Bread Loaf in Sicily 2022

Due to the ongoing nature of the pandemic and uncertain international travel and quarantine guidelines, the Bread Loaf in Sicily conference will not be taking place in 2022. We look forward to sharing information next year as we prepare for the 2023 session.

The 10th annual Bread Loaf in Sicily Conference offers intensive, six-person workshops focused on the craft of writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Held in Erice, an ancient, hilltop town on the western coast of Sicily, the seven-day conference provides inspired community for those who enjoy travel or are living abroad.

Overview

The workshops meet four times (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) and are supplemented with individual conferences. Faculty give readings and offer craft classes or lectures for all members of the conference. Workshop participants are invited to share their work in an evening reading for Bread Loafers.

In addition to the workshops, classes, and readings listed, faculty schedule individual meetings with contributors during the session. The manuscript packet of student writing is available to each workshop group in the weeks leading up to the session in order to allow faculty and participants the time to read and prepare for the intensive session.

Location

The conference is held at the Hotel Villa San Giovanni, which offers modest but very comfortable accommodations and a breathtaking view of the Tyrrhenian Sea and Sicilian countryside. A walled medieval town of narrow, winding, cobblestone streets, Erice’s compact size makes it easy to walk from the conference hotel to restaurants, cafés, and shops, and to explore its beautifully restored churches, Norman-era castle, and ancient walls.

Access and Food

Erice is a typical medieval, hilltop town with charming, uneven cobblestone streets and some steep climbs. Though workshops take place in a building across from the hotel, evening meals are offered at different restaurants located in town, around the main square. This requires participants to walk on cobblestones and to manage the steep streets. See important details regarding access and food included on the Lodging and Logistics page.

The 2020 Session

This year’s conference will take place from Sunday, September 20, to Saturday, September 26. Find out more about dates and fees.

The faculty includes poets Rick Barot and Sally Keith, fiction writers Ru Freeman and Helen Schulman, and nonfiction writer Ann Hood. Find out more about faculty and guests.

Apply

You may apply to Bread Loaf in Sicily as a contributor (with a manuscript) or an auditor (without a manuscript). A $20 application fee is due at the time of submission. See Application and Acceptance Information.

What Past Participants Say:

  • “I was very impressed by the consistently excellent quality of the faculty. The talks and readings were most impressive; rarely have I attended an educational event that did everything with such excellence.”
    Mark Payson
    Brookeville, MD

  • “I woke up early one morning and the mist from the valley was literally swirling around our hotel. This is an inspired location and I think it adds an extra dimension to the workshop when we realize that we are working in a place where humans have been for thousands of years. ”
    Frances Burke
    Edmonton, Alberta

  • “This was a superb writing conference with exceptional faculty. And then there was much more. We were treated with exceptional food, a lovely wine and cheese hour with live musicians, readings, and a day trip to Segesta. The final dinner was wonderful.”
    Lisa Melilli
    Brooklyn, NY

  • “What an amazing workshop! Natasha Trethewey was so generous with delving into where her poems originate and sharing her writing process. She created a very supportive environment where each writer thrived.” 
    Stephanie Robinson
    Cape Elizabeth, ME