There's a a feeling in the air...
As more and more retreaters packed their bags from further afield to join our Writing Retreats, if definitely felt as if the air had lifted and things were gradually getting back to ‘normal'. One Dutch academic from Amsterdam, who had had to postpone her retreat in January due to Covid restrictions being reintroduced throughout Europe in early 2022, safely landed at Teesside airport and was able to join her colleague from Newcastle University at Chapelgarth. Being under the same roof somehow makes the job of co-editing a book so much easier!
The following two weeks saw two full cohorts of PhD students join us from Ulster University. Meeting people via our Virtual Writing Retreats and then turning these virtual encounters into face-to- face residential writing retreats has been one of the small blessings of the past few months.
Landing respectively at Leeds International Airport and Newcastle airport, the Ulster students were from an array of disciplines drawn from the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences. The evening meals were a buzz of conversation, involving fascinating topics relating to Northern Ireland’s history, memory and identity. Having a few feminist activists in the mix meant that hot topics were not shunned! It was very exciting to have amongst our creative retreaters two winners of the 2021 Turner Prize – from the Array Collective – we only wished they could have taken their award-winning pub with them!
Breaks were spent in our customary manner, taking walks in our wood and in the fields, as the weather gradually grew warmer. Fallen trees however signalled the signs of the recent storms in the North of England: a majestic oak was one of the casualties and now lies on the side of the field, not less impressive in the way it graces the landscape: it is now becoming one of our retreaters' favourite destinations, not least because of its position - one can really bask in the sun here on a warm day..
Whether inspired by the fallen oak or by the airmiles covered, three Ulster University writing retreaters chose to donate their own tree – and plant it! – which means that our Writers’ Wood project is now under way in earnest! Hurray!
On the last evening of the first Ulster University cohort there was definitely a celebratory mood.. not only had we planted three trees... but so much progress had been made by this intrepid bunch of retreaters.. indeed one of them had written the word THE END to the last chapter or her PhD! What a whirlwind of emotions and excitement!
As we said good-bye with a heavy heart to this first bunch of PhD students from Northern Ireland, we felt cheered at the thought that there was another group of Ulster PhD students following in their footsteps. March being an unpredictable time of the year, the weather had changed dramatically by the time this group settled in to work. Our walks were a chilly affair and we saw the last snow of the year (hopefully!) settle onto our fields.. it did not detract from the purpose: so much work was done, so much achieved.. and even with the snow covering the daffodils, everyone had the guts to go out in the yard to set their morning writing goals.. there's no stopping this lot!
Hopefully, with the flight from Belfast to Newcastle being well under one hour we will see more academics from Northern Ireland join our writing retreats!
