"All imaginative writing is to some extent the voice of what is neglected or forbidden..." ~ Ted Hughes. 

A gekko on the wall at the start of my Writers Lab in Skyros Centre might have wondered how an apparently random selection of creative exercises could develop firmer and more supple writing muscles in just two weeks... Some of the fifteen brave participants wondered, I know.  But that same gekko returning on the final days (as apparently it did) must have been impressed and deeply moved to hear how this exploration of the writing process was now producing an incredible range of extraordinary work. Powerful memories sparely crafted, lyrical inspirational thoughts, delightful imaginative absurdities, wicked wit and edgy satire ~ the range and sharpness of personal style was impressive by the final sessions and at our 'poetry soiree' & the last night cabaret.  From lipogramic lists to viewpoint inference, from haiku to impro, this amazing group took on every challenge, not only focusing on their own writing but able to interact in groups and pairs, to give the kind of support and positive critiquing all writers need.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

Packing for home:
I pack in my case a heart-shaped stone from the sandy beach,
 and all the sugar-lump houses that crawl the tall rock of Skyros town.
I pack every word for the blue of the sea and the sky: azure, indigo, amethyst, cerulean, turquoise, sapphire, jade...
I pack the plum-jammy sweetness of splitting figs,
with fresh-squeezed orange, coffee metrio and local white wine,
I pack the gaze of the patient grey pony, the free-soaring raptors, the fallen jasmine,
sunrise and yoga, sunset and dance, windsong and rhythm of waves,
 and I pack in my case all the voices I will still hear silently that this week I heard aloud.