Beautiful, Precious ME...and cancer!

Do you need time? Space? Connection? To laugh? To Cry? A hug? All this and so much more awaits you in this week of Tuscan Springtime. Bring all of yourself, your fears, your desires, your anger, your dreams. Here you can express it all.

A retreat that is focused on supporting you or those who support you through this uniquely personal experience.

Both Aga and Carla's very different experiences of the cancer journey work together to create a safe space to help you move forward.

We will wish you “Sogni D’oro” every night. Sleep well!

Processing through writing

For Aga, as a writer, it was the natural thing to do. It was a way of escaping the scary and unpredictable reality of being a cancer patient into a world she could control. She'd been doing it for years in her books: weaving narratives where she was the puppet-master.

Now my writing had a new purpose: it turned the chaos and bleakness of life filled with hospital appointments and fear into a story I was in charge of.

It helped a lot. Of course it did, our brains love a good story, they are ‘story processors’ that turn our seemingly random lives into plots that make sense.

And then I realised what was so scary about this new life: it didn’t make sense. The shock of the diagnosis, being suddenly transformed from a self-reliant adult into a patient whose life depended on the decisions made by others - doctors, nurses, therapists - it all seemed alien to me. But gradually I got used to the new regime, punctuated by hospital appointments, treatments, and excruciating waits for test results.

‘Story emerges from human minds as naturally as breath emerges from between human lips. You don’t have to be a genius to master it. You’re already doing it.’

And so, you slowly regain the sense of mastery and control that you were denied during treatment. By writing about it, you put the experience of cancer in its right place: not by forgetting about it, pretending it didn’t happen, or denying its power, but by using it to your advantage. This is your story to tell.

Whether it’s letters, journaling, emails, social media posts, blogs, memoir, poetry or fiction, writing helps us understand ourselves and our lives. It helps us process our feelings, it lets us share them with others, and it heals.

Through a series of gentle writing exercises and informal workshops led by Aga, you’ll have an opportunity to learn how to express your feelings and regain control of your life story in a safe and supportive environment.

Your Writing Teacher, Aga Lesiewicz, is a London-based fiction author and screenwriter.

She began her career as a radio presenter, and subsequently worked as a voice-over artist, interpreter, TV promo producer and director. A serious knee injury in 2013 forced her to give up her day job and write her first novel.
Her two psychological thrillers ‘Rebound’ and ‘Exposure’ have been published by Pan Macmillan. A feature animated film based on her screenplay is currently in pre-production. She writes full time and is now working on her third London-based psychological thriller as well as a historical novel.

Aga has an MA in English from the University of Warsaw and an MPhil in English Literature from the University of Lancaster.

agalesiewicz.com panmacmillan.com/authors/aga-lesiewicz/

Travel Details

We are set in the beautiful countryside on the border of Tuscany and Umbria.
Our nearest train station is Chiusi-Chianciano Terme.
Our nearest local airport is Sant'Egidio Airport (PEG - Perugia)
Our nearest major airports are Fiumicino Airport (FCO - Rome), Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA - Pisa)

If you are flying in to Perugia, a taxi is your best method of transport to come to us and is around 90euros from the taxi rank.
If a few of you are flying in that way, the cost will of course be less. We can help organise a larger pick up if necessary for you to split cost.
Train transfer from all other airports is quite easy, and we can help you with tickets and directions.
We will always be happy to pick you up from Chiusi train station.