Come Write in Tuscany in 2027!
March 13th to 20th, 2027 · Tenuta de Spannocchia, Tuscany, Italy
Spend a week in March 2027 with some of your favorite writers discussing your work and soaking up all the inspiration that Tuscany has to offer.
The Spannocchia Writer’s Workshop was founded in 2014 by New York Times Best Selling novelist Ann Hood. Over the course of this seven-day workshop, students will have daily sessions with their workshop leader, craft talks from renowned faculty, and the opportunity to spend time and share meals with some of the most well-loved and respected writers working today; all housed in the beautiful Tenuta de Spannocchia near the city of Siena.
2027 Faculty
John Searles
Workshop Leader
John Searles is the best-selling author of the novels Her Last Affair, Help for the Haunted, Strange but True and Boy Still Missing.
Hailed as “riveting” by The New York Times and “hypnotic” by Entertainment Weekly, Boy Still Missing inspired Time magazine to name him a “Person to Watch,” and the New York Daily News to name him a “New Yorker to Watch.” His second novel, Strange but True, was praised as “sinister and complex” by Janet Maslin of The New York Times, “extraordinary” by Publishers Weekly, and was named best novel of the year by Salon. Help for the Haunted was named a Boston Globe Best Crime Novel of the Year, an Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Must List, and won the American Library Association’s Alex Award. John's most recent novel, Her Last Affair, was named a Best New Book by People magazine and praised as "a tense, intricately woven tale of heartbreak, retribution and redemption" by Publishers Weekly and "a twisted thriller that explores despair and loneliness with cinematic flair" by Kirkus Reviews.
In 2019, Strange But True was adapted for film by the producers of La La Land and released in theaters nationwide by Lionsgate. Now streaming on HBOMax and Amazon Prime, the film stars the award-winning ensemble cast of Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Brian Cox, Blythe Danner, Nick Robinson and Margaret Qualley. The movie was praised as “suspenseful and haunting” by The Hollywood Reporter and “a twisty tale of tragic secrets” by the Los Angeles Times.
John has appeared regularly on morning programs like NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, Live! With Regis & Kelly, NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and CNN to discuss his books.
For 23 years, John was the books editor of Cosmopolitan, also serving as the magazine’s brand director, executive editor, and editor-at-large. His personal and travel essays, book and restaurant reviews have been published in the New York Times, Washington Post and numerous other magazines, newspapers and websites. He has a master's degree in creative writing from New York University and lives in NYC.
Ann Hood
Full Manuscript Workshop
Ann Hood is the author of over a dozen novels, including the bestsellers The Knitting Circle, The Obituary Writer, and The Book That Matters Most. Her debut novel, the bestseller Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, has been in print since 1987. She has also written five memoirs, including Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, which is the story of her five-year-old daughter Grace from a virulent form of strep in 2002. The book was a NYT Editors’ Choice and was named one of the top ten non-fiction books of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly.Ann Hood is the author of over a dozen novels, including the international bestsellers The Knitting Circle, The Obituary Writer, and The Book That Matters Most. Her debut novel, the bestseller Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, has been in print since 1987. She has also written five memoirs, including Fly Girl, which is about her days as a TWA flight attendant in the 1970s and 80s; and Comfort: A Journey Through Grief, which is the story of her five-year-old daughter Grace from a virulent form of strep in 2002. The book was a NYT Editors’ Choice and was named one of the top ten non-fiction books of 2008 by Entertainment Weekly.
Her essays and short stories have appeared in many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food and Wine, Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, and many more.
She has won two Pushcart Prizes, two Best American Food Writing awards, a Best American Travel Writing award, and a Best American Spiritual Writing award.
Hood’s most recent book is the novel The Stolen Child. She lives in Providence RI and New York City with her husband, the writer Michael Ruhlman.
Stewart O’Nan
Workshop Leader
Stewart O’Nan was born and raised in Pittsburgh. His debut story collection, In the Walled City, won the Drue Heinz Prize for Literature, and on the basis of his first novel, Snow Angels, Granta named him one of the twenty best young American novelists. Since then, he’s written twenty books, including A Prayer for the Dying; Last Night at the Lobster; Emily, Alone; and, most recently, Evensong. With Stephen King, he chronicled the World Champion 2004 Boston Red Sox in Faithful, and later collaborated with him on the story A Face in the Crowd. He’s been studying and teaching writing for forty years and is still amazed by how little he knows.
Laura Lippman
Manuscript Consultation
Laura Lippman is a New York Times bestselling writer with 30 books in print, including 26 novels, two collections of short stories, an essay collection, and a children's book. She has won almost every major award given to crime novelists writing in English and is published in more than 25 languages. Her 2019 novel, Lady in the Lake, has been adapted for television by AppleTV, in a limited series starring Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram.
Michael Ruhlman
Manuscript Consultation
Michael Ruhlman is a New York Times bestselling, award-winning author with 29 books in print, including numerous books on food and cooking and nine works of non-fiction, fiction, and memoir. He has written for The New York Times, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast Traveler and other publications. He divides his time between New York City and Providence, R.I.
COSTS
Tuition
$3,500
Tuition to the Spannocchia Writer’s Workshop covers a 3-hour daily workshop with your workshop leader, nightly readings and craft talks, transportation to and from Siena or Florence to the Villa for your arrival and departure, and administrative costs. For the daily workshop, you can submit up to 25 pages of your manuscript.
Manuscript Consultation
Fee Varies
For an additional fee, Laura Lippman and Stewart O’Nan offer one-on-one manuscript consultations while at the conference. If you are interested in adding this to your time at Spannocchia we will put you in contact with Laura, Stewart, or Michael to determine the fee and the scope of your work with them. Please let us know when you register if you would like to add this.
Accommodation
$1,005 - $1,360*
Accommodation costs at Spannocchia vary depending on the size of the room you want to reserve. This fee includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day with house-made wine included for the latter two meals. It also includes city taxes and a mandatory membership fee to Spannocchia’s American-based nonprofit, Friends of Spannocchia, which supports educational programs and the preservation of their historic property and nature preserve. The membership fee is tax deductible for US citizens. There are tours and experiences available on-site for an additional fee that you can read more about on the Travel & Accommodation page.
*Please note this number may change slightly based on the Dollar to Euro exchange rate at the time of booking
Ann’s Full Manuscript Workshop Add-On
$600
We offer the unique opportunity to have your completed manuscript workshopped in our full manuscript workshop led by Ann. Up to six students can submit their full memoir, novel, or short story or essay collections for Ann to critique and discuss in workshop. Students must read and critique each other’s manuscripts as well as attend this daily workshop.
Tenuta di Spannocchia
Spannocchia is a magical place. It is a unique integration of historic architecture and landscape. Their 1,100 acre property hosts a working organic farm, a center for education and enrichment, and a multinational community. There is something to excite everyone at Spannocchia: hiking paths, farm animals, verdant gardens, cooking classes, beautiful vistas, eight centuries of rural history, a swimming pool, friendly people, great wine, and fantastic food. In addition, our proximity to destinations such as Florence, Siena, Chianti, San Gimignano, the Tuscan coastline, and many small hill towns makes Spannocchia the ideal base for exploring Tuscany.
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