Come Write in Tuscany in 2025!
November 8th to 15th · Tenuta de Spannocchia, Tuscany, Italy
Spend a week in November 2025 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.
The Faculty
Luis Alberto Urrea
Workshop Leader
Luis Alberto Urrea, a Guggenheim Fellow and Pulitzer Prize finalist, is the author of 18 books, winning numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. His latest novel, Good Night Irene, was an instant NYTimes Bestseller and is based on his mother’s service as a Red Cross “Donut Dolly”serving troops on the frontlines of the European theater in WWII.
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.
Stewart O’Nan
Workshop Leader
Stewart O’Nan is the author of 20 books, including Snow Angels, A Prayer for the Dying, Last Night at the Lobster and Emily, Alone. He was born and raised and lives in Pittsburgh.
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
$3,200
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, an excursion into Siena with dinner on Saturday, June 15th, 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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