"Tell all the truth but tell it slant"

- Emily Dickinson: 1263

What did Dickinson mean when she asked us to tell all our truth but 'tell it slant'? What is this 'slant' made of? Does it lie in the suggestiveness of a poem, in its stylistics, or in its formal shape? What elements of a poem become that necessary detour, that 'circuit', which makes our otherwise unbaked feelings and truths acquire the shape of a poem?

Two poets, Aditi Rao and Akhil Katyal, long-time practitioners and teachers of poetry, are offering this five day poetry retreat, where you will learn and practise key elements of poetic craft: sound and rhythm, line and stanza breaks, image and metaphor. And as you grow out your toolkit of poetry with these elements, you will also learn and practise two distinct poetic forms: the ghazal and the haiku. Throughout the retreat, the focus will be on supporting you in expanding even the rawest feelings and deepest held truths into poems that communicate and move. With every new tool you learn, your writing will grow in complexity and confidence.

And through it all, the mountains surrounding the Nomad Eco-Retreat will bear witness to our truths. All sessions will be conducted in the Baithak, which boasts incredible views of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peaks; here, we write and share our words with one another, letting the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! Between sessions, there will be walks, open time to yourself, traditional Himachali food and music, board games, bonfire conversations, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the retreat not only as a more proficient poet but also as a gentler and braver poet, more able to tell your deepest truths by learning how to tell them “slant”.

Dates

17 December 2024 - 21 December 2024

Number of Participants: 8 - 12

Costs

Accommodation for the workshop is in Swiss Tents with British Campaign Style furniture or Mud Huts with Queen beds, desks, and window seats. Both types of accommodation have ensuite washrooms, running hot water, electric blankets, hot water bottles, and modern amenities.

This cost INCLUDES:

• 5 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• 1 individual session with the guest poets per person

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks

• Bonfires each night

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music on one night

• Basic first aid and stationery

Registrations close 30th November, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest at contact@aditirao.net

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Sahil from Miago Experiences will coordinate with you in case you need help booking transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Gallu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Gallu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into your rooms or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 4:30 - Chai and Snacks

4:30- 5:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the retreat space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone. 

6:00 - 8:00: Akhil and Aditi co-lead a session in the basic elements of poetic craft, offering an overall introduction to poetic techniques and form.

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional writing prompt to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Kapil for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: We open our first full day with a session by Aditi on Image and Metaphor as our first entry point into telling our truths “slant.” We use readings, games, and writing prompts to learn to tell our stories in non-rational but deeply real ways.

1:00 - 4:00: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:00 - 4:30: Chai Break

4:30-7:00: In the evening, Akhil takes you on a journey through he worlds of sound, rhythm, and meter, exploring all the ways in which you can use the musicality of the written word to layer meaning and emotion in your poems.

7:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from our location?)

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional writing prompt to accompany your morning chai. 

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Kapil for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:30 - 1:00 PM: In this morning session, Aditi takes you on a journey of understanding the visual aspects of poetry — the ways in which line and stanza breaks can shape meaning, create depth or irony, and transform your writing. We will read together, do some exercises, and then bring our new knowledge to our own writing.

1:00 - 4:00: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:00 - 4:30: Chai Break

4:30 - 7:00: The Ghazal is one of the most popular forms of poetry in the Indian subcontinent, and this evening, Akhil will walk you through the different elements of this age-old form. Using your knowledge of image, metaphor, sound, and line breaks, you will write your own ghazals, in English or Hindi, and get a firsthand sense of the musicality of this form.

7:00: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest or stay up late playing board games, reading, writing and sharing!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join Kapil for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 1:00: For our last morning session of the retreat, participants will explore haiku, the Japanese poetry form that traditionally explores nature and seasonal changes — both of which you will have been constantly surrounded by during your time at the retreat!

1:00 - 3:00: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest.

3:00 - 6:00 PM: Each participant will get a 30 minute one-on-one session with either Aditi or Akhil to discuss their craft in more detail and get ideas for how to move forward in their poetry. Those not in session at any given point can use this time to go for walks, take a nap, read, or use the bowl of writing prompts to continue creating.

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: After the open afternoon, we meet at 7 PM for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali feast cooked by our local chefs.

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join Kapil for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 12:00: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla/ Kalka/ Chandigarh in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, an evening flight, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

To Register

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register. I will answer any questions you might have and then put you in touch with Miago Experiences, our travel partner, to finalise your booking.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors for the workshop, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

Registrations close 30th November, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest at contact@aditirao.net

About the Facilitators

Aditi Rao is the author of two full length poetry collections, The Fingers Remember (Yoda Press 2014) and A Kind of Freedom Song (Yoda Press, 2019), and she has published poems and essays in several national and international publications. Her writing has won many awards and fellowships, including the Hedgebrook Residency, the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the TFA Creative Writing Award, the Srinivas Rayaprol Prize for Poetry, and the Muse India Young Writer Award. She has taught writing since 2005.

Akhil Katyal is a writer, teacher and translator based in Delhi. He is the author of four books of poems “The Last Time I Saw You (Harper Collins, 2024), 'Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue: Delhi Poems' (Westland-Context), 'How Many Countries Does the Indus Cross' (TGIPC) and 'Night Charge Extra' (Writers Workshop). He also co-edited 'The World That Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia' (HarperCollins India), and translated Ravish Kumar's 'Ishq Mein Shahar Hona' as a book of prose-poems 'A City Happens in Love' (Speaking Tiger). He is an Associate Professor of English Literature at BITS Law School in Mumbai

Cancellation Policy

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency; in this case, please provide us a copy of your medical report, and we will give you a credit note for your room and board, to be used within 6 months.

Trip Disclaimer

• We will have a basic first aid kit, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in our immediate vicinity. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided on-site, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

Among the many workshops I teach, this one is a personal favourite, not only because it is located amongst my favourite mountains, but also because it brings together my experiences in teaching the craft of writing with my years in the development sector, thinking about how the arts can be part of healing, community, and transformation. Registrations are now open for the sixth edition of this workshop.

This unique writing retreat, set in a campsite on a mountain peak in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.

Every morning, you will spend a few hours closely reading texts, learning new tools to sharpen your writing, and writing in response to structured exercises aimed at improving craft. Every evening, our Sunset Writing Circles will push you differently, asking you to be brave in your writing, to risk vulnerability, to write and to share from your whole, honest heart. These evening sessions take place in our Baithak, which boasts incredible view of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peak; here, we write by sunset, share by candlelight, and let the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in an apple orchard, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient writer but also as a braver writer, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and writing companions.

“The original definition of courage was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart” - Brene Brown

Dates

11th October - 15th October 2023

Number of Participants: 8-10

Costs

• Twin sharing:: Rs. 32,000

• Single occupancy (based on availability): Rs. 38,000 

  Accommodation is in Swiss Tents, with British Campaign Style furniture, all modern amenities, and attached bathroom with shower and geyser.

This cost includes:

• 6 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Field trip with picnic

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music and Bonfire on one night

• Basic first aid and stationery

Registrations close 24th September, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit or Sher Singh from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help figuring out transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Fagu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Fagu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks

5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone.  We then move into our first writing exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of writers’ block (if you believe in such a thing!).

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the first Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen. 

8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai. 

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together to drive to an orchard, where we will conduct the day’s session. 

12:00 - 2:00: Today’s Craft Session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together. 

2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!

4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea. 

6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.  

8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the third Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. . 

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali meal cooked by our local chefs.

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:00: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:00 - 11:00: We meet at 10:00 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

11:00 - 12:30: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

To Register

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors for Camp, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

Registrations close 24th September, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest

Cancellation Policy

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 90% refund

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency or a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.

Trip Disclaimer

• We highly recommend that all participants are double vaccinated by the time of travel. Additionally, depending on the COVID situation closer to the date, all participants may also be required to have a negative RTPCR test result in the 72 hours before travel. We understand that this may be an inconvenience, but we ask for your understanding and support in keeping everyone safe.

• Please observe all COVID safety protocol and let us know immediately in case you develop flu-like symptoms.

• We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

COVID Safety

At Camp Nomad, we are taking all precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. Some of these measures are:

• Ensuring all tents and ensuite bathrooms are thoroughly sanitised before guest arrival.

• Regular cleaning and sanitisation of common washroom, dining tent, and all common areas.

• Asking all guests to be vaccinated and carry a negative RTPCR report

• All workshop sessions will be held outdoors in our open-air baithak so as to minimise exposure

• All meals will be laid in our dining tent due to the unpredictability of rains in the mountains. However, participants are always free to serve themselves and take their meals to the open air baithak if they would like to eat outdoors.

"Tell all the truth but tell it slant"

- Emily Dickinson: 1263

What did Dickinson mean when she asked us to tell all our truth but 'tell it slant'? What is this 'slant' made of? Does it lie in the suggestiveness of a poem, in its stylistics, or in its formal shape? What elements of a poem become that necessary detour, that 'circuit', which makes our otherwise unbaked feelings and truths acquire the shape of a poem?

Two poets, Aditi Rao and Akhil Katyal, long-time practitioners and teachers of poetry, are offering this five day poetry retreat, where you will learn and practise key elements of poetic craft: sound and rhythm, line and stanza breaks, image and metaphor. And as you grow out your toolkit of poetry with these elements, you will also learn and practise two distinct poetic forms: the ghazal and the haiku. Throughout the retreat, the focus will be on supporting you in expanding even the rawest feelings and deepest held truths into poems that communicate and move. With every new tool you learn, your writing will grow in complexity and confidence.

And through it all, the mountains surrounding Camp Nomad will bear witness to our truths. All sessions will be conducted in the Baithak, which boasts incredible views of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peaks; here, we write and share our words with one another, letting the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! Between sessions, there will be walks, open time to yourself, traditional Himachali food and music, campfire conversations, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient poet but also as a gentler and braver poet, more able to tell your deepest truths by learning how to tell them “slant”.

Dates

19 June 2023 - 23 June 2023

Costs

• Twin sharing:: Rs. 34,000

• Single occupancy (based on availability): Rs. 40,000 

  Accommodation is in Swiss Tents, with British Campaign Style furniture, all modern amenities, and attached bathroom with shower and geyser.

This cost INCLUDES:

• 5 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• 1 individual session with the guest poets per person

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks

• Bonfires each night

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music on one night

• Basic first aid and stationery

Registrations close 12th June, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest at contact@aditirao.net

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit or Sher Singh from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help booking transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Fagu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Fagu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 4:30 - Chai and Snacks

4:30- 5:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone. 

6:00 - 8:00: Akhil and Aditi co-lead a session in the basic elements of poetic craft, offering an overall introduction to poetic techniques and form.

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional writing prompt to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: We open our first full day at Camp with a session by Aditi on Image and Metaphor as our first entry point into telling our truths “slant.” We use readings, games, and writing prompts to learn to tell our stories in non-rational but deeply real ways.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: In the evening, Akhil takes you on a journey through he worlds of sound, rhythm, and meter, exploring all the ways in which you can use the musicality of the written word to layer meaning and emotion in your poems.

8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional writing prompt to accompany your morning chai. 

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. We will conduct part of each walk in silence.

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:30 - 1:00 PM: In this morning session, Aditi takes you on a journey of understanding the visual aspects of poetry — the ways in which line and stanza breaks can shape meaning, create depth or irony, and transform your writing. We will read together, do some exercises, and then bring our new knowledge to our own writing.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: The Ghazal is one of the most popular forms of poetry in the Indian subcontinent, and this evening, Akhil will walk you through the different elements of this age-old form. Using your knowledge of image, metaphor, sound, and line breaks, you will write your own ghazals, in English or Hindi, and get a firsthand sense of the musicality of this form.

8:00: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest or stay up late writing and sharing!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 1:00: For our last morning session of the retreat, participants will explore haiku, the Japanese poetry form that traditionally explores nature and seasonal changes — both of which you will have been constantly surrounded by during your time at the retreat!

1:00 - 3:00: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest.

3:00 - 6:00 PM: Each participant will get a 30 minute one-on-one session with either Aditi or Akhil to discuss their craft in more detail and get ideas for how to move forward in their poetry. Those not in session at any given point can use this time to go for walks, take a nap, read, or use the bowl of writing prompts to continue creating.

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: After the open afternoon, we meet at 7 PM for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali feast cooked by our local chefs.

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 12:00: We pack our things, share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla/ Kalka/ Chandigarh in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, an evening flight, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he may be able to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

To Register

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors for Camp, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

Registrations close 12th June, but seats often fill up much earlier. If you’d like to reserve a spot, please contact me at the earliest at contact@aditirao.net

About the Facilitators

Aditi Rao is the author of two full length poetry collections, The Fingers Remember (Yoda Press 2014) and A Kind of Freedom Song (Yoda Press, 2019), and she has published poems and essays in several national and international publications. Her writing has won many awards and fellowships, including the Hedgebrook Residency, the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the TFA Creative Writing Award, the Srinivas Rayaprol Prize for Poetry, and the Muse India Young Writer Award. She has taught writing since 2005.

Akhil Katyal is a writer, teacher and translator based in Delhi. He is the author of three books of poems 'Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue: Delhi Poems' (Westland-Context), 'How Many Countries Does the Indus Cross' (TGIPC) and 'Night Charge Extra' (Writers Workshop). He also co-edited 'The World That Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia' (HarperCollins India), and translated Ravish Kumar's 'Ishq Mein Shahar Hona' as a book of prose-poems 'A City Happens in Love' (Speaking Tiger). He teaches Creative Writing at Ambedkar University, Delhi.

Cancellation Policy

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency or a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.

Trip Disclaimer

• We highly recommend that all participants are double vaccinated by the time of travel. Additionally, depending on the COVID situation closer to the date, all participants may also be required to have a negative RTPCR test result in the 72 hours before travel. We understand that this may be an inconvenience, but we ask for your understanding and support in keeping everyone safe.

• Please observe all COVID safety protocol and let us know immediately in case you develop flu-like symptoms.

• We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

Among the many workshops I teach, this one is a personal favourite, not only because it is located amongst my favourite mountains, but also because it brings together my experiences in teaching the craft of writing with my years in the development sector, thinking about how the arts can be part of healing, community, and transformation.

This unique writing retreat, set in a campsite on a mountain peak in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.

Every morning, you will spend a few hours closely reading texts, learning new tools to sharpen your writing, and writing in response to structured exercises aimed at improving craft. Every evening, our Sunset Writing Circles will push you differently, asking you to be brave in your writing, to risk vulnerability, to write and to share from your whole, honest heart. These evening sessions take place at the highest point in camp, which boasts a 360 degree view of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peak; here, we write by sunset, share by candlelight, and let the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in an apple orchard, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient writer but also as a braver writer, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and writing companions.

“The original definition of courage was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart” - Brene Brown

Dates

21 September 2022 - 24 September 2022

Costs

• Twin sharing:: Rs. 30,000

• Single occupancy (based on availability): Rs. 36,000 

  Accommodation is in Swiss Tents, with British Campaign Style furniture, all modern amenities, and attached bathroom with shower and geyser,.

This cost includes:

• 6 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Field trip with picnic

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music and Bonfire on one night

• Basic first aid and stationery

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Mitzy and Amit from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help booking transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Fagu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Fagu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks

5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone.  We then move into our first writing exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of writers’ block (if you believe in such a thing!).

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the first Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen. 

8:00: We close our first full day together with a bonfire with live music. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai. 

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together to drive to an orchard, where we will conduct the day’s session. 

12:00 - 2:00: Today’s Craft Session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together. 

2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!

4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea. 

6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.  

8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, a different one each day

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath.

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the third Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. . 

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, enjoy a traditional Himachali meal, cooked by our wonderful guest chef from a nearby village.

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath, maybe to pack your things. 

10:30 - 12:00: We meet at 10:30 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

12:00 - 1:00: We share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night in Shimla before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he has a bed-and-breakfast on Forest Road and would be happy to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

To Register

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by depositing cash or a cheque in a local bank branch. Because we have to pay various vendors for Camp, we do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

Registration formally closes on 12th September, but seats are very limited, so you’re encouraged to write in as soon as you’re ready to confirm.

Cancellation Policy

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 75% refund

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a medical emergency or a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.

Trip Disclaimer

• We highly recommend that all participants are double vaccinated by the time of travel. Additionally, depending on the COVID situation closer to the date, all participants may also be required to have a negative RTPCR test result in the 72 hours before travel. We understand that this may be an inconvenience, but we ask for your understanding and support in keeping everyone safe.

• Please observe all COVID safety protocol and let us know immediately in case you develop flu-like symptoms.

• We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

COVID Safety

At Camp Nomad, we are taking all precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. Some of these measures are:

• Ensuring all tents and ensuite bathrooms are thoroughly sanitised before guest arrival.

• Regular cleaning and sanitisation of common washroom, dining tent, and all common areas.

• Asking all guests to be vaccinated and carry a negative RTPCR report

• All workshop sessions will be held outdoors in our open-air baithak so as to minimise exposure

• All meals will be laid outdoors, weather permitting. In case of adverse weather conditions, participants are free to serve themselves from the dining tent and take their meals to the open air baithak.

• Staff members are vaccinated.

Writing and drawing are both ways of seeing, of paying attention to our inner and outer worlds. Both creative processes, at their best, demand abandon, a willingness to go beyond correct answers, to build on every line that has come before, to create before worrying about an audience. In this workshop, I work together with my pottery teacher and writing student, Elodie Alexandre, to share some of the ways our creative practices can build upon each other. This is a generative workshop, and throughout, we maintain a sense of play, a willingness to experiment, and above all, a complete ban on erasers!

This unique retreat, set in a campsite on a mountain peak in the Himalayas, moves between the practices of writing and drawing, both as tools of self-discovery and self-expression. You need no experience in either practice, only a sense of play and adventure.

There will be two sessions every day, one in the morning, and one around sunset. Some days we will begin with writing, and other days, we will begin with drawing; every day, the morning’s learnings and discoveries will feed into the evening’s session. In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in the forest, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the camp with a sense of possibility, having expanded your artistic practices and deepened your sense of self, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and artistic companions.

Dates

19 May 2021 - 23 May 2021

Costs

• Lazy Luxury Tents, with British Campaign Style furniture, all modern amenities, and attached bathroom, on Twin Sharing Basis: Rs. 28,000 

• Cosy Camper tents, with comfortable mattresses, solar lighting, and private (but not attached) bathrooms,, on Single Occupancy: Rs. 24,000

This cost includes:

• 7 workshop sessions with two facilitators, spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Field trip with picnic

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music and Bonfire on one night

• Basic first aid and stationery

About the Facilitators

Aditi Rao is the author of two full length collections of poetry, The Fingers Remember and A Kind of Freedom Song. Her work has been honoured by the Hedgebrook Residency, the Akademi Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the Sangam House Residency, the Srinivas Rayaprol prize, the TFA Creative Writing Award, among others. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and has been teaching writing since 2005.

Élodie Alexandré is a French artist based in Himachal Pradesh. She studied for a BA and an MA in ceramics at Cardiff School of Art and Design, UK. In her work, Élodie investigates the space between 2D and 3D, the process of drawing and making constantly inspiring each other. She enjoys telling stories through drawing, often using this practice to make sense of situations and feelings. She is the co-founder of Atelier Lālmitti, a clay centre in the Valley of Kangra.

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help booking transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Fagu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Fagu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 4:30 - Chai and Snacks

4:30 - 5:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone. 

5:30 - 7:30 We then move into our first writing and drawing exercises together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of creative block (if you believe in such a thing!).

7:30: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be optional journaling and drawing prompts, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, we can point you to walks through the nearby orchards and villages. The walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:30: The group will gather in the Baithak for our first session, imagining the counters of our lives through a mix of visuals and story. We use this exercise to share our lives more deeply with each other, and also to understand narrative arcs of stories through our own lives.

1:30 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing and drawing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai to create personal mandalas using and deepening our stories from the morning’s exercise. As we draw, we reflect not only upon the past but also upon our dreams and wishes, the things that heal us, the connections that protect us.

8:00: Enjoy a traditional Himachali meal, cooked by our wonderful guest chefs from the nearby village of Theog. 

Day 3

7::00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be optional journaling and drawing prompts, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, we can point you to walks through the nearby orchards and villages. The walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:00 - 11:00: At 10:00, we leave camp together to drive to pine forests of Cheog, where we will conduct the day’s session. 

11:00 - 1:00: Today’s Drawing Session will build upon the beautiful natural surroundings, using our art to be more deeply present and observant on our forest walk.

1:00 - 3:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch under the sun, followed by open time to continue creating, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!

3:00 - 5:00: Today’s writing session picks up where the morning session left off, pushing us to now use all of our senses, rather than just sight, to write our own personal forest into being.

5:00 - 7:30: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea. 

7:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!

Day 4

7::00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be optional journaling and drawing prompts, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, we can point you to walks through the nearby orchards and villages. The walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: On our last full day together, we move away from the narrative and the literal, exploring the worlds of metaphor in our writing this morning.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, draw, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing and drawing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

5:00 - 7:30: We tie together the narratives and metaphors of the last few days with a zine-making session. You will use graphics and text to tell your story a little differently, perhaps discovering new aspects of it in the process.

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, we enjoy a bonfire with live music, and an optional open mic night. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Go for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath, maybe to pack your things. 

10:30 - 12:00: We meet at 10:30 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

12:00 - 1:00: We share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night in Shimla before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he has a bed-and-breakfast on Forest Road and would be happy to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

Trip Disclaimer

• All participants will be required to have a COVID test in the 72 hours before travel, and we will provide a full refund to anyone who needs to cancel due to a positive test result. We recognise this can be a bit of an inconvenience, but we ask for your understanding as we attempt to keep everybody safe.

• We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no well-stocked chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• Please observe all COVID safety protocol and let us know immediately in case you develop flu-like symptoms. .

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

Payment and Cancellation Policy

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, once you are ready to register.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by dropping off cash/ a cheque. Because I have to pay various vendors for Camp, I do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 75% refund

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund. The only exception to this rule is cancellations due to a positive COVID result; in this case, please provide us a copy of your test report, and we will make a full refund.

Among the many workshops I teach, this one is a personal favourite, not only because it is located amongst my favourite mountains, but also because it brings together my experiences in teaching the craft of writing with my years in the development sector, thinking about how the arts can be part of healing, community, and transformation.

This unique writing retreat, set in a campsite on a mountain peak in the Himalayas, seeks a balance between focusing on the craft of writing and honouring writing as a practice of honesty and courage.

Every morning, you will spend a few hours closely reading texts, learning new tools to sharpen your writing, and writing in response to structured exercises aimed at improving craft. Every evening, our Sunset Writing Circles will push you differently, asking you to be brave in your writing, to risk vulnerability, to write and to share from your whole, honest heart. These evening sessions take place at the highest point in camp, which boasts a 360 degree view of valleys, mountains, and on clear days, the distant snow peak; here, we write by sunset, share by candlelight, and let the Himalayas reassure us of something older and more solid than any anxieties we might bring to the table! In between, there will be walks, open time to yourself, a picnic in an apple orchard, traditional Himachali food and music, and stunning night skies.

Our goal is for you to leave the camp not only as a more proficient writer but also as a braver writer, held and nourished by a safe community of friends and writing companions.

“The original definition of courage was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart” - Brene Brown

Dates

I am offering this workshop twice this summer.

Group 1 runs from: 15 April - 19 April

Group 2 will run from 21 May - 25 May.

Both itineraries will be identical; please make sure to let me know which set of dates work for you, or if you have no date preference. I will accommodate your registration accordingly.

Costs

• Luxury Tents, with British Campaign Style furniture and private bathroom, on Twin Sharing Basis: Rs. 24,000 

• Basic Tents, with sleeping bags and shared bathrooms, on Twin Sharing Basis: Rs. 20,000

This cost includes:

• 6 Writing workshop sessions spread out over 4 nights, 5 days

• Accommodation for 4 nights, 5 days.

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 rounds of chai and snacks from 4 PM on Day 1 to 1 PM on Day 5

• Field trip with picnic in a nearby apple orchard

• Optional Guided Mountain Walks each morning

• Special local Himachali dinner one night

• Live Music and Bonfire on closing night

• Basic first aid and stationery

Schedule

Day 1

2:00 PM - 4 PM: Arrivals: Amit from Camp Nomad will coordinate with you to in case you need help booking transportation from Shimla or Chandigarh. If you drive from Delhi or take the morning Kalka Shatabdi, you can comfortably make it to Fagu before 4 PM. If you were already in Shimla the previous night, you can head to Fagu after lunch and just use the extra time to settle into camp or go for a walk nearby. 

4:00 - 5:00 - Chai and Snacks

5:00 - 7:30: Once everyone has settled in, we gather as a large group to introduce ourselves, walk you through the camp space, and go over the schedule for the upcoming days. We will also generate a list of first agreements — a set of principles that will guide our time together and help create and sustain a space that is simultaneously safe, challenging, and nurturing for everyone.  We then move into our first writing exercise together, aimed at setting the tone for our time together and breaking out of writers’ block (if you believe in such a thing!).

8:00: We end the day with dinner and a bonfire, leaving you to have an early night or to stay up late watching the stars. 

Day 2

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:30: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day. 

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the first Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai Break

5:00 - 7:30: We meet again after chai for our first Sunset Writing Circle. We begin with a personal writing and reflection exercise, then move to a story sharing session, where each person gets the time to share themselves more deeply with the group, where we are all able to see and feel deeply seen. 

8:00: Enjoy a traditional Himachali meal, cooked by our wonderful guest chefs from the nearby village of Theog. 

Day 3

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai. 

8:00 - 9:00: If you’d like to stretch your limbs a little, join Amit for a guided walk through the nearby orchards and villages. We will take a different route each day, and the walks will never be particularly strenuous, just opportunities to start your day with fresh air and a little exercise. 

9:00-10:00: Return from your walk to a hot breakfast and a little time to catch your breath and prepare for your day.

10:00 - 11:30: At 10:00, we leave camp together to drive to an apple orchard in Kothari, about 1 1/2 hours away, where we will conduct the day’s session. 

12:00 - 2:00: Today’s Craft Session will draw upon the beautiful surroundings of the apple orchard, bringing nature, presence, and the use of all of our senses into the writing we do together. 

2:00- 4:00: Enjoy a picnic lunch by a waterfall in the orchard, followed by open time to continue writing, go for a walk, or take a nap in the sun!

4:00-6:00: We return to camp and take some time to catch our breaths, get a bit of rest if we need it, and have a cup of tea. 

6:00 - 8:30: Our second Sunset Writing Circle pushes us a bit further than on the first day, asking us to continue risking bravery and honesty in our words, and challenging us to begin to read this raw, vulnerable writing to each other.  

8:30: Enjoy another dinner under the stars, and get some rest after this particularly long day!

Day 4

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy your morning tea with spectacular valley views— if you’re feeling particularly ambitious, wake up a bit earlier and watch sunrise from the peak. There will also always be an optional journaling prompt, usually based on narrative therapy exercises, to accompany your morning chai.

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00-10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath, maybe to pack your things. 

10:30 - 1:00: The group will gather in the Writing Corner for the third Craft of Writing Session. Each of these sessions will focus on a different element of the Craft of Writing, cutting across genres and styles; typically we will discuss craft through a short reading, then write together in response to a prompt and share our writing with each other.

1:00 - 4:30: Enjoy a leisurely lunch, followed by an open afternoon to write, read, explore the area, or get some rest. There will always be a bowl of writing prompts for you to use in your off-time if you would like.. 

4:30 - 5:00: Chai

5:00 - 7:30: We gather at the peak for our final Sunset Writing Circle and attempt a deep dive into brave, honest story, challenging ourselves not only in our personal writing but also in our group’s ability to create space for the liveliest as well as the most vulnerable of our stories. . 

8:00 PM: For our last dinner together, we enjoy a bonfire with live music by a wonderful local musician. As always, you are free to retire early for the night or stay up late stargazing (did we mention that, on a clear night, you can see the entire Milky Way from the camp?)

Day 5

7:00 - 8:00: Enjoy our last morning together with tea and spectacular valley views— and if you haven’t yet woken up for the sunrise, today would be a good day to do so!

8:00 - 9:00: Join Amit for one more walk through the nearby orchards and villages, taking in the fresh air and friendly people, and saying your “see you later”s to the mountains. 

9:00 - 10:30: Come back from your walk to a hot breakfast and time to catch your breath, maybe to pack your things. 

10:30 - 12:00: We meet at 10:30 for a closing circle, during which we throw a ball of twine around the room, thank each other, and close our time together with hugs and photographs. 

12:00 - 1:00: We share one last cup of tea, hug each other again, and begin our journeys back to Shimla or Kalka in time to catch the Shatabdi, the toy train, or the overnight Volvos. In case you would like to stay another night in Shimla before heading home, do speak to Amit beforehand: he has a bed-and-breakfast on Forest Road and would be happy to host you for another night if you book in advance. 

Trip Disclaimer

• We will have a basic first aid kit at camp, as well as a nursing assistant on standby for medical emergencies. However, if you have any known medical conditions or allergies, please carry your medication with you as there are no chemists in the immediate vicinity of Camp Nomad. Further, in case any participant requires medical attention beyond what can be provided at Camp, we will help organise transport to the nearest hospital. All extra medical and transportation expenses will be borne by the participant.

• On the off chance that circumstances beyond our control, including but not limited to riots, political unrest, natural or other disaster, nuclear incident, terrorist activity, etc.. cause us to cancel the trip, we will be unable to provide a refund. 

• In keeping with travelling sustainably, please minimise plastic use and ensure you do not litter in the natural areas. 

• If for any reason you have to leave the trip early, you will not be entitled to a refund. We will not be liable for any expenses incurred to you as a result. However we will do our best to help make all arrangements for you to return to Shimla or your final destination at the earliest. 

• If the behaviour of any participant is likely to cause distress or harm to themselves, our staff or other team members, we reserve the right to terminate their trip at any time and they will have to make their own arrangements; we will not be liable for any expenses incurred as a result.

Payment and Cancellation Policy

Please email me, or message me through the Contact Me page, with your preferred set of dates (15-19 April or 21 - 25 May— or to say you can make it to either set of dates) once you are ready to register. I will put your name on my list, and as soon as I have a minimum of 6 people confirmed for that set of dates, I will send you payment details and other paperwork.

Your seat will only be confirmed once you make the payment in full, via online transfer or by dropping off cash/ a cheque. Because I have to pay various vendors for Camp, I do require the full amount upfront in order to confirm your seat. 

In case you need to cancel for some reason after you have paid, the Cancellation policy will be:

More than 4 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 75% refund

3 - 4 weeks  before Day 1 of Camp: 50 % refund

2 - 3 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: 25% refund

Less than 2 weeks before Day 1 of Camp: No refund

Many of you have been asking about the first workshop of 2019. I apologise for the delay; I was away recovering from a corneal transplant. But here we go now!

This creative writing workshop is about you and your writing goals. There is no set genre. There is no set theme. There is no set destination. There is simply you, what you want to do, and where you want to go with your words. 

Each week, we will do some open-ended writing and some structured writing exercises, read to one another, and review manuscripts. You will always be encouraged to do the day’s exercise, but you will also always be free to write on a different theme. You will always be invited to share, but you will never be forced. 

Whether you are looking to improve your craft, reconnect with an old hobby, find inspiration, receive feedback from a community of writers, prepare for publication, get into a writing discipline, or simply to have a place to pause amidst the noise of your week, my goal is to create a safe and fun space for you to write, share, and grow. 

To register, please contact me here or via email with a few lines about why this workshop would be a good fit for you.

Once I confirm your seat, you will be asked to pay the workshop fee in advance to hold your seat. I can do a 50% refund on cancellations before 2nd March, but after that, the fee will become non-refundable as I will have turned away waiting list participants at that point.

I will close registrations on or before 28th February.

Frequently Asked Questions

I am not really a writer. Can I still join?

A writer is someone who writes. Write with us. Voila: You are a writer. 

What if I write in a language other than English?

Once a writing exercise has been handed out, you are free to write in your language of comfort. However, although I do read Hindi and Spanish, English is my main medium of instruction (only because it is the language I am currently most comfortable writing and teaching in), so you may receive less helpful feedback on work in another language. For manuscript review, the group will decide whether we feel able to work with a manuscript in a particular language. 

Will my writing be critiqued?

Yes, but only when you choose. We never critique responses to in-class writing exercises because that writing is too raw. Once you have had a chance to revise and type up your manuscript, you may choose to submit it for review by the group. The typical process for this is: the author hands out copies of the manuscript to everyone in the room the previous week, group members read and make notes over the week, and we spend the last 1 - 1 1/2 hours of workshop offering feedback on 2 manuscripts per week. I will also give you a letter of feedback on manuscripts you submit, and you are welcome to set up a private conference with me if you want to discuss issues in your writing that you are unable to do in a group setting. 

What if I choose not to submit work for critique?

That’s fine. You will still grow as a writer through the exercises we do together and through reading your work out loud. When someone hears your story and tells you theirs in response, you will know what helped them connect. When your words make someone laugh or cry, you will know what works. Similarly, as you begin to identify what you love, connect with, or don’t understand about your peers’ work, that knowledge will begin to inform your own writing. Learning doesn’t have to happen through targeted critique, although that is often helpful as you grow. 

Why do you want me to commit for 10 weeks?

Becoming a better writer is a process that takes time, commitment, and discipline; past experiences seem to suggest that ten weeks is a good length of time for writers to be able to see real gains in the quality and ease of their writing. Also, sharing early writing involves risks, and it takes time to build a safe and supportive community in which you can take those risks. You will find yourself able to write more openly as the weeks go by, and our 10 week commitment to our craft and to one another will become part of your growth as a writer. 

Will you teach craft?

Yes, but perhaps not in the traditional sense of the word “teach.” I work hard to limit the amount of time I spend lecturing in front of a whiteboard, and I do not believe in Powerpoint. However, throughout the process fo writing new material and as we review manuscripts, I will point out and explain craft elements of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. We will also periodically read together for craft or discuss a craft essay I post to our workshop group. You are also always welcome to ask craft-specific questions, and I will do my best to answer them in the same session, or to find you an answer by the next one. 

I have been writing for many years. Do you also teach an advanced class?

This workshop is intended to cut across experience and skill levels because I have found that everyone learns more rapidly in a mixed group. Several participants return for a second or third round of workshop, and the exercises are designed to be useful wherever you are in your writing journey (I do every exercise and continue to generate much of my own writing there, and previous workshops have included everyone from high school students to published writers in the same group). Similarly, regardless of your skill level, the process of manuscript critique will help you hone your ability to look critically at your writing. And of course, I will be around to address concerns that you feel have not been addressed by the group. 

Can you help me get published?

I can help you become a better writer and editor of your work, which is, of course, a big part of getting published. I am also happy to point you to publishing opportunities that I know of, or to connect you with people I know. I do not, however, have contacts with literary agencies or within the publishing industry.

Is there anything else I should know?

I have a dog and a cat, both of whom are very affectionate and fond of sitting in on my writing workshop (the dog in particular will throw herself against the door for three straight hours if I try locking her out!). They are nice to people, distract only occasionally, and generally function as comic relief. However, in case you are allergic to one or the other, or if this is otherwise a deal-breaker for you, then this isn’t the workshop for you. I apologise, but it’s their home too, and I simply cannot justify locking them out of it week after week!

But really, I am not a writer...

I don’t believe you. Come join us. You’ll be surprised. 

Peoples! I’m super excited to announce my first ever pottery market — and the launch of my Ceramics brand, HappyMess!

I am selling handmade mugs, spoons, coffee pourovers, and tea infusers, amongst some eighty other potters selling everything you can imagine in clay. Do stop by one of these days?