Danger often wears many disguises: a gunman on the loose hiding in a hotel, the fury of white-water rapids or the smile of a stranger on a lonely roadside. Three writers, Kathy Judge, Brenda Lightle and Judy Holm, used such varied scenarios to create their stories and become finalists in our Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA) competition on the theme of ‘danger.’ Brenda Lightle A stranger’s kindness can sometimes hide menace. For Brenda Lightle who lives near Seattle, it s

"I have come home, not only to this dramatic, stunning, land, but to myself, claiming once again, 'I am a writer.'" This is how Sheryl...

A Canadian woman who survived an experimental bone marrow transplant, an Austrian researcher who studied polar bears and penguins, a retired British-born librarian who gained his university degree in his 60s and a new first-time mother and English teacher from a small town in Ohio. Meet Margaret Lynch, Viktoria Valenta, David Kipling and Maggie Thomas, all finalists in our ‘ Wild Atlantic Writing Awards ’ competition on the theme of ‘ Danger .’ And for those interested in exc

2026 writing retreats announced with early bird discount

Two retired Canadian mounted police, an English scientist, an American pastor and a nurse were among interesting participants at our two June writing retreats in Donegal, with entertainment provided by multi-talented musicians-songwriters Ger Roche and Tara Gallagher at our opening buffet and drinks evening. Not to mention our traditional guided tours to the beautiful lakeside Glenveagh Castle and Botanical Gardens, lunch at an historic 19th century thatched cottage overlooki

Ever enjoyed creative writing workshops in an ornate 300-year-old library surrounded by valuable vintage books including a rare first...

Meet Julia James Burns , who once lived on an exotic island in the Indian Ocean and VJ Bauer , a proud great-grandfather - winners of our...

Growing up in Belfast and living through what is colloquially termed ‘the Troubles,’ the decades-old war in Northern Ireland, co-founder...

You could win the next WAWA competition . It's on the theme of 'secrets.' Secrets mean many things to many people but one thing is...

Murder, love, family break-up, abortion, dementia, revenge, depression, even ghosts and moonwalking - these were some of the diverse...

Many were sad, some bittersweet, others held a hint of humor. Still others, hope. With the theme being ‘ endings ,’ it was only natural...

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, succulent chocolate blended with sweet Banyuls wine from vines cultivated on the terraced slopes of the Catalan Pyrénées, and others flavored with delicious local cherries and apricots. It was certainly a veritable feast of chocolate for participants at our recent South of France week-long writing retreat as leading members of the Confrérie des Chocolatiers Catalans proudly presented their sumptuous delicacies at our exclusive event. And to m

A retired clinical biochemist in Dublin, a freelance journalist in Belfast, a poet in Oxford and a pharmacist in Cork are among ....

Being immortalised in poetry is a delightful tribute in life and as co-founders of South of France Writing Retreat we were tickled pink...

WARNING - Some people may find the following text and photographs disturbing. Why fork out hard-earned money to attend our week-long...

Let’s be quite honest here. We can all agree on one thing. Considering all you’ve been through in Life, the Ups and the Downs, the Ins...

Some call it "a wholesome, refreshing and stimulating week," others "felt both their personal development and writing were well nourished...

It’s one of the questions we ask finalists of our Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA) . Ida Linehan Young bravely brings back a painful...

What we fear and love, sometimes in equal measure, are endings. But unbeknownst to us, endings arrive often in the guise of beginnings,...

Illustrating the sheer diversity of people entering our Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA) , we proudly introduce Shelley Arnfield , a...