Atsitsa Bay - The Place by Kate Shore

In a place where the waves sway soothingly against the rocks,
Where the silky rhythm tunes into your heart,
Where the calm is inhaled from within,
There is no anguish
There is no sorrow.

In a place where the sun reaches into our soul,
Where the light shines through our hearts,
There is no darkness
There is no hollow.

At dawn, the wind breathes into our bodies,
Exhaling any insecurities,
Cleansing our souls from deep within.
At dusk it settles our hearts,
Renews our strength,
And gently eases our sorrow.

In a place where the past is history,
Where the future beckons us on and moves us with force,
Where nature is at ease with itself,
Shining on as an example,
Leading the way to move on.

In a place where my wound is healing,
Where my judgements and decisions are clear,
Where no past can haunt the future,
But the unexpected shows us no fear.

Atsitsa Bay – the healer and the journey,
Beckoning us and believing in us to encompass what lies ahead.
The gate,
The path,
And the way.

Kate Shore
Written 29/09/10, Skyros Island, Greece

Kate visited Atsitsa Bay for a holiday in late September this year where she had the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities including personal development, windsurfing, painting, singing, dance, sailing and yoga. For more details about Atsitsa Bay or any other Skyros holiday visit www.skyros.com.

My Skyros Centre Adventure by Sara Withers

I went to the Skyros Centre on Skyros island in Greece to facilitate some jewellery making for the Music and Arts part of the programme. I didn't really know what to expect, but had decided it was time for a little adventure. My husband came with me and we were both in need of a holiday as well as a change, and normally we would have gone to Greece to collapse at this time of year!

What an adventure it was - we were both captivated by how Skyros works. We arrived mid session and were so impressed by how supportive and welcoming everyone was. We met so many interesting people from many different countries. There is a real feeling of the community working together to create a space where participants can rethink their lives, learn a new skill or relax in a proactive way.

There is lots to do, a great yoga class first thing, classes in the morning and early evening and some evening activities. But there's always time for the beach, a walk or just time on your own as well. And wonderful healthy food. The jewellery making was a pleasure, it was great to be working with such interested and interesting people and the beach had just the right sort of stones to make into pendants!

Our second week was Arthur Smith's comedy writing course. I don't think I have heard so much laughter for years, again a positive, caring group was quickly formed from the participants.

How does it happen so fast at Skyros?

Sara Withers

Sara came to the Skyros Centre in September with her husband Nick to teach jewellery making as part of the Music and Arts programme at the Centre. For more information about the Skyros Centre or any of the other holistic holidays offered by Skyros Holidays visit the Skyros website or call 01983 865566.

Cuba and the Craft of Fiction with Romesh Gunesekera

As summer ends and the temperature drops, you sense change in the air. You open the newspaper and find Cuba splashed across the page. You wonder what it would be like to see a place on the brink of change. You wonder what it would be like to change yourself and discover new ways of seeing, of expressing yourself creatively.

You have been wanting to put your thoughts down in words, to get in touch with the stories in your head, to write, but there has never been the time to do it. You don’t know where to begin, and what to do next. What shall I write about? Who can I show it to? How do I write the next bit? Is it any good?

Trying to write unleashes a load of questions and not much progress and you forget that writing should be a joy.

You want to spend some time away to play with your imagination and explore a new world. You want to write more and better. You want to discover how to start that book you always wanted to write.

Cuba is the place. In our Havana writing workshop we will examine the craft of fiction and do short exercises to get back in touch with the pleasures of writing. We read out our stories and share tips. We will find inspiration from the place and from each other and have the time to write what we want.

In the Atsitsa workshop in Greece I led two years ago, the 8 participants ranged from those who had never tried writing fiction to those already embarked on a project. We had a fantastic time. A week of discovery, and already one published novel.

Cuba promises to be even better.

Romesh Gunesekera

Romesh Gunesekera, internationally acclaimed writer whose first Novel, Reef, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and his second one, Sandglass, was awarded the BBC Asia award. His most recent novel The Match was described by the Spectator as 'effortlessly accomplished', and the Irish Times as a book that 'shows why fiction is written - and read'.

Romesh will be running his course 'Fiction Writing' from 14 - 24 November 2010. Call Skyros on 01983 865566 to book or book online at www.skyros.com.

Skyros Centre - Hill To The Sea

Butterfly hillside
High
Diving hawks
spiralling down in loose formation

Dawn till dark

White horse on the hill, so still
So still.
Hibiscus descending,
a red scented waterfall,
White butterflies, red ones,
from flower to flower

White horse on the hill,
My beauty,
So still.
Alone on the hillside
In sunlight and tethered
Alone in the tall grass
the flowers around you.

Sea birds ride the wind
Rising hot from the meadow,
their shadows
a pattern
on the hillside below,
Their shrill cries
Songs of freedom
crisscrossed and free
On their run to the sea.

Marti Mirkin
Skyros, 5th September 2010

Marti Mirkin attended a writing holiday this summer at the Skyros Centre in Greece with Skyros Holidays. See www.skyros.com for more information. The holiday included yoga, writing, music and arts as well as the many delights of island village life.

Siesta on Skyros by Kevan Manwaring

Sshhh,
the village is asleep –
curled into the folds of the hills,
sugar cube houses,
white against the dusty olive groves,
the pungent sage, sparse grass, fennel bushes.
Cats lay withering, scrawny,
all eyes and claws,
in hammocks of shadow.
Dogs pant, old men hawk.
Yah yahs sit on plastic thrones,
exiled monarchs,
eyes moist with lost kingdoms
coups and treasons,
traitorous hearts,
the splendour of the past,
memories brought out like jewels
Burnished with time.
Washing hangs like streaks of paint
suspended in the air.
Scooters, pick-ups
are parked on improbable precipices.
Television sets are gagged –
the soap opera will have to wait,
paused – as the village grapevine.
Even the Gods hold their breath,
take time out
from the eternal squabbling –
the sea respects the sky,
the wind and the mountain war not.
the earth is silent –
no tantrum tremors disturb
the monastery perched on the peak,
nest for black bearded birds.
The rooster no longer mocks the sun,
Even the braying donkey bites her tongue,
mute in her daily indignation.
It is siesta,
and all good Skyrians
are as stubborn as the ass.
The glistering shops are shuttered,
trading ceased in the market place.
Even the water washed down the steps,
seems to slow, melting glass.
Everything settles into itself,
stops for a while trying
to be something else.
The velocity of the world
slows.
Each moment
dilates –
a knob of butter slowly melting in a pan.
The riches of night,
the hoard of dreams,
erupt into day,
as the window eyelids droop,
villas nod upon sloping shoulder.
and Skyros succumbs
to Morpheus
for the masses.

Kevan Manwaring
Skyros, 14th September 2010

Kevan recently ran a two week course in Greece which consisted of Writing Poetry and Life Fiction. Kevan is a writer of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction who lives in Bath, Somerset. Holder of an MA in the Teaching and Practice in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, he teaches creative writing for the Open University. See Kevan's website www.kevanmanwaring.co.uk

To find out more about the acclaimed Writers' Lab on Skyros Island, Greece, described by The Guardian as 'number one of the world's five best writing holidays', see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

The Writers' Lab by Monique Roffey

Just back from the Writer's Lab, Skyros. The group arrived on 15th August, which is a big holiday in Greece, one which celebrates the ascent of the Holy Virgin into heaven. A very important event in the Greek orthodox calendar.

We arrived to a very lively island, festivities in full flow - and 42 degrees heat. Funny thing, the weather and Greece and the British. We spent the first week discussing the extreme heat - and the second week discussing the high winds. If it had been perfectly still and evenly warm throughout - I'm sure we would have discussed that too.


For the two weeks at the end of August, the Skyros Centre was turned into an exclusive Writer's Lab. Seventeen writers and me, just us. We ate drank, slept and talked writing all through the days and nights.


I can truly say that I have not had such a strong and talented group, either at Skyros or anywhere else. Half the group were easily well on their way to publication. In the first week, I taught the craft of fiction; we talked about how to make stories work on the page, how to make credible characters and how to make the world of the novel live.

I had my students, walking the streets touching, smelling, listening to and tasting parts of the town they had never thought to taste. Week Two I steered the group into the broad umbrella that is 'life writing'. This is slightly edgier writing and it worked well that this was left for the second half of the holiday, when the group had bonded, gelled and relaxed - and trusted each other to share their life stories.

On the final night there was a soiree type salon and the students sang songs and read their work. I have heard from several of the group since leaving Skyros, some of who are now applying to do an MA, others looking to form a small writing group in London. It was a holistic holiday - yoga, massage, Vasso's Kitchen, writing, writing writing, which is the right kind of work and quite a bit else thrown in. Wonderful chemistry.

Thank you Skyros for inviting me again. I learnt a new word: idiotica, which is Greek for wanting to be alone.

Monique Roffey,
author, idiotica

Monique Roffey ran her writing course at the Skyros Writers' Lab in Greece, named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. Monique's latest novel is The White Woman on the Green Bicycle. She is an ex Arvon Centre Director and Royal Literary Fund Fellow. She teaches Creative Writing for English PEN, Arvon and is a guest tutor on the Goldsmiths MA in Creative Writing.

Monique has just been short-listed for the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction award that is awarded to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English, and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. The Orange Prize forms part of the "trinity" of UK literary prizes, along with the Man Booker Prize and the Costa Book Awards.

Interview with Ari Badaines at the Skyros Centre

Ari Badaines trained as a clinical psychologist in the USA. For twelve years he lived in Britain where he had a private practice and led numerous groups and training courses. He now lives in Sydney, Australia where he maintains a consulting practice. In August 2010, Amanda Smyth (teaching at the Writers' Lab) met Ari at the Skyros Centre, where he is running personal development courses.

How long have you been coming to Skyros? This is my twenty ninth consecutive summer.

What brought you here? Airplane and boat! Actually, I was invited by Dina, one of the founders, to run a personal development group. Back then there were three intensive personal development groups of around 13 people in each group, running simultaneously.

Are the problems people brought to the groups similar now to what they were? Yes, essentially the issues are mainly around relationships, so pretty much the same now as they were back then: career choices, childhood experiences, relationship to self, relationship to others; these are the typical kinds of issues that reoccur.

Does change happen quickly here at Skyros? Sometimes change does occur more quickly; this is partly because of the intensity of the course. The course runs every day, rather than once a week, as in typical ongoing therapy. And although frequency doesn’t guarantee change, there is an added intensity, plus there’s tremendous support and opportunity for experimentation, for being different, and trying out better ways of being and relating.

At Skyros, everyone is in the same boat, so people are more compassionate, understanding and supportive. It doesn’t matter if you’re part of the writing lab or taking the self-development course – people at Skyros are encouraged to experiment, challenge and take risks. If they’re going to develop, this is a good space in which to do it.

I was struck by the atmosphere here in Skryos, not just at the centre but in the town, too. It feels like a very special island. We can project anything into an environment; there is the beauty of this island, the sun, the sea and being so close to nature in such a beautiful village. This can make you feel differently about things. It can feel very good and supportive. But changing our environment - from what we’re used to - can also be challenging. It’s how we perceive what’s here, and that depends on where you are in your individual process.

How are you received by locals? There are a few locals that seem to remember me from year to year, and give me a warm hello. But, of course, I am limited by my Greek language skills.

There are one or two people that I try to see regularly who speak very good English, who I have quite a strong relationship with. That is, I would feel disappointed if I didn’t see them. Yorgo, for instance. Many years ago, as I wandered around Skyros town on my own, I would go into his shop and see his plates, which are exquisite works of art. And gradually, we started to talk, to get to know one another; a relationship built up. Ten years ago he moved into the countryside where I now visit him, and he welcomes me like a member of the family. We laugh and tell stories. He is so artistically creative, I have a lot of respect for what he does, his abilities, his humor.

What is the focus of your work here? To help people become aware of where they get stuck in their life, to help them become aware of the choices they make to keep themselves there. My work offers the opportunity to confront those issues, and the things that keep them stuck. With the support of the group behind them, they are free to take risks and experiment with a new way of being and doing.

Some believe a leopard never changes its spots, they simply move around? Do you think there is any truth in this? I’m helping people, not to change, but to become more of who they are.

I do believe that people can make quite dramatic changes. Like the woman who does too much to please others because she doesn’t value herself, and when she begins to take ownership of her own good ‘enough-ness,’ she makes huge and dramatic changes. It’s exciting to see.

It is each person’s responsibility to carry on with the work they have started here, and when they don’t practice this work, when they forget, it’s like muscles - they weaken. This environment supports change, and unfortunately, the environment they return to doesn’t always encourage change. Systemically, whether at work or in relationship, there will be pressure to return things to the way they were formerly - to homeostasis. It is something we talk about here at Skryos.

Sometimes support from friends who have been there will help. Also continuing with group therapy or individual therapy. Many stay in touch with people from the course and get support beyond it. The process of change can generate excitement; this new found excitement can help to propel participants and to keep the change going. Positive change brings positive results.

You have said that this is one of your favourite places to work. Why do you return to Skyros? It’s a place that I can most be myself. So many aspects of me can be expressed here. And I think that people similarly discover this for themselves when they come. It’s about how we are.

What is it about Skyros that allows you to be yourself here? It’s not a competitive society; the typical influence of class, status and gender, outward trappings of success aren’t important here. Everyone wears shorts and t shirts – it’s very relaxed. There’s no exclusive restaurant that you can go to. I think most people find that they can be accepted into the community and be a part of it.

What about the villagers? I have noticed how friendly they are, the women sitting on their steps in their black dresses, always with a smile, a greeting, a wave? There is a warmth in the people and an appreciation of us. In the early years, what’s now a dress shop used to be a restaurant. Yesterday, I saw the woman who once ran that restaurant, and I told her I’d been coming here many years; that she made the best calamari I had ever tasted. She tapped her heart, and I could see that she was moved. I was moved, too. It’s the simplicity of that contact, a moment in history, of 25 years ago, and us meeting now conveying that experience. Skyros is relatively still untouched by tourists. In some of the other islands, the culture has almost been taken over by tourism.

What is your favourite local delicacy? BOUGATSA. There is a particular shop where I buy bougatsas that are unique to Skyros. It is a filling that most people think is apple pie; the combination of filo pastry and cinnamon is absolutely delicious. There are many other favourite foods – souvlaki, the fresh fish, the calamari...

What kind of holidaymaker does Skyros attract? People who are looking for more than a beach holiday, even though all those elements can be found here. In addition, people who want to learn or develop, to experience and immerse themselves more deeply into the warmth of the Greek culture in a lovely Greek town, surrounded by sea and beauty, and be part of the Skyros Centre as well.

I was struck by Skyros's beauty. From almost every spot, there is something for the eyes to feast on. What is your favourite view? On the beach looking back up onto the village in the moonlight: you have the sea and the mountain and the village in one frame.

To find out more about personal development courses at the Skyros Centre, Greece, see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

A Skyrian Feat by Helen Brown

By the light of the warmth of the love,
Bouncing off the beautiful balcony,
She felt the glow of rekindled hope.
This is only given to the one who needs.

By the light of the peace of the love,
Calling from the common cobbled path,
She welcomed the calm in her soul.
This is only given to the one who awakes.

By the light of the wonder of the love,
Surfacing with the sparkle of the sea,
She exhilarated in budding confidence.
This is only given to the one who believes.

By the light of the strength of the love,
Flowing from the new made fervent friendships,
She experienced the kindling of desires.
This is only given to the one who asks.

By the light of the beauty of the love,
Releasing out of the rambunctious rocks,
She explored her inner awareness.
This is only given to the one who seeks.

By the light of the wholeness of the love,
Steadily seeping out the Skyrian sentience,
She braved, she swam the Herculean swim.
This is only given to the one who accepts.

By the light of the purity of the love,
Sweetly singing in the soft sand,
She inspired others to connect.
This is only given to the one who achieves.

Helen Brown

Helen visited the Skyros Centre, Greece, for a holiday in June this summer. Find out more about Skyros holidays at www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

A tribe of acute awareness by Richard Layzell

We're moving very slowly and silently up the hill from the Skyros Centre. It's late afternoon and the last day of the art/landscape workshop. This is a quiet climax. I know where we're heading, but the others don't. Is it possible to experience this amazing physical and historical environment differently, even when I think I know it so well?

Murray and David are exploring the architecture, as we ascend, and how it changes. Claire is looking for beauty. Lynn is noting down every sound she hears. Her list is getting longer by the minute. We are all helping each other, pointing out views, clusters of bougainvillea, historical details above doorways, the sound of a family chatting. We communicate freely but never speak. People pass us, noticing our silence, our stillness or how we are intently gazing in different directions. We are a tribe of acute awareness.

When we reach our destination, the terrace of the Faltaits Museum, we slowly and gradually begin to speak again. I have never before experienced Skyros Town as a communal design project. For the first time I realise that the residents of individual houses consider the viewpoints of their neighbours' properties, to make the most of every view, every corner. This is a collective artwork in progress. And Murray mentions that the architect Le Corbusier was influenced by Skyros.

The light is fading now on the terrace as we chat, draw, make notes and enjoy the mountain tea and coffee served by Manos, who'd answered our questions about Skyros a few evenings before. He apologises for the amount of tea served. I apologise for the number of coffees ordered. The museum is as intriguing as ever, inhabiting its own architectural triumph. How fortunate are we? Speechless again.

Richard Layzell

Richard Layzell facilitated his course in Outdoor Art at the Skyros Centre in Greece this summer. Richard is an award-winning artist, writer and teacher. His current exhibition, The Manifestation, (with Tania Koswycz) is touring the UK, and their dialogues, Cream Pages, is due to be published this year. Find out more about Skyros holidays at www.skyros.com. Richard teaches at both the Skyros Centre in the village and at the Atsitsa Bay Centre.

Emerge from your chrysalis with Joyce Dunbar

Friday 30th July....the last day of the Writers' Lab on Skyros island, Greece.

I am sitting at a table at Thomas's sea front taverna, with grass shades above and the sea just below. With me at the table is the writing group. We have met to round off the 10 day course with a few practicalities about publishing, and to read out our collective story - which will be a surprise to all of us - since none of us knows what it will be. Also for a long and lovely lunch.

I look at the faces around me. Ten days ago they were just a blur of strangers. Now each is etched with character and personality. Not only that, ten distinct voices have emerged, clear, funny, serious, poetic, idiosyncratic, resonant, unique. That's why groups are so good. We realise our own singularity by recognizing that of others. This group had it in spades. Some already accomplished writers, three psychotherapists, Ali from Saudi Arabia who spent 14 of his 28 years as a nomad and whose father was the poet of his tribe. They challenged me at every turn, but guided and inspired me.

In Skyros, people emerge from their chrysalis. Self doubt is dispelled. The women are like butterflies, spreading their bright colours, writing songs and stories, painting, singing, doing yoga. Here, we get to wear our fantasy wardrobe. We dress up every night. A great treat for the men - who respond with an almost troubadourian sense of chivalry (and goodness knows what else).

Sunday 1st August. I am sitting at my desk now at home, cool, rested, restored. I know that this will fortify me for weeks ahead - and that over the years Skyros - the place, the people, the permanent staff who take the everyday domestic hassle onto their own shoulders, the support of the other facilitators and directors, have helped me to become more truly myself. I trust that this is so for all of you, and that for a while at least, we can keep the humdrum at bay. Love and thanks. Sto kalo

Joyce Dunbar

Joyce was teaching at the Skyros Centre's Writers' Lab in Greece.

At the age of 21 Joyce Dunbar decided she was a writer, but she didn't know what sort. For the next 15 years she wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, and radio talks on a range of subjects, with limited success, while teaching literature to adults.

It wasn't until she was 35 that she wrote her first children's book, inspired by an illustration. Since then she has published 80 more. She also teaches creative writing, is a former writing fellow at UEA, and at present her 12 step guide to writing can be found on the BOOKTRUST website in BOOKBITE. She is also writing a memoir.

To find out more about the Skyros Writers' Lab, described by The Guardian as No. 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays, see www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

Emma Darwin & The Mathematics of Love

My debut novel, The Mathematics of Love, was born on Skyros. I’d been writing fiction for a while, and got some mildly encouraging rejections, but I’d gone as far as I could on my own. I also badly needed a holiday. Someone said, ‘Skyros’ to me, and I discovered heaven.

It wasn’t just glorious Greece, or sitting writing under the trees on the Skyros Centre terrace, or the sea, sun, sand, or the gorgeous food. The course that Mary Flanagan ran gave my writing a bigger step up than almost anything else has. It gave me ways and words to think about writing. It gave me confidence that I could write a story that critical readers liked reading. It taught me how to dip into the world, and into myself, to find what I wanted to say. No writer ever stops needing more inspiration, technique or confidence, but they’re the keys to good writing which I was first handed on Skyros.

So what about my novel? At the time it was just one of many exercises; Mary asked us to spend twenty minutes writing a story entitled ‘Watch’. As she spoke I looked out across the terracotta and dark-green of the valley and saw a soldier in a red coat, on a watch-tower. It was Wellington’s Spain, I knew, but the soldier wasn’t watching the road from Extremadura, he was watching a local girl bathing in the river. I revised it, then put it away with all the others.

I went home, and wrote the first novel I wouldn’t be ashamed to show you. But my soldier wouldn’t go away; I embarked on an MPhil in Writing, and Stephen Fairhurst could tell his own story at last. That novel became The Mathematics of Love, and it got me the degree and an agent. I signed a two-book deal with Headline Review, then Harper Collins in the US, and translations followed. When I came back to Atsitsa with my teenage children I had the copy-edited manuscript in my bag to work on, under the trees of a different terrace.

The Mathematics of Love was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ and Goss First Novel awards, among others. My second novel, A Secret Alchemy, hit the bestseller lists before it got me a PhD in Creative Writing. My third is nearly finished. Since then I’ve appeared at literary festivals from Hay to New Zealand, I teach for the Open University and elsewhere, I judge competitions and write editorial reports, and I blog about writing at This Itch of Writing. And it all started on Skyros.

Emma Darwin

Emma Darwin attended a holiday at the acclaimed Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre, named by The Guardian as No 1 of the 5 Best Writing Holidays. To find out more about Skyros Writers' Lab holidays, see www.skyros.com/writers_lab.htm or call 01983 865566.

Read more about Emma and her new literary career at www.emmadarwin.com and read Emma's blog 'This Itch of Writing'.

Sophie King's memories of Skyros

Skyros is the most extraordinary place. I sensed this from the minute we got onto the ferry to reach this amazing island. It is very spiritual but at the same time practical in that it lifts up your spirits and gives you a purpose in life as well as ideas for the future.

I was bowled over by some of the students and staff whom I met there, many of whom had led incredible lives and wanted to share them. In fact, I still correspond with some of them. I also had some lovely feedback from students who said that I had inspired them to keep writing.

As I sit here in England writing this, I cannot wait to get back onto the terrace where we all share breakfast and lunch/ dinner. The terrace overlooks a wonderful stretch of fields right down to the sea. In the morning, I would open my French windows and step out onto the patio to join the early morning yoga class. This year, my husband will be coming with me and I am looking forward to him sharing the Skyros experience.

Sophie King

Sophie King, author of THE WEDDING PARTY which was shortlisted for LOVE STORY OF THE YEAR 2010, ran her course at the acclaimed Writers' Lab on Skyros Island Greece. The Writers' Lab was named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. For more information about Sophie and her work visit www.sophieking.info. To find out more about the Skyros Writers' Lab, visit www.skyros.com/writers_lab.htm or call 01983 867644.

Poem from the Skyros Centre by Mandy Rymill

We all came to Skyros to set ourselves free
To write and to swim and to just simply be
There’s the writers, the lifers, the tutors, the team
We’re all one big family, or so it must seem
To the villagers who look at us as if we are mad
With our yoga mats and musings and eyes that are sad
But this place has healed us and set us on the way
To a bright future for all, so we say ‘thanks’ for our stay.

To Julian with his clipboard, his Greek and his rules
And John with his calmness and life-coaching tools
There’s Crysse with her ‘lovely’ and her words of advice
And Yoga Suzy with her positions, massage hands so nice
And Sarah-Helena who sorts, does and smiles
And finally Hazel who has made it all so worthwhile.

And what about us?
There’s Helen, the wisest and Scottish of all participants
And Trish with her kindness, her hair and her ants
And Maggie so observant, who wanders afar
And Simon with his ladies and his trip in the car.
There’s Nicky with her dress, her piano and her songs
And Richard with his quirkiness, his jokes but no thong
And Jo with her snorkel, her lie-ins and ouzo
And Jeannie with her lilo and swimming and booze – oh,
And don’t forget Anna with her opera and her wine
And Annette with her skirts and her dresses so fine.
Then there’s Diana with her yoga, her hat and skirt
And Mike with his football club and very nice shirt.
Then there’s Kathy, a vegetarian who doesn’t eat fish
And Musetta with her history, her journal and dish – washing
And let’s not forget Steph with her poems and grace
And, finally, there’s me, with the bump on my face.

So Skyros we say ‘thank you’ for all that you are
And know that we’ll think of you whether near or whether far.

Mandy Rymill

Mandy attended the Writers' Lab holiday at the Skyros Centre in June. To find out more about the Skyros Centre, visit www.skyros.com/village_centre.htm or call 01983 865566 for a brochure.

Home from home by Simon Luscombe

You know, I have grown to appreciate this beautiful island of Skyros and particularly the Skyros Centre.

Even after spending time at the much imagined and, possibly, envied Asitsa Bay, where many new friends had chosen to spend their holiday/course.

When I went to Atsitsa this weekend I thought how wonderful it was; the rural setting, the peacefulness and the relaxed atmosphere. I enjoyed the company I had met on the transfer over to Skyros; the beautiful sunset and of course the incredible singing that we enjoyed with the Asitsa group.

I was fortunate to stay over the night, along with Chrissie, the creative writer facilitator, I must say in some very comfortable huts and not the dreaded dorms that I had expected!

The following day we enjoyed (not endured) the walk across the island, back to Skyros Town. This certainly put me, for one, more in touch with the landscape and nature of the island.

I wasn't prepared though for the feeling of being back home in Skyros Town. I was so happy to be back in civilisation, to be back amongst the white washed walls, the cafés and bars of the high street, busyness of the town and of course the friendly faces of the Greek people in Skyros Town.

Most of all though it was nice to be back at the Skyros Centre, which now feels like home. No small thanks to Julian, Hazel, Sarah-Helena, Susie, Suzie, Chrissie, John and not least the two wonderful cooks who provide us daily with such lovely food, all who have created a home from home atmosphere. This is a very special place and I, for one, am glad that I chose to spend my break here amongst such lovely company.

Simon Luscombe

Simon attended the Life Choices programme at the Skyros Centre, on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com or call 01983 865566 for a Skyros brochure. At the Skyros Centre, you can choose either the Life Choices or Writers' Lab programme. Holidays at the Skyros Centre also include yoga, massage and music and arts activities and the current season runs until Saturday 2 October.

Dancing with Diana on the Beach by Maggie Sackett

Well I’m dancing, Diana is gently swaying in the hammock. We are happy. We each have a cool glass of yellow wine in hand. There are red-flashed white fluffy clouds in the sky behind a dark Crete-shaped one.

We are on Skyros beach and it is indeed the magical place as billed in the brochure. Nothing disappoints. It is all perfect.

A soundtrack of soft jazz plays. There is no wind to blow out the flags. The mosquitos dance around me, the 50 per cent deet roll on keeping them at bay. There is sand in my fit flops.

A slice of rock juts out enclosing one side of the bay, a man made harbour with a couple of fishing boats on the other. Two arms embracing this semi circle of heaven. Two Greek boys are kicking a football around, the world cup match on the flat screen in the bar driving them here to play out their dreams.

The turquoise and cream umbrellas are tucked up for the night and the sound of the waves coming home fills the silences between the jazz notes. A drop of rain falls from Crete which has somehow joined up with a black cloud the size of Europe. The moment has gone but it was there and I’ll always remember it.

Maggie Sackett

Maggie attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Writers' Lab was named by The Guardian as No 1 of the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays. See Press. The current season of holidays at the Skyros Centre runs up to Saturday 2 October. Call 01983 865566 for your Skyros brochure.

Notes from a small island by Jennie Rooney

As a facilitator for the Writers' Lab, I had a wonderful fortnight at the Skyros Centre - great food, inspiring company and lovely afternoons at the beach.

I will miss being awoken by goats and church bells, but more than anything else I'll miss the company of the other writers and their stories, characters and fictional alter-egos!

Jennie Rooney

Jennie Rooney's first novel was published in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, as well as being featured on Richard and Judy's New Writers Book Club. She lives in London, where she also works for First Story (a school-based writing project) and runs creative writing courses. Her second novel is to be published in June 2010.

Jennie was facilitating the Writers' Lab programme at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Writers' Lab was named No 1 on the World's 5 Best Writing Holidays by The Guardian. See press.

Finally Started my Novel by Andrew Stevenson

A wonderfully creative atmosphere. I finally started my novel and finished the first chapter. I would have loved to stay longer to finish the second.

Andrew Stevenson



Andrew attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Guardian named Skyros as No 1 of the World's Five Best Writing Holidays. See press coverage here.

A Perfect Start to the Day by Maggie Sackett

Its 7am time for yoga with Suzie on the terrace. I’m halfway through my third week. I've been sound healed, painted mandalas, made hay with Hazel, sung a trio of songs with my Scottish and Irish inmates in an operatic belly dancing fashion and freed my spirit.

More dead dog than downward dog says Suzie, concentrate on your breathing. If only I hadn’t stopped off for that hot chocolate and brandy on the way home, may be too much after the half litre of red with dinner. It was delicious though.

Don’t let your mind wander like a drunken monkey. But I do. I’ve had such a fantastic time I just can't stop smiling. Where is that cynical jaded anxious woman that I brought to the island before Skyros worked its magic? I'm not taking her home that’s for sure.

Put your left hand behind you and imagine you are curling it round a hamster then stretch the other up as high as you can. Keep your feet strong not like floppy dead kippers. Suzie inspects our yoga poses.

Your hamster is crushed, she reports, moving me into a vicious twist. As the sun starts warming my body and I know the pain is nearly over, I can hear Julian crossly calling Mollie the collie who has made yet another break for freedom. Finally we lie down and Susie goes through opening our chakras as we reach the crown of our heads a white light suffuses my body and I am filled with energy. I sit up and open my eyes. The ground tumbles towards the blue green aegean sea. A perfect view, A perfect start to the day.

Maggie Sackett

Maggie attended the Writers' Lab at the Skyros Centre on Skyros island, Greece. See www.skyros.com. The Guardian named Skyros as No 1 of the World's Five Best Writing Holidays. See press coverage here.

Joyce Dunbar joins the Writer's Lab this July

In 1997, I was shipwrecked in my life. I had lost the past, and was full of fear for the future. On an impulse, because I saw it advertised in THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS magazine, I enrolled on a course with Sue Townsend (Of Adrian Mole fame). I wanted to laugh, and learn. I wanted a holiday. I had never travelled abroad alone before. I was apprehensive.

Skyros island itself is beautiful - like the enchanted island in Shakespeare's TEMPEST. The journey there is a slow induction into a different culture, climate, ethos. The place is heaven scented with herbs.

Sue's course was everything I hoped for, fun, insightful, dazzling. But the whole place, the whole atmosphere, was so welcoming. They told me something amazing. "You can do whatever you set out to do."

And so I did. I joined other courses as a participant, one run by writer Andrew Davies, another by founder Dina Glouberman. Out of this I gained new confidence - enough to offer myself as a facilitator.

I have now done this for eight years. This year will be my ninth. But in between, I have done all sorts of other things, pushed my own boundaries, testing the limits of courage I didn't know I had.

The experience has been one of the best of my life. It isn't perfect - nothing human is. You'll find all the usual faults and frailties. But you will also dream new and remarkable dreams, and you will discover the love of strangers. I was washed up - but on such a lovely shore.

Be prepared to discover the fresh and new, occasionally to confront difficult experiences, to unfold, rather than to be instructed.

Be ready to eat well, and be startled by the sudden laugh of a donkey, the dart of a lizard, tempted by the very special jewellery and ceramics of Skyros. You will stand in the wonderful stone amphitheatre overlooking the sea and be amazed. You will be on an island of myth and magic - and you will carry that with you home. You may, like many of us, pass it on.

Although I am a children's writer my course on Skyros has always been for adults (not forgetting the inner child). I have a deep grounding in literature and many years experience of teaching - which has always been mutually rewarding. So it is not so much the kind of writer I am that determines the nature of the course, but the kind of teacher I am. And the kind of people you are. We make our own unique mix, every time.

Anyone wishing to e-mail me for more details of my course is welcome to do so.

Joyce Dunbar

At the age of 21 Joyce Dunbar decided she was a writer, but she didn't know what sort. For the next 15 years she wrote poetry, fiction, journalism, and radio talks on a range of subjects, with limited success, while teaching literature to adults.

It wasn't until she was 35 that she wrote her first children's book, inspired by an illustration. Since then she has published 80 more. She also teaches creative writing, is a former writing fellow at UEA, and at present her 12 step guide to writing can be found on the BOOKTRUST website in BOOKBITE. She is also writing a memoir.

Joyce will be running her course 'What Kind of Writer Are You?' at the Writers' Lab on Skyros island, Greece, from Sunday 18 to Saturday 31 July. The course will explore different genres to help you discover the kind of writer you truly are... Call 01983 865566 or book online at www.skyros.com.

Looking Forward to my Slice of Heaven by Alison Goldie

Only 10 days before I’m off to Skyros. I’m feeling the familiar flutterings of happy anticipation in my stomach. This will be something like my fourteenth year working there. How hard that is to believe! I always thought I was someone who would not repeat experiences, or read books twice, or go back to the same places for holidays. Being restlessly curious, I thought life was too short. Skyros proved I can be committed. Every year, I am asked again by Yannis if I want to go, and every year, I don’t pause for a moment before saying ‘Yes’. It truly is my second home.

What is it about the island that draws me back? Many words have been written about its charms, and I don’t want to sound like a brochure here. I’ll try to be really personal. I’ll talk about Atsitsa, as this is where I go most often, and is my special place.

Atsitsa – it’s all about freedom. That very first time I entered the ‘Atsitsa –zone’, I felt free as a bird. I wanted to kick off my shoes, and let down my hair, and wear very lightweight, colourful clothes, and actually put on that toe-ring. I wanted to swim a long way out into the crystalline sea, lie on my back under pine trees and DO NOTHING (unheard of, for me), plan my day around doses of thick, proper Greek yogurt, sing my heart out with a bunch of cool people who didn’t care if I hit the notes or not. I looked forward to teaching my courses in a perfect teaching environment: outside, warm but sheltered, two minutes walk from my abode, and with students who would be dropping stress faster than you could say ‘You’re free to be yourself now’. When I first entered Atsitsa, I just knew I was going to be very, very happy there.

Atsitsa is a festival, a garden, a playground, a primordial settlement, an open-air cocktail bar, an under-water world. It’s silly and serious and soulful and challenging and peaceful and satisfying and creative and utterly joyful. It’s about love, friendship, nature, art, exercise, all 5 senses and feeling alive in every pore. It’s just one delicious part of a beautiful island, and it’s just a cab (or moped) ride away from one of the most unspoilt, pretty, cosy, colourful, exquisite little towns in Greece (Skyros town itself). Oh dear, I can really get verbose about it, and I still feel I’m only scraping the surface....

Back in my mid-30’s when I first went, I thought I might find lots of places like Atsitsa in the world –now I know there really aren’t many, perhaps none with its particular blend of delights, and if there are, I may not have the time or money to find them. There’s nothing wrong with going back to this idyllic place time after time. And if you’ve never been, I envy you that first sighting, those little explorations of the environment, the first time your jaw drops with wonder at a revelation (Atsitsa is the place for revelations). See you there in July, I hope. Now, where’s that toe-ring?

Alison Goldie

Alison Goldie is a professional actor, theatre director, broadcaster and facilitator. She has a wealth of experience performing comedy and drama in London, the UK and all over the world. Alison has taught comedy, drama, flirting and creativity to professionals and non-professionals for over 20 years. She has worked as a stand-up comic, TV presenter and corporate trainer. She is currently touring her one-woman autobiographical show, Lady, in Bed, to great acclaim. See www.thedramabusiness.co.uk.

Join Alison this summer in Atsitsa from Sunday 4 to Saturday 17 July (AT6) where she will be running her course in drama, comedy and flirting. To find out more about Alison's course and the other courses on offer in Atsitsa at that time (including yoga, dance, life coaching, mosaics, windsurfing, sailing, music & more) see http://www.skyros.com/atsitsa_program.htm.

News from the Writers' Lab by Jess Mortimer

Just to let you know that I am at Skyros Centre doing Writers' Lab with Jennie Rooney, who wrote the novel Inside the Whale. There are nine of us, from different countries and at different levels of experience. Some members have been published; two are intending to be writers full time and are working to get their first novels planned. Others have written for the commercial press and now want a voice of their own.

I am retired from social services management and seeking to write novels and memoires rather than committee reports. In the first week we have explored aspects of novel writing. We have done different exercises each day. These include writing story lines in which the character’s flaw brought about an occurrence. Mine was Monica who liked being the centre of attention and therefore she volunteer for roles she could not possibly carry out. The catastrophes that ensued meant that she got fired.

On other occasions we wrote about arguments, birth and death. We read our contributions to the group members who gave great suggestions to support the story line or make the argument more authentic. We worked on most occasions out in the Greek sunshine, shaded by bamboo matting, some of us with our electronic notebooks others with pen and paper. In the last week we have continued with exercises and personal projects with tutorial support from Jenny so that each person is nearer to the publication of their novel by the time they leave. This course has completely lived up to the blurb in the Skyros brochure.

Saturday we had a short downpour of rain, probably the last real rain of the season, which soon ran in torrents down the cobble streets and then became a rapid stream in which we sought stepping stones as we jumped in sandals from one cobble to the next. We soon dried out in the sunshine. We had two optional trips this week, including reading poetry at Rupert Brookes grave, talking with a wood carver who aged 11 decided that this was the skill he wanted to learn. He still makes Skyrian Chairs which are low but as we found very comfortable to sit on.

Also optional were sessions of Shiatsu and massage by Susie. I have enjoyed co-listening with my partner who is in Dina’s group, doing Life Choices. My co-listener is seeking a job where she can experience success and hopes to go home with a better idea of her direction in life. I hope to continue seeking my natural writing mode now that I no longer have to write formal reports for work. The group are encouraging me to look at developing novels where there is a sense of humour as they have found some of my written work funny.

We have participated in village life. On Sunday a TV crew came to Skyros village. The villagers turned out in force in costume to dance in the square and others having cooked and baked the delicacies of the area, arranged the goodies on long tables. Most interesting for me were the old ladies dressed in black dresses with black jackets, leaning on their sticks chatting in groups each with their black grey hair put up in a bun behind. Old men with sticks chatting, or sitting drinking Ouzo. One preferred to use a walking frame to negotiate the cobbled streets whilst holding his walking stick for use on the flat. As an Occupational Therapist I can see that this village on a hill has limited access for cars and its cobbled streets and steps up to houses would pose difficulties for wheel chair users.

Last week we had two sessions of Greek Dancing and two of Salsa. This week Hazel is offering optional sessions of singing, drama and dance. We have just completed a ‘whisper to song session’ which started with us lying on our backs breathing and eventually sighing and then signing a note before getting up and singing songs such as ‘swing low sweet chariot’ and ‘when the Saints come Marching in’. Then dividing into 3 groups to take a song each and sing it to the same rhythm as we intermingled.

The vegetarian food provided by the Greek cook is great and the tavernas all have their specialities. If one does not want to go into the village there is a tavern by the sea where the sun sets as one eats so it is helpful to have a friend who has a torch when returning.

I first came to Atsitsa in 1985 and have been on this holiday six times in all - four at the Skyros Centre. The atmosphere is great here and has been every time I have come. I am never disappointed.

Signing off now as I am about to develop a belly dance act for the last evening soiree tomorrow.

Jess Mortimer

PS Athens posed no problems the Acropolis still looked great from the roof of the Titiania hotel lit up at night. The bus to Skyros took us past a group of communists who had red flags and were peacefully eating breakfast at a street side cafe. For anyone who does not not want to go into Athens, there are direct flights from Athens airport to Skyros costing £50 single.

If you'd like to join one of the Writers' Lab holidays this summer, call 01983 865566, email office@skyros.com or book online at www.skyros.com.

Remembering Yannis Koboyannis

We are very sorry to tell you that Yannis Koboyannis, the Skyrian ceramic artist who has been, for many years, a member of the Atsitsa staff, died after a short illness on Wednesday, the 19th of May. Cancer had been diagnosed just two months ago.

Yannis Koboyannis was born in Skyros in 1954 and was a self-taught artist. His work - traditional designs approached with an innovative spirit - had received wide recognition both in Greece and abroad, particularly in the United States where he sold many of his pieces. His workshop was established in Kyra-Panagia, five hundred metres from Atsitsa Bay, in 1992.

Despite the fact that he couldn’t speak any English, Atsitsa participants who joined it loved both his course and the man himself, and in many instances went away with treasured pieces of work they produced under his guidance. Yannis is shown on the right of this photo.

His workshop in Kyra-Panagia, Skyros island and close to Atsitsa, was also used as a cultural centre with exhibitions of old local photos, jewellery, embroidery or local wine. Take a look at this lovely video too, of Yannis' workshop and his works of art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMMAWmmTanc

In 2006 his workshop became the centre of Athenian Fine Arts students who created a stunning exhibition of marble sculptures locally carved. Yannis leaves behind a daughter and a son aged 33 and 28 and also his mother, who has been managing his shop in the village for many years.

Liz Clayfield wrote too: Yannis Koboyannis has been a part of our lives in Atsitsa for many years, running ceramics courses, hosting parties and welcoming us into his home and garden whenever we visited. He has been a source of inspiration to so many and his work is found all over the world. His death is a sad loss to us here in Atsitsa and the island and I myself will be amongst the many who will miss him.

This Summer by Silke Ziehl

This summer, gather again your spirit of adventure, your passion for life, and do what excites you and delights you. Rekindle your joy of living and reconnect to your deepest hopes and dreams. For we need those hopes and dreams as beacons that guide us on our life's journey, as reminders of where we are heading, and as invitations to life. If we do not hope and dream, our energy will frizzle away.

Skyros, and especially Atsitsa for me, is a wonderful place to be reminded of what is essential in life. The stark beauty of the landscape, the sea and its ever changing everlastingness, the light that renders objects and people luminous – all contribute powerfully to coming back to basics in oneself. To remembering that life is just such a gift, and that to waste it is being so very unkind to ourselves, and to all around us too – for everybody is part of a larger whole, and everybody influences that larger whole.

Every cell in our body has a brain, and communicates with those around, and every cell matters. Similarly, every action we do, every thought we think, every emotion we have, matters, not only to ourselves, but in the larger context. Listening in to ourselves, listening to what we know, very tangibly, in our bones and marrow, in our muscles and tendons, in our heart and gut, in the many brains in our body, will reconnect us to our hopes and dreams.

So, if you want to have a good time, if you want to reconnect to a deeper and more passionate way of living, if you want to "save the world by saving yourself" – join our community in Atsitsa, this summer! In spite of the Ash clouds, in spite of the Greek economic unsettledness, Greece is still a wonderful place to reconnect to the simple and fully lived and deeply satisfying life which so many of us crave for.

Silke Ziehl is a body psychotherapist specialising in training professionals. She is the founder of the Entelia Institute for Creative Bodywork in Munich and London, and a member of the Open Centre, London.

Join Silke this summer in Atsitsa from Sunday 20 June to Saturday 3 July (AT5) where she will be running her course 'Body Magic'. To find out more about Silke's course and the other courses on offer in Atsitsa (including photography, windsurfing, music, yoga, dance, music & more) see http://www.skyros.com/atsitsa_program.htm.

Open Your Heart & Plant Your Dreams Seeds by Cate Mackenzie

Are you suddenly finding people are looking wonderfully beautiful? Are you enjoying the lovely bursts of sunshine and the new freshness of flowers and plants.

This is a natural part of the the season of Spring with new energy and new beauty and a great time to plant seeds of your dreams and think about what you would like to harvest in Autumn.

If you were to go back 365 days to the same time last year you might find a lot of the same experiences and feelings. We have just come out of Winter when we have been naturally hibernating and being more inward, gentle and slow with life.

Now we are in Spring and it is a good time to think about planting seeds which will grow in the Summer and come into fruition in Autumn. So this is a good time to think about what you want in your life and how you would like your life to be like in September and start to plant the seeds.

All projects begin with one idea and develop and grow with the energy we give it. Spring is an energising time, a great time to have fun, to be playful and to birth your ideas of what you want in your life.

Good luck! Top Tips for May:

1. Write down what you would like to create in your life. What home do you want, what career or partnership? Remember Oscar Wilde said that anything written down would come to pass.
2. Take yourself to a park or nature in the sunshine and really take in the image of the flowers and the scenery and take a mental photo that you can remember for Autumn.
3. Smile at lots of people, go on it's so much fun! Also if you are single and you would like to have a partner smile at at least 50 people and be open to being asked out!
4. Think about what you would like to let go of mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Clear your cupboards, you'll be amazed what happens when you clear! The universe hates a vacuum so if you let go it allows new room for unexpected magic to come in!
5. Take a risk buy a dress or a hat that makes you stand out and have fun with it!
6. Be spontaneous and let a longed for wish come true. If you had no fear what would you love to do? I love comedy and I am thinking of doing a stand up comedy course!
7. Playfulness! Can you let yourself have fun and play, can you paint or draw or dance or skate just for fun? Or how about feeding the ducks in the Park?
8. Make lots of wishes and be prepared for them to come true!

Cate Mackenzie is Life Coach, Workshop Leader and Artist. She has been working with people since 1993 and teaches all around the UK and in Spain, Greece and Kuwait. She specialises in helping people to open their hearts to their wishes and dreams and paints heart paintings two of which are being sold as posters world wide in IKEA. She has been featured on BBC2, BBC Radio and in magazines Cosmopolitan, Psychologies and Harpers Bazaar.

Cate is running her course 'A Heart-Centred Life' on Skyros island, Greece this summer. Join her from Sunday 29 August to Saturday 11 September at the Atsitsa Bay Centre, by calling 01983 865566, see www.skyros.com or email office@skyros.com.

Cate will also be facilitating a weekend at The Grange by the Sea in the Isle of Wight from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 June. Call Jenni on 01983 867644 if you would like to attend her weekend. Cate will also be at The Grange for a New Year Celebration at the end of the year.