lead visitors past rural landscapes that Renoir painted, to other nearby, picturesque villages. Many local caves offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the process of making champagne and participate in degustations ; and nearby Bar-sur-Seine and Troyes are rich in history, art, and architectural beauty.

Participants will stay in the Hotel des Canotiers, a clean, modern hotel that offers beautiful views of Essoyes and the surrounding hills, fine French cuisine, traditional hospitality, and warm accueil. Breakfast and dinner in the hotel restaurant are included.

Participants can either arrange their own transportation to Essoyes (where the hotel offers free parking), or they can make arrangements with the instructor for transfer to the hotel by van from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris or from Troyes or Vendeuvre (which are both accessible from Paris by rail).

“Everybody is talented, original, and has something important to say." 
Brenda Ueland, author of “If You Want to Write”

This one-week writing workshop is for anyone—from novice to professional writer—who would like to write, or write more, about what matters to you, whether it be personal, political, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or prose.

We will address many of the obstacles that can prevent people—whether they think of themselves as writers or not—from expressing themselves with clarity, fullness, dignity, and passion, and from enjoying the process of writing. While the main emphasis will be on writing for the joy of self-discovery and self-expression, practical advice and information that will help guide those who wish to pursue publication will also be included.

Participants will have the opportunity to work with others as well as independently and one-on-one with the instructor to identify their own personal obstacles, dismantle them, and unleash their creative energies, allowing their writing to flourish. (Note: Those who wish to share their work with others will have the opportunity. But no one will be required, or even subtly pressured, to share their work.)

Classes will be held in the mornings, leaving afternoons and evenings free to read, write, or discover Essoyes and the surrounding area. (Private tutoring by the instructor is also available in the afternoons by special arrangement.) While one of the main benefits of the class is the chance to "get away from it all" (whatever "it" is), past participants have also enjoyed the chance to discover and explore a beautiful and relatively unknown part of France. 

Janet Hulstrand is a writer, editor, and teacher whose essays and articles have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, International Educator, Guide to Retirement Living, Smithsonian.com, and many other publications. She studied essay writing with Anatole Broyard and literature with Philip Roth, and has taught writing and literature at Hunter and Queens Colleges of the City University of New York. Her first book, Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home, was reviewed in the national press and widely praised. She is a frequent contributor to Bonjour Paris and writes essays on travel and literature for her blog, Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road. She is currently working on her next book, A Long Way from Iowa, a literary memoir. Her relationship with the village of Essoyes goes back to 1978, when she and her future husband met and fell in love while picking grapes in the vineyards surrounding the town.

Cost: 1250 Euros (to be paid in equivalent dollars at the current rate of exchange) includes tuition, six nights in the hotel, breakfast and dinner.  

The next session of Writing from the Heart in Essoyes will be held April 10-16, 2012. Enrollment limited to 10. For additional information and application forms, contact janet.hulstrand@gmail.com