Writer's Retreat

Due to various circumstances the courses aren't going to run in 2009 but we are offering Writer's Retreats throughout the year. Writer's retreats are priced at £200 per week and offer the perfect opportunity to get away from it all. Alhama is full of quirky places, interesting people and stunning landscapes- plenty of inspiration to get you writing or if you want a complete break just sit back and watch the world go by.

Women's Holidays

The Plaza de Presos-

Women’s Holidays

19th-23rd June 2009
5 day Women’s Holiday from £350

24th -31st July 2009
7 day Women’s Holiday from £475


Sometimes you want to go on holiday alone. Maybe you are single or perhaps you and your partner have different ideas of what makes a good holiday. If you are interested in developing your creative side then our women’s holidays are for you. The holidays are structured so as to give you the opportunity to try your hand at some creative activities, but there is no pressure to do so- you can choose to spend the time relaxing or exploring this beautiful region.

The creative activities we offer may vary- as we will try to tailor them to the group. A typical holiday would include an opportunity to take some interesting photographs of the historic town and its stunning surrounds (no experience required and the most basic digital camera or even phone is the most equipment you will need). Once we have got our photographs together we will follow this with a creative writing session in which you develop an idea for a short story based on the photographs we have taken. These creative sessions would take place between 11am and 2pm on four mornings of the week on a week long holiday and three mornings on a five day holiday- see structure of the course below for more details. Our morning sessions are followed by either a buffet lunch in the Moroccan courtyard or a meal at a local restaurant unless we are visiting Granada when you can choose where to have lunch.

One of the problems of travelling alone is what to do in the evening. Our holidays are the perfect solution for this as we will either meet as a group for a meal at our house Carmen de Pepita or we will venture out to the many tapas bars to experience real Spanish social life. Meeting other like minded women is all part of the experience and you will stay with up to three other women in either Carmen de Pepita or in local authentic town houses which belong to our friends. You can choose to have your own room or to share with a friend or with someone who will become your friend. The choice is yours.

The aim of this holiday is to have a balance of activities, social life and personal space. We hope we enable you to bring out the creative side that so many of us leave behind when we get bogged down with work and family responsibilities.

The structure of the course
7 day holiday

Friday
You will arrive on a Friday and will be picked up from either Granada or Malaga airport. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights.

After we have shown you to your accommodation and you have settled in we will meet at the main house for lunch and a chance to get to know each other. In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal.

Saturday
After breakfast we will meet at the main house for our first creative activity. This will usually be a walk round the town with our cameras our camera phones- don’t worry you only need the most basic equipment. John will give you some tips on taking interesting photographs of the place and we will introduce some ideas on how to turn the photos into story opportunities. This session will run from about 11 am until 2.00 when we break for buffet lunch. After lunch you are free to carry on with your photography, take a walk in the beautiful countryside, explore the town or just take a siesta. We will all meet back together meet at about 7.30 for a few drinks either at the Carmen de Pepita or one of the other town houses and then go into town for a night of tapas.

Sunday
On Sunday you can have a lie in or go on an exploration of the town. At (late) lunchtime we will all go to a local restaurant and have Sunday lunch together with the afternoon free for a walk with more photographic opportunities or you can take a siesta and sleep off lunch. In the evening we meet up for drinks and snacks and a look at our photographs.

Monday
We now begin thinking about how we can turn the photographs into stories. We will look at the photographs and think about what sense of place they invoke. Setting is a key part of narrative and this morning’s workshop – which will be from 11am- 2pm will begin to develop the importance of location in your storytelling. After lunch you can choose to work on your story or have a free afternoon. In the evening we will meet for drinks and then go out for tapas.

Tuesday’s workshop will follow the same format but will be about introducing characters into your story.

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada. Lots of photographic and storytelling opportunities here!

If you do not wish to take this trip we can arrange alternative activities such as a day at a spa, cycling, a guided walk or a tutored photography day. Of course you can choose to stay in Alhama and write- the choice is yours!
We haven’t included the cost of the trip in the price as we want to give you the freedom to choose how to spend your free day.

Thursday is our last day and after one final workshop and lunch you will have a chance to finish any pieces you have been working on. In the evening we will gather in the garden of the main house for our final meal and reading of our work (reading not compulsory for the shy!). If the mood takes us we might light a camp fire and see where the storytelling takes us…


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our accommodation rates, or you might choose a later flight giving you the opportunity to explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.

5 day holidays follow the same format but run from Friday – Tuesday. There are fewer workshops, but enough opportunity for creative stimulation to get you going.

Shopping in the Albacain in Granada

Prices

7 day holidays
The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £450

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £499

If you would like your own bathroom the cost is £550.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.
Discounts are available for early booking

Not included is lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

5 day holidays
The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £375

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £399

If you would like your own bathroom you pay £425

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, breakfast every day, four lunches, three evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.
Discounts are available for early booking

Not included is dinner on 1 night and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.


Relax on a day bed under the fig tree

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in specially selected town houses in our historic town of Alhama de Granada. You will share the house with two or three other women and will have your own room- unless you choose to share. The houses have all been restored to the highest standard and each has its own distinctive character. The houses all have self catering facilities so you can make a snack or drink whenever you feel like it. You have access to either a terrace or a garden so you can take some time out and relax in the sunshine with a book and a cold drink. In cooler months the houses have cosy log burning stoves for fireside reading.

Food

You will help yourself to breakfast in your own house. Our well equipped kitchens are stocked with local produce including free range eggs, cheese, cold meats, yoghurts, cereal, jam and honey, bread, butter and coffee, tea and fruit juice. If you do not feel like making your own breakfast you are welcome to eat at any of the local cafes and if you bring us your receipt we will reimburse you up to 6 euros per day.

The food of Andalucia reflects the history of Moorish and Spanish culture and these influences determine our menus. A buffet lunch is provided at 2pm every day in the garden of the main house Carmen de Pepita. Delicious healthy home made food such as salads, tortilla, fish, chicken and a good range of vegetarian choices is provided. Where possible we will use locally grown food and herbs from our own garden, We can also cater for vegans providing you give us advance notice. On Sunday we will take Sunday lunch in a local restaurant. This might be in the town itself or after a walk into the beautiful countryside. On the free day you will make your own arrangements for meals giving you the freedom to go and explore the region.
We will let you know the options available when you have made your booking. We like to tailor our holidays to your needs so let us know your interests.

On the first and last night of the holiday we will eat dinner together in the main house. Again there will a good variety of food including vegetarian options. One night we may choose to cook over an open fire or in our outdoor woodburning oven. The other nights we will meet on our terrace for a few complementary drinks before we head out to explore the many tapas bars. Unlike the major cities of Spain most of the bars of Alhama still hold the old tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Prawns in garlic, calamares, bacalao (delicious salt cod) pinchitos (little spicy kebabs), pork served on little buns, jamon and bread or delicious local cheese are some of the specialities on offer. With a good glass of Rioja at only 1.50 euros you can have a very reasonable night out and come away quite full! We often forgo an evening meal and just dine on tasty tapas.

Writing Crime

Writing Crime
August 7th -14th
With Louise Welsh and Zoe Strachan


We have been very lucky to secure two top writers for this course on Writing Crime : Louise Welsh and Zoe Strachan.

Louise Welsh is know for her three novels; The Cutting Room, which won several awards, including the 2002 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and was jointly awarded the 2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, is a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, published in 2005. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin, London and Glasgow and narrated from the perspective of magician and conjurer William Wilson. Louise is working on her fourth novel to be published in 2009.
Louise was granted a Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award in 2003, a Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2004, and a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2005. She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.

Zoe Strachan
Zoe grew up in Kilmarnock, but in 1992 moved to Glasgow, where she graduated with an MA (Hons) in Archaelogy and Philosophy from the University of Glasgow. After studying MLitt in Creative Writing at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde her first novel Negative Space, was published in 2002 by Picador, followed by Spin Cycle in 2004.
She has published various short stories in magazines and anthologies, as well as many articles and reviews in newspapers, and written for Radio 4. Zoe has recently moved back to Scotland after a year in Bamberg and Berlin, and is teaching on the Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. She is currently working on a third novel, Play Dead.

Both Louise and Zoe have taught courses at Arvon foundation and it was in Moniakh Mhor that I had the good fortune to be tutored by Louise. After experiencing her positive and constructive tutorials I knew I wanted Louise to be one of my first tutors at Alhama Creative.


The structure of the course
Before you arrive
You will have the opportunity to send Louise and Zoe a sample of your work so that they can give you some one to one feedback during the course.

Friday
You will arrive on a Friday and will be picked up from either Granada or Malaga airport. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights.

After we have shown you to your accommodation and you have settled in we will meet at the main house for lunch and a chance to get to know each other. In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal. Louise and Zoe will introduce themselves and outline the plan for the week’s work. If you haven’t already sent them a sample of your work to be discussed in the one to one sessions you can give them this now. You will also sign up for your one to one session with Louise and Zoe. If you haven’t got anything to bring don’t worry we will schedule your session for the end of the week and you can discuss the progress you have made in the workshops.

Saturday
After breakfast we will meet at the main house for our first tutored workshop. These will run approximately from 11 am until 2.00 when we break for buffet lunch. After lunch, if you don’t have a one to one with Louise or Zoe, you are free to carry on with your writing, take a walk in the beautiful countryside, explore the town or just take a siesta. We will all meet back together meet at about 7.30 for a few drinks either at the Carmen de Pepita or one of the other town houses and then go into town for a night of tapas.

Sunday
On Sunday you can have a lie in or if you are inspired by Saturday’s workshop you might want to work on your writing. At (late) lunchtime we will all go to a local restaurant and have Sunday lunch together with the afternoon free for a walk or a siesta. In the evening we meet up for drinks and snacks and a light hearted writing activity.

Monday and Tuesday follow the same pattern as Saturday with further tutorials and one to one sessions.

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada.

If you do not wish to take this trip we can arrange alternative activities such as a day at a spa, cycling, a guided walk or a tutored photography day. Of course you can choose to stay in Alhama and write- the choice is yours!
We haven’t included the cost of the trip in the price as we want to give you the freedom to choose how to spend your free day.

Thursday is our last day and after one final workshop and lunch you will have a chance to finish any pieces you have been working on. In the evening we will gather in the garden of the main house for our final meal and reading of our work (reading not compulsory for the shy!). If the mood takes us we might light a camp fire and see where the storytelling takes us…


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our writer’s retreat rates, or you might choose a later flight giving you the opportunity to explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.



Prices

The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £550

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £599

If you would like your own bathroom you can choose to pay a supplement which is £7 per night = £648.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, one personal feedback session, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.
Discounts are available for early booking
Not included is lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in specially selected town houses in our historic town of Alhama de Granada. You will share the house with two or three others and will have your own room- unless you choose to share. The houses have all been restored to the highest standard and each has its own distinctive character. The houses all have self catering facilities so you can make a snack or drink whenever you feel like it. You have access to either a terrace or a garden so you can take some time out and relax in the sunshine with a book and a cold drink. In cooler months the houses have cosy log burning stoves for fireside reading.


These were allegedly once dungeons where prisoners were kept.



Food

You will help yourself to breakfast in your own house. Our well equipped kitchens are stocked with local produce including free range eggs, cheese, cold meats, yoghurts, cereal, jam and honey, bread, butter and coffee, tea and fruit juice. If you do not feel like making your own breakfast you are welcome to eat at any of the local cafes and if you bring us your receipt we will reimburse you up to 6 euros per day.

The food of Andalucia reflects the history of Moorish and Spanish culture and these influences determine our menus. A buffet lunch is provided at 2pm every day in the garden of the main house Carmen de Pepita. Delicious healthy home made food such as salads, tortilla, fish, chicken and a good range of vegetarian choices is provided. Where possible we will use locally grown food and herbs from our own garden, We can also cater for vegans providing you give us advance notice. On Sunday we will take Sunday lunch in a local restaurant. This might be in the town itself or after a walk into the beautiful countryside. On the free day you will make your own arrangements for meals giving you the freedom to go and explore the region.
We will let you know the options available when you have made your booking. We like to tailor our holidays to your needs so let us know your interests.

On the first and last night of the holiday we will eat dinner together in the main house. Again there will a good variety of food including vegetarian options. One night we may choose to cook over an open fire or in our outdoor woodburning oven. The other nights we will meet on our terrace for a few complementary drinks before we head out to explore the many tapas bars. Unlike the major cities of Spain most of the bars of Alhama still hold the old tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Prawns in garlic, calamares, bacalao (delicious salt cod) pinchitos (little spicy kebabs), pork served on little buns, jamon and bread or delicious local cheese are some of the specialities on offer. With a good glass of Rioja at only 1.50 euros you can have a very reasonable night out and come away quite full! We often forgo an evening meal and just dine on tasty tapas.

However, if you fancy something a bit more substantial you can always order a Racion which is a bigger portion and this will usually cost you about 7 euros for a big plate of food. Alternatively you can choose to have a proper meal at one of the many local restaurants. We are happy to recommend something to suit your taste and budget.

4th- 11th September 2009
Writing for TV
With Helen Farrall


Have you ever fancied writing for TV? Well this course might be just the opportunity for you to develop your screen writing abilities. The course will consist of four mornings of tuition where you will learn how to develop characters and storylines, use image and dialogue effectively and learn how to pitch ideas. Informal evening sessions will include character 'hotseating', a question and answer session where you can pick up some top tips and an opportunity for you to experience pitching to an audience.It would be an advantage if you have some screen writing experience, but it’s not necessary as the course will be suitable for beginners too.

Your tutor Helen Farrall has much experience both as a writer for TV and as a tutor. To date she has written over thirty hours of television, storylined many more and been involved in developing new series ideas.

Helen’s credits include Doctors, Emmerdale, Crossroads, Dream Team and Bad Girls. She has also written for BAFTA and RTS award-winning children’s shows Grange Hill, Children’s Ward, Jeopardy, and Byker Grove. In 1996 Helen’s screenplay The Hangman’s Daughter won the runner-up prize at the BAFTA/ Carl Foreman Awards. She worked in community theatre and Theatre in Education in the mid 1990s and her other writing interests include radio, film and multi-media. Helen is currently working as lead writer of an Alternate Reality Game/ internet project for Channel 4 Education.

Helen has extensive experience as a screenwriting tutor at institutions such as Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Bolton, Cornerhouse and Contact Theatre. She has taught students at all levels, from community workshops to B.A. and M.A. courses. Helen has been a lecturer and mentor on the M.A. in TV & Radio Scriptwriting at the University of Salford since 1997.




The structure of the course
On this course you will arrive on Friday 4th September either at Granada or Malaga airport where you will be met and transferred to your accommodation in Alhama de Granada. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights. After you have settled in we will meet at our house Carmen de Pepita for a buffet lunch in the Moroccan courtyard.

In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal. Helen will introduce herself and outline the plan for the week’s work You will also sign up for your one to one session with Helen. I

Saturday
Is the first day of tuition and the morning session starts after breakfast at 11 am. In this workshop Helen will introduce you to the specific needs of writing for TV as compared to film and prose. She will outline the slots and formats of TV drama and you will begin working on creating world, characters, plot and dramatic goals. You will then be set the task of creating a character to work on in the afternoon. One or two of you will have a one to one session in the late afternoon to discuss a piece of writing you will have sent Helen in advance (Don’t worry if you have nothing to send , you can have your session towards the end of the week and use material you have produced in workshops).writing task for the afternoon. In the evening we will meet up for drinks and a fun session of character ‘hotseating’.

Sunday is a free day and you might want to take a leisurely breakfast, work on your developing scrip or explore the lovely town and its scenic gorge. We will visit a local restaurant for Sunday lunch and then meet in the evening for drinks and nibbles followed by tapas in the local bars.

Monday
It’s back to work today and the morning session is focused on creating scenes and Sequences and using Image, sound and dialogue on the small screen. Helen will also introduce you to Exposition. You wil be given an afternoon writing task and in the evening we will meet up to share our scenes from this task.

Tuesday
Is devoted to working on structure and storylining and the afternoon task is to begin writing a pitch original TV drama programme/ series/ serial. In the evening Helen will run a Q&A session on breaking into TV, agents, etc. You should be able to pick up some top tips here!

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada.

Thursday is our last day and we get straight to work in the morning on Screenwriting techniques – montage, metaphor, flashback, and resonance. Then on to that all important skill for any hopeful screenwriter-Pitching. The afternoon task is to prepare 3 minute pitch for your idea. In the evening we will meet up for our last meal at Carmen de Pepita and after dinner we will have a session where we pitch our ideas top the group.


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our writer’s retreat rates, or you might choose to go on and explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.



Typically winding street in Alhama

Prices

The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £550

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room) This holiday will cost £599

If you would like your own bathroom you can choose to pay a supplement which is £7 per night = £648.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, one personal feedback session, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with drinks and drinks on the terrace most nights.

Discounts are available for early booking
Not included is lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in specially selected town houses in our historic town of Alhama de Granada. You will share the house with two or three others and will have your own room- unless you choose to share. The houses have all been restored to the highest standard and each has its own distinctive character. The houses all have self catering facilities so you can make a snack or drink whenever you feel like it. You have access to either a terrace or a garden so you can take some time out and relax in the sunshine with a book and a cold drink. In cooler months the houses have cosy log burning stoves for fireside reading.

Food

You will help yourself to breakfast in your own house. Our well equipped kitchens are stocked with local produce including free range eggs, cheese, cold meats, yoghurts, cereal, jam and honey, bread, butter and coffee, tea and fruit juice. If you do not feel like making your own breakfast you are welcome to eat at any of the local cafes and if you bring us your receipt we will reimburse you up to 6 euros per day.

The food of Andalucia reflects the history of Moorish and Spanish culture and these influences determine our menus. A buffet lunch is provided at 2pm every day in the garden of the main house Carmen de Pepita. Delicious healthy home made food such as salads, tortilla, fish, chicken and a good range of vegetarian choices is provided. Where possible we will use locally grown food and herbs from our own garden, We can also cater for vegans providing you give us advance notice. On Sunday we will take Sunday lunch in a local restaurant. This might be in the town itself or after a walk into the beautiful countryside. On the free day you will make your own arrangements for meals giving you the freedom to go and explore the region.
We will let you know the options available when you have made your booking. We like to tailor our holidays to your needs so let us know your interests.

On the first and last night of the holiday we will eat dinner together in the main house. Again there will a good variety of food including vegetarian options. One night we may choose to cook over an open fire or in our outdoor woodburning oven. The other nights we will meet on our terrace for a few complementary drinks before we head out to explore the many tapas bars. Unlike the major cities of Spain most of the bars of Alhama still hold the old tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Prawns in garlic, calamares, bacalao (delicious salt cod) pinchitos (little spicy kebabs), pork served on little buns, jamon and bread or delicious local cheese are some of the specialities on offer. With a good glass of Rioja at only 1.50 euros you can have a very reasonable night out and come away quite full! We often forgo an evening meal and just dine on tasty tapas.

However, if you fancy something a bit more substantial you can always order a Racion which is a bigger portion and this will usually cost you about 7 euros for a big plate of food. Alternatively you can choose to have a proper meal at one of the many local restaurants. We are happy to recommend something to suit your taste and budget.


Autumn in the Gorge

Writing Fiction: The Short Story
July 3rd 2009
Dinesh Allirajah


Exciting news! We have our first confirmed tutored writing holiday- it will run from Friday 3rd July 2009 and will be taught by Dinesh Allirajah. Dinesh has been teaching students at the University of Central Lancashire for two years which is how I have come to know him. The students Dinesh has taught never fail to tell me how inspirational and supportive he is. Asked what was the best feature of a fiction class, one student wrote:

Dinesh! His enthusiasm, encouragement, professionalism and experience
and his amazing attention to detail, which he documents so helpfully and
positively in reams of treasured feedback. I feel as though I have
changed immeasurably and for the better due to Dinesh.

Another wrote that ‘Dinesh is by far the best tutor I have had.’
He has the ability to bring out the best in writers of all abilities.

Take a look at Dinesh’s website where you can find out more about his writing and performances and read excerpts from his stories.

Dinesh’s latest publication is his short story ‘A Different Sky’ which appears in The Book of Liverpool forthcoming from Comma Press:
The Book of Liverpool features ten specially commissioned stories set in and around the city, by some of its best loved writers.

Spanning the last five decades of its history (including Hillsborough, the Dockers Dispute, Merseysound, European Cup glory, the regeneration of the city…) every milieu, every shared, city-wide moment is depicted in TThe Book of Liverpool.

Featuring: Beryl Bainbridge, Dinesh Allirajah, Margaret Murphy, Clive Barker, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Tracy Aston, Brian Patten and more...
Dinesh also has a collection of short stories A Manner of Speaking published by Spike Books

The stories take place in a variety of locations, from Toxteth and Streatham, to Rome and Arizona and feature a plethora of vividly drawn characters – including members of the author’s family – whose exploits make for compelling reading. (Rachael Ogden, The Reader)

Dinesh brings his stories to life with a poetic language which
paints vivid images that draw you inside. (Levi Tafari)

You can listen to two stories from this collection 'Dirty Feet on the Saint' and ‘Microdrama’ here These stories appeared in Liverpool Stories 1 published by Comma Press.
Dinesh has performed in France, Germany, Poland, Bangladesh and Nigeria. He is a founder member of the North West writing group ‘Asian Voices, Asian Lives.’ He has been featured on BBC Radio Merseyside and Radio Four, most recently when his short story ‘The Prisoners’ was read on 04 Mar 2008 .


'Ruin' by John Robertson


The structure of the course
Before you arrive
You will have the opportunity to send Dinesh a sample of your work so that he can give you some one to one feedback during the course.

Friday
You will arrive on a Friday and will be picked up from either Granada or Malaga airport. If you are flying into Malaga we ask that you choose a flight that arrives in the morning. See the link for details of budget flights.

After we have shown you to your accommodation and you have settled in we will meet at the main house for lunch and a chance to get to know each other. In the afternoon we will show you some of the sights of the town and then you are free to explore or rest. We will meet at 7.30 in the main house for drinks and a shared evening meal. Dinesh will introduce himself and outline the plan for the week’s work. If you haven’t already sent him a sample of your work to be discussed in the one to one sessions you can give him this now. You will also sign up for your one to one session with Dinesh. If you haven’t got anything to bring don’t worry, we will schedule your session for the end of the week and you can discuss the progress you have made in the workshops.

Saturday
After breakfast we will meet at the main house for our first tutored workshop. These will run approximately from 11 am until 2.00 when we break for buffet lunch. After lunch, if you don’t have a one to one with Dinesh, you are free to carry on with your writing, take a walk in the beautiful countryside, explore the town or just take a siesta. We will all meet back together at about 7.30 for a few drinks either at the Carmen de Pepita or one of the other town houses and then go into town for a night of tapas.

Sunday
On Sunday you can have a lie in or if you are inspired by Saturday’s workshop you might want to work on your writing. At (late) lunchtime we will all go to a local restaurant and have Sunday lunch together with the afternoon free for a walk or a siesta. In the evening we meet up for drinks and snacks and a light hearted writing activity. (Dinesh will read from his work?)

Monday and Tuesday follow the same pattern as Saturday with further tutorials and one to one sessions.

Wednesday is a free day and there is the option to go to the historic city of Granada where you can explore the twisting streets of the Albaicin- the Arab quarter with its jumble of cave like shops selling Moroccan lanterns, rugs, slippers and trinkets. You might want to try a mint tea or a bubble pipe in one of the many tea rooms. Alternatively you could explore the Cathedral, the ancient cave area of Sacramonte or if you want some retail therapy Granada has all the top shops you would expect in a major city. After lunch we will be able to visit the magnificent Alhambra palace and Generalife gardens and then there will be more free time to explore the many bars and restaurants of Granada.

If you do not wish to take this trip we can arrange alternative activities such as a day at a spa, cycling, a guided walk or a tutored photography day. Of course you can choose to stay in Alhama and write- the choice is yours!
We haven’t included the cost of the trip in the price as we want to give you the freedom to choose how to spend your free day.

Thursday is our last day and after one final workshop and lunch you will have a chance to finish any pieces you have been working on. In the evening we will gather in the garden of the main house for our final meal and reading of our work (reading not compulsory for the shy!). If the mood takes us we might light a camp fire and see where the storytelling takes us…


On Friday we will reluctantly take you back to the airport for your flight. Of course you may choose to stay on another week- see our writer’s retreat rates, or you might choose a later flight giving you the opportunity to explore the rest of this beautiful region of Andalucia.




Prices

The price of the holiday depends on the accommodation you choose:
The cheapest option is if you choose to share a room with another guest, either a friend you choose to travel with, or we can match you up with someone who wants to share. This holiday will cost £550

If you want a bit of privacy you can have a room to yourself but share a bathroom (usually with one other room). This holiday will cost £599

If you would like your own bathroom you can choose to pay a supplement which is £7 per night = £648.

This price includes transfers from the airport, accommodation as chosen, workshop tuition, one personal feedback session, breakfast every day, six lunches including one in a local restaurant, two evening meals with wine beer or soft drinks, and drinks on the terrace most nights.

Not included are flights, lunch on the free day, dinner on 5 nights and drinks in bars. Optional activities or trips are extra.

Carmen de Pepita

Our house is a traditional town house on the corner of Calle Real. Like most Spanish houses it doesn't look very big from the outside, but inside it's a different story. We have three floors and the top floor is a guest apartment. It has a little studio kitchen leading onto a terrace with fabulous views over the countryside. It's going to be a great place to sit with a gin and tonic and watch the birds in the apple tree below. The living space is one big room with a wooden floor and a cosy woodburning stove for the cooler months. We decided to decorate this in a mix of contemporary and Moroccan which fits in with its history as a new addition to the old house- you can still see traces of the old beams of the former roofline. The bathroom is tiled with limestone and there is a shower and a huge bath big enough for two. This apartment is an ideal space for a writer's retreat.


Looking out from the terrace

The middle apartment is far more rustic in its appearance. We are still renovating this section but hope it will be finished by the end of the summer. It will have a bedroom with terracotta tiles and painted beams and a lovely old iron bed painted blue. Blue shutters open up onto a small balcony. From here you can see the church of Santa Maria de Incarnacion and hear the bells ring out the hour and the half hour. There is also a living room with balcony and a woodburning stove and a kitchen leads out onto a spacious terrace again with lovely views- from here you can see right along to the gorge to where the ancient hot springs flow into the river through a series of pools. The name Alhama means hot springs. Locals go here to bathe in the warm water which is said to be good for the health. If you want a bit more sophistication you can go to the hotel Balneario and have a day of pampering and massage. A trip here is included in our women’s creative holidays.



The Arab baths built on Roman foundations

Our own living space is at the back of the house which leads out onto our garden. This is my favourite project of the restoration and it is here that we will hold our courses. The walled garden’s not big but it is secluded and quite a sun trap. I have always wanted a walled garden and this is perfect. When we bought the house most of it was built on with two stables which housed an ostrich called Pepita! Now cleared it is ready for our transformation from ostrich pen to Moroccan courtyard. We have had a terrace built leading out from the house and this will be covered with a wooden porch giving dappled shade and a place to lounge in the heat of the day. A hammock is strung from the fig tree and we are building a water trough and an ornamental pool. Moroccan riads always have a central courtyard with water, often fountains strewn with rose petals. These keep the air fresh and cool and the sound of running water adds tranquility. Water is essential to Moorish and Andalusian culture and Alhama itself has many fountains and watering troughs. The water here is pure and sweet and I am sure it is why there are so many healthy looking old people.

Fountain in the Plaza Constitution

Another Moroccan feature is what I have dubbed ‘The Moroccan love arch’, this is a kind of shady bower called a b’hou. It’s a domed shelter with space for cushion strewn benches and an ornamental tea table. We plan to stud the dome with coloured glass so that when the sun shines it will be like sitting in jewelled retreat- an ideal secluded place to sit and write or curl up with a glass of mint tea and a book from our well stocked library. Other features will include a fire pit for late night storytelling or fireside contemplation and a Jamie Oliver style wood oven for making authentic Moroccan flatbread and perfect pizza. We are going to be very busy over the next few months! In April we went to the Generalife Gardens which are part of the Alhambra Palace and well worth a visit. I came home with lots of inspiration for shady arbours, fragrant plants and cool ponds full of fat golden carp. Sadly my garden isn't as grand as the Generalife but I hope that we can capture the atmosphere of that mix of Moorish and Spanish culture that has created the equivalent of the riad - the Carmen or walled garden. So in remembrance of the ostrich and looking forward to our tranquil inspirational space we have decided to call our house 'Carmen de Pepita'.


At sunset swifts fly round the church tower of Santa Maria de Incarnacion

The gorge in Alhama de Granada
Welcome to the blog of our new venture Alhama Creative Holidays. Our aim is to bring creative people to our beautiful town of Alhama de Granada in Spain. We plan to offer a variety of opportunities for you to develop your creative potential. These range from tutored holidays taught by experienced published writers, book club weeks where you can relax in the sun and discuss your favourite books, and writers’ group weeks where you can transport your group to the stimulating environment of real Spain. We also offer holidays exclusively for women designed to help you find your creative spark and if you just want to get away from the greyness of everyday life you can use our house as a writer’s retreat.

While our website is under construction we will use this blog to keep you informed of developments and new information. We are currently putting together a schedule for 2009 and are in discussion with some great writers for our tutored sessions. As soon as we have names and dates we will post here- so watch this space. It is looking very exciting already!

A blog is different to a website though and we will also use this space to share our own personal experience as we give up our jobs and embark on our own creative adventure. Over the next weeks we will tell you about our impending move to Spain and the progress of the restoration of our own house in the ancient Arabic quarter of Alhama de Granada. For now though we just want to tell you a little bit about Alhama so you can get a taste for our beautiful- soon to be home-town.

Where we are
Alhama de Granada is a in a lively Andalusian town about half an hour drive from Granada Airport and forty minutes from the historic city of Granada with its stunning Moorish Palace The Alhambra. We chose Alhama because, being used to the city, we wanted somewhere bustling and buzzing with life. Attractive as it sounds, we didn’t want to be in a remote Cortijo four miles down a dirt track in the middle of nowhere. And the truth is we like going out at night and Alhama has plenty of lively tapas bars. In that part of Spain tapas is central to the social experience and every bar has its own specialities. What’s more you get one free with every drink! It goes without saying that the wine is top quality Rioja and at just over £1.oo a glass it is easy to have a very sociable time indeed.

While Alhama is a lively and growing town, it is typically Spanish with winding cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and an ancient Arab Quarter where our house is situated. The town is steeped in history and was the last stronghold of the Moors. The loss of the rich stronghold of Alhama was central to the defeat of the Moors and the Spanish Romance 'Ay mi Alhama' commemorates the cries of the Moorish king Ali Abu l Hasan on their defeat. A little known translation by Byron also tells of this event. Following the reconquest Alhama was the first town where Isabella built a Catholic church the Santa Maria de Incarnacion on the site of the great mosque and opposite our house was the first blood hospital built in Spain. This is named Hospital La Reina after the queen and our street is called Calle Real- Royal Street.



View from the terrace of our house

Alhama is about 900 metre above sea level, it is surrounded by rolling countryside which changes colour with the seasons, green, to gold, to ochre, to bone; each time of year offers new breathtaking views. Beyond the landscapes of olive and almond trees rise the peaks of various mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada. In winter and spring these are often capped with snow. The air is clear and pure and though it does rain occasionally- not as much as the farmers would like- the skies are usually high and clear and blue. Even in the height of summer, when it is very hot in the day, there is often a lovely fresh breeze and nights are pleasantly cool.

Through the town runs the Rio Alhama and this has carved out a deep gorge with fascinating geological features. The gorge is colonized by an abundance of wild flowers, trees and birds and is a beautiful place to walk. Some early twentieth century ruined flour mills provide a sense of atmosphere and mystery and are an inspiration for storytelling. Log onto www.alhamarentals.com where you can find out more about our town. Here you can see some of the accommodation we are offering at our friends’ houses Casa Esquina and Casa Verde.

Ruined mill in the gorge