For ages, writer’s residencies were considered the domain of those particularly gifted in the literary department. It is usually a ‘by invite only’ opportunity, not accessible to newcomers. Which is why, when I chanced upon a writing retreat by Karuna Ezara Parikh, I was intrigued. It did not discriminate between genres, and was open to all writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
There were 16 of us at Cabo Serai in Goa, at various stages in our writing evolution. Some had complete manuscripts, others dabbled in poetry, some short story writers and a few who wanted to explore non-fiction. No one in the group was a full-time writer.
The five-day programme combined writing sessions with time to focus on wellness. The day started with open-air yoga by the beach and health shots with lemon, chia, cucumber and mint, followed by ice-breaker sessions and creating writing challenges. Parikh created pods where writers were paired up based on genre, style and topic, allowing for in-depth discussions and feedback.
