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Candlelit Shakespeare
Over the past few days I have been working my way through Hester Lees-Jeffries' wonderful new book: Textile Shakespeare . It was only published last week and offers a detailed examination of ways in which textiles were created, handled, used and subsequently viewed in Early Modern England, with occasional reference to the intervening years between then and now. Hilary Mantel's use of textiles in her Wolf Hall trilogy gets special coverage. I am reading Textile Shakespeare be

Nic Brownlie
Nov 25, 20254 min read
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Why readings by candlelight?
Another unique feature of writing retreats at A Place to Write is the reading by candlelight on the final evening. Retreaters are often...

Nic Brownlie
Sep 21, 20254 min read
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Behind the Scenes
One of our new signs This month, with my doctoral thesis finally out of the way, there has been time to move things forward behind the...

Nic Brownlie
Aug 19, 20253 min read
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It's Summer!
One of the benefits of a summer retreat is the fine summer weather: walks at Rhug Estate or to the top of Caer Drewyn or Pen Y Pigyn are always a delight but the views are particularly spectacular at this time of year.

Nic Brownlie
Jul 7, 20252 min read
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Busy Months
The past three months have been extremely busy at A Place to Write. A bit like the proverbial swan: floating serenely on the surface but...

Nic Brownlie
May 23, 20252 min read
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So Much Happening!
So much has been happening at A Place to Write in the past two months that it's been difficult to catch my breath! Aside from two...

Nic Brownlie
Feb 19, 20255 min read
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What's the Right Writing Retreat for You?
Conversations with past guests have indicated that a blog post about writing retreats in general, and the different types of retreat...

Nic Brownlie
Dec 13, 20249 min read
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Major Developments
It's been too long since I wrote my last blog entry (almost two months!) but happily that's because of the major developments taking...

Nic Brownlie
Oct 22, 20245 min read
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The next steps...
The day has come and passed.... after four long years of research, on Tuesday 27th August 2024, I finally submitted my doctoral thesis...

Nic Brownlie
Aug 31, 20243 min read
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Sold Out for July
Looking ahead, our July untutored writing retreat has been sold out for sometime now and, with nine guests from all over the UK booked to...

Nic Brownlie
Jun 24, 20242 min read
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A Year to Remember
A year to remember at "A Place to Write" where we have already entertained more than 60 writers of all genres in 2024

Nic Brownlie
May 22, 20242 min read
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Busy few weeks at A Place to Write
It's been a busy few weeks at A Place to Write as we have welcomed our son, Alex, back for a short break from Australia, launched our new...

Nic Brownlie
Apr 17, 20243 min read
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A Wonderful Week With Wonderful Writers
As we say goodbye to our latest eight retreaters, and look forward to welcoming them back again before too long, it's time to take stock...

Nic Brownlie
Mar 29, 20246 min read
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The sun is out at A Place to Write
For the first time in what seems like weeks, the sun is out at A Place to Write - just in time for us to welcome eight new writers to our...

Nic Brownlie
Mar 24, 20242 min read
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Tutors and Tutoring at A Place to Write
I have been asked by several people about the tutors and the tutoring that we provide at A Place to Write. So, for this blog, I thought I...

Nic Brownlie
Mar 7, 20243 min read
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Exciting Times at A Place to Write
This month sees our largest retreat to date: 6 writers joining us for our February tutored retreat at A Place to Write - exciting times!...

Nic Brownlie
Feb 20, 20242 min read
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Writing Retreat Delights
This week saw the arrival of writers for our January Writing Retreat - and what a wonderful group they were! From the morning...

Nic Brownlie
Jan 26, 20243 min read
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A New Year, a New Adventure for our Writing Retreats
Happy New Year to all our friends and family that have enjoyed the peace and quiet of A Place to Write in 2023, and to anyone who is...

Nic Brownlie
Jan 3, 20243 min read
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Anyone for a Shakespeare Retreat?
As some of you know, I am currently completing a PhD on Shakespeare and Candlelight at the University of Birmingham. Having completed...

Nic Brownlie
Dec 8, 20232 min read
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Another retreat, another step forward: developing our writing retreats in 2024
Last week at A Place to Write we held yet another retreat and took another step forward! Our latest gathering was for our first tutored...

Nic Brownlie
Nov 27, 20232 min read
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Nic's Blog - Writing Retreats Wales
A Place to Write
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