In Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino writes: “Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did not know he had: the foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign, unpossessed places.”

With that in mind, retroactive greetings from Inishbofin, the ‘island of the white cow’! We arrived here on Sunday evening by way of Clonmacnoise, where the students were treated to a tour of one of Ireland’s–and the world’s–oldest monasteries. Clonmacnoise, we learned, was home not only to devoted religious practice, but to artisan labor and academic study. Already the students started getting a taste of life (and fresh air) beyond the city, as we moved further and further west, toward pasts we did not know we had.

Inishbofin is dreamy and unspoiled. From the moment they disembarked the ferry, students were literally braiding wildflowers into each others’ hair. Island favorites seem to include the lack of (human; automobile) traffic, rampant off leash dogs, the coincidence of epic cliffs and gray sand beaches, and the warmth of our hostel hosts/fellow guests, who seem inscrutably pleased by the company of 16 elated teenagers.

Most of all, we are writing, thanks especially to our guest writer Megan Mayhew Bergman, who has finally joined our squad. She’s been blowing minds with inventive exercises, revision challenges, and expert feedback. We could not be more thrilled to welcome Megan to the fold!

Today (Tuesday), students will continue developing and workshopping their stories, scenes, and poems in anticipation of our final reading at the venerable Irish Writers Centre this Thursday, 5-7PM. We’re also hoping to sneak in a cliff walk and some more crazy fresh seafood before our time on the island comes to an end.

More soon,
Veronica & Patrick