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Our memories of food: they can take us back to the heady aromas of our grandmother’s cooking, negotiations around the contents of lunchboxes, an incident at the family breakfast table, the stench and texture of compulsory school dinners and the hollow pain of going without. Is our first food memory that of our mother’s milk? Maybe so.
Often, because nourishing food and adequate shelter tend to go together, good food memories are about a feeling of home – of warmth and belonging. These memories can both feed and comfort us. Then there is the tyranny of the diet and the scale, the spiritual practice of the fast, the rituals of food around weddings and funerals, the rhythm and routine of preparation and mealtimes – these are imbued with aspects of our humanity that we can explore through writing.
In this course, based on our established Keystone Memoir Course, which we ran at Vensterklip last year, we will use exercises to write stories that focus on all the senses and emotions conjured by food. We will share those memories and also share our food – bringing to the communal lunch table each day a simple edible memory, a part of who we are expressed in what we eat.
The Sandveld, nearby Cedarberg and the West Coast, fertile home to rooibos and honeybush tea, the humble spud and the sumptuous crayfish, is no stranger to edible delights – and Vensterklip Guest Farm, Jane Louw’s culinary domain, is no exception to this. From her famous sourdough and syruped koeksisters to her heart-warming heerbone soup, the food we will both prepare and consume will be deeply of this place.
Whether it’s a snoek braai on the beach or a cup of rooibos overlooking the veld, the food of this area is tied to tradition, memory and place.
Writing about your own life through food can help you connect with the story you are living and it can help to heal or manage sometimes painful memories. Not only that, sharing our stories and our food are powerful ways for us to communicate and grow compassion for ourselves and for each other.
The tools we need to write effectively are also tools that help us live more creatively and less anxiously. Whether you are writing fiction, plays, poetry or even recipes, life writing skills can help you deepen observation of our human preferences, habits and tendencies - and how they impact on ourselves, other people and the natural environment.
During the course we will find refreshing approaches to assist us in putting our personal stories down on the page. And we will also prepare food and eat together. Jane may even share some of her culinary secrets (if we ask her nicely!). Beginner writers and cooks are welcome.
This residential course at Vensterklip Guest Farm, near Eland's Bay on the Cape West Coast, allows you to delve into your story in a delightful rural setting on the shores of Verlorenvlei, a World Heritage Site, approximately 2.5 hours’ drive north of Cape Town. Comfortable, characterful and tasty full board and lodging will be arranged by our generous hosts, Jane and Deborah.
More information on the accommodation options is available by mailing Deborah and Jane direct on info@vensterklip.co.za.
Dates: Friday September 12th 2pm to Sunday September 14th 1pm
Times: Friday: 2pm - 6pm, Sat: 9am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm; Sunday 9am to 1pm
Venue: Vensterklip Guest Farm, R366, between Redelinghuys and Eland's Bay
Facilitator: Giles Griffin (Learn more about our facilitators here)
Overall Workshop Fee: R3500 to R4000, depending on accommodation (sharing or single).
Booking: Please email info@vensterklip.co.za to book. Please use the following booking reference when you book: VKF30082RETREAT/Surname.
Catering costs: Dinner on Friday and Saturday, plus breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday will be included in the overall costs: vegetarian food will be served. Please let us know if you have other dietary needs.
Accommodation & Course Costs: To be confirmed depending on accommodation option selected – single room occupation or sharing. Prices for the weekend, including all fees, catering and accommodation range from approximately R3 500 to R4 000 per head, depending on the accommodation.
“I enjoyed it all, the writing practice, good company, sensitivity and laughter, the wildflowers and the beauty of our surroundings.” MARY BOCK, CAPE TOWN
“The rhythmic flow of our days was perfect. It allowed space for the work and community connection. The environment, the landscape was the other participant and what a powerful one she was. To step away from home and to engage with the craft of writing, in such an exquisite setting held the process sacred and rich textured.” JENNIFER STEYN, CAPE TOWN
“I enjoyed everything about the course: the company of fellow writers, the beautiful Vensterklip location, the hospitality and food, and of course, the excellent writing course. Thank you Giles for your skilful facilitation, and the care and sensitivity with which you handled a lot of potentially eruptive emotions swirling through the group. I felt very safe in your hands!” ZANNIE BOCK, CAPE TOWN
Sponsored places for course fees are available on all our courses. Please apply to admin@liferighting.com for a motivation form.
The Life Righting Collective’s work supports mental and emotional wellbeing through life writing! With so many of us experiencing troubling times and difficulties in our lives, now, more than ever, is when we need to take good care of ourselves and nurture our creative spirits.
Please join us!
Love
And the LRC EXCO team
