Italian Article - Viaggiare senza soldi

The story (Top 10 vacations for the Newly Unemployed) that got published in Travel & Leisure and picked up by Reuters and then hit a load of Canadian publications (Ottawa Citizen, The Gazette (Montreal), Edmonton Journal, The Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald and more) has now appeared in Italy.

Its version of Expedia (so google says), Viaggi, which is part of Libero News (a national Right-wing newspaper published in Milan, according to Wikipedia) published the story, making our web hosting people tell us we need more memory for our website because over 4,500 people hit our site in one day alone. Classic. So, if you understand Italian then you'll understand this bit about us from their article "Viaggiare senza soldi", perhaps:

"Hai un mezzo romanzo in fondo al cassetto? Finisci di scriverlo in un villaggio medievale francese. Trova ispirazione al ritiro La Muse a Labastide-Esparbairenque, nel cuore del Cathar, zona Languedoc. In questo villaggio medievale tranquillo e isolato non ci sono distrazioni oltre al cibo rustico, ai mercatini dei contadini del posto, alle vicine vinerie e alla compagnia di altri scrittori."

Book Swap - new books

Every retreat the La Muse library grows thanks to all of the wonderful books that our attendees bring along. The result is a real artists' and writers' library - a selection of quirky favorites, instructive volumes, and classics (old and new) built by Musers for Musers.

This month's additions to the Library range from 'how to' to pop-surrealism and we thought it'd be a fun thing to share the titles. Hopefully we can do this for every retreat, as it lets people know who's here, where they come from and what they're into...

Dave Beazley, (the guy with the blue headgear below) is an artist from New Zealand. He brought A Land of Two Halves by Joe Bennet about New Zealand and Vitamin P - New Perspectives in Painting by Barry Schwabsky. Dave describes the latter as the essential resource for the contemporary painter, or anyone with an interest in keeping their finger on the pulse of contemporary art.
The lady smiling beside Dave is Cindy Willis. Her two books, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and Song of the Crow by Layne Maheu are both novels where the narrators are from the perspective of animals. Both Garth and Layne are friends of Cindy's and the three of them are in the same writers group in Seattle.

Marg Hammond, a writer from the sandy shores of Bermuda, made us all jealous of the picturesque vistas of her homeland with A Scope to Bermuda by Ian MacDonald-Smith. Marg also brought with her The Autobiography Handbook, edited by Jennifer Traig, to help all future Muser's attempting to put their past on paper.

Francesca Piredda (below) the very talented Italian author who lives in Canada, who donated her novel Bambina to the library last time she was here, this time chose to bring some great books by Mavis Gallant ( From the Fifteenth District) and John Metcalf (An Aesthetic Underground: A Literary Memoir).
Sue Brown from Australia, currently living and studying in England, in reflection of her temporary home in England brought Skating to Antarctica by Jenny Diski and The Oxford Book of Short Stories, compiled by V.S. Pritchett.

Andrea Simper, a jewelry designer from New Zealand, donated Unclasped by Derren Gilhooley and Thrift to Fantasy by Rosemary McLeod, both of which have inspired her beautiful work at various stages in her career. The blue headgear the other attendees are wearing are works Andrea is working on for a burlesque show (Miss Polly Ray and the Hurly Burly Girlies) that was on Broadway. It's now showing in London at the Leicester Square Theater .

Kerry and John also took books of the shelves by previous attendees to share with the new arrivals, as well as instructive books they thought might help with the various artists' projects.

Kerry chose Francesca's great novel Bambini, the short story collection Runaway, by Alice Monroe, Nola and Turning Life into Fiction by Robin Hemley, Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Cape Clear by Ted Deppe, Cronopios and famas by Julio Cortazar, The Language of Flowers by Marina Heilmeyer and Floral Ornament by Clara Schmidt and Helen Franchi.

John chose Stephen Adly Guirgis' Our Lady of 21st Street, Jesus hopped the 'A' Train, In Arabia we'd be Kings, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Chinatown by Robert Towne, Stranger than Fiction by Zach Helm, The Writing of Fiction by Edith Wharton, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee, Aspects of the Novel, by E.M. Forster, On Writing by Steven King and The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck.

And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks

Our friend Mike Sacks is coming out with a great book, And Here's the Kicker, in July 2009 from F+W Press.

The book will have interviews with no less than twenty-one famous humor writers: Buck Henry, Stephan Merchant, Todd Hanson (The Onion), Merrill Markoe, Dick Cavett, Larry Wilmore (Daily Show), Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks), Irving Breche (the Marx Brothers), Bob Odenkirk, Robert Smigel, Dan Mazer (Ali G and Borat), Bruce jay Bruce Jay Friedman, Daniel Clowes, Marshall Brickman (Annie Hall, Manhattan), David Sedaris, George Meyer (The Simpsons), Al Jaffee (MAD), Allison Silverman (The Colbert Report), Harold Ramis, Larry Gelbart (Caesar’s Hour, M*A*S*H), Mitch Hurwitz (Arrested Development), Jack Handey, Dave Barry, Daniel Handler, Roz Chast.

And if that's not enough to whet one's appetite then perhaps the advice from the likes of Susan Morrison, editor of The New Yorker’s Shouts and Murmurs and editors at The Believer, Esquire, The Onion, Playboy, Radar and Vanity Fair, as well as writers such as Ken Levine, (Cheers, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond) and others from Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and Saturday Night Live will!

Mike has worked at The Washington Post and currently works on the editorial staff of Vanity Fair magazine. He has written humor and non-fiction for The Believer, Esquire, GQ, Maxim, McSweeney's, The New Yorker, Premiere, Radar, Salon, Time, Time Out, Vanity Fair, and Women's Health.

Reuters article - "Travel Picks: Top 10 vacations for the newly unemployed"

Reuters have picked up the article that was written about us in "Travel and Leisure" this month.

You can read the specific graf about us below and check out the full article here:

"6. Finish Your Novel in a Medieval French Village: Got a half-written novel sitting in a drawer? Find inspiration at La Muse writers' retreat in Labastide-Esparbairenque, in the heart of Cathar country in the Languedoc. Its location in a quiet, secluded medieval village means there are no distractions here beyond the rustic food, the local farmers' markets, the nearby wineries, and the company of other writers."

If any one else out there would like to do an article on La Muse please email us at getaway@lamuseinn.com and we'll help you with whatever information you need!

The Tree of No

Sandy Florian, an attendee last year, just send us her new book, "The Tree of No." You can buy it at Action Books.

Sandy's previous books are Telescope (also Action Books) and 32 Pedals & 47 Stops (Tarpaulin Sky Press). She also has a blog which you can check out here.

The Wednesday Hike in the Mountains

Here are a couple of photos of the day-long hikes held in our mountains by the local tourist office.

The guy on the right is the artist Dave Beazley from New Zealand's north island. On the left, with the big smile, is Brendan Wolfe, our writing fellow this month from the University of Iowa writing program.

You can check out Dave's art on his website or buy it at his Auckland gallery's website, Sanderson Contemporary Art.

Brendan is a writer and editor (Kirkus, San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, Colorado Review, et al.) who has edited two alternative weekly newspapers, worked on the copy desk of a daily newspaper, and taught. He is working on a book and you can check out his cool blog.

The younger lady in the photo below is the jewelry designer Andrea Simper. She also comes from New Zealand and is at La Muse this month working on a beautiful new series of jewelry designs based around the idea of light. You can see her jewelry on her website , or, if you're in London in March or April, you can look at her work at Goldsmiths' Company's spring exhibition. Her recent work will also be shown at the La Muse gallery soon.

Taos Retreat

We have a friend, Tara Lumpkin, who's renting her house out in Taos while she travels.

Ideally she would love an artist or writer to rent it as that's what she is.

Email her through her house website if you're interested!

Fractured Atlas

We just became a member of Fractured Atlas.

If you're living in the US and you need insurance/advice as an artist/writer etc. you've got to check them out.

Fodor's article

Below is the review of La Muse in Fodor's "France" guide. It's in the "Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Roussillon" hotel reviews, under Carcassonne.

La Muse

• Address: 1 rue de la Place, Labastide Esparbairenque, Carcassonne, 11380
• Phone: 04-68-26-33-93
• www.lamuseinn.com

• Price range: $$
• Location: Carcassonne

Fodor's Review:

A manor house in the center of a village perched on a mountainside over a river valley, La Muse is a welcome respite from the oft-touristed environs of Cathar country. Functioning primarily as an extended-stay retreat for artists and writers, the hostelry also accommodates shorter sojourns in "Calliope," a spacious suite overlooking the valley, and in several neighboring stone village houses (EUR 400-EUR 600 per week). You can enjoy the extensive La Muse library, the expansive slate terrace and gardens, or a conversation with one of the many distinguished international artists or writers after "quiet hours." The village is 10 minutes north of Lastours and a 15-minute walk from a great meal at Roquefere's Sire de Cabaret. Pros: tranquil and quiet; special experience off the beaten tourist track; short drive from Château Villatade winery. Cons: car is essential for getting here; most accommodations require extended stays.

• Hotel Details: 4 rooms, 1 suite, 3 villas
• In-room: Wi-Fi.
• Credit Cards: AE, V
• Closed: Closed Dec.

Travel and Leisure article

La Muse is in the March issue of Travel and Leisure magazine.

Written by Claire Berlinski, the article names us as one of the ten

"Top Vacations for the Newly Unemployed."

Below is some of the copy from the article about La Muse:

"Finish Your Novel in a Medieval French Village

Have a half-written novel sitting in your dresser drawer? Dust it off at a writers’ retreat in the Languedoc.

Where: Find inspiration at La Muse writers’ retreat in Labastide-Esparbairenque, in the heart of Cathar country in the Languedoc. Its location in a quiet, secluded medieval village means there are no distractions here beyond the rustic food, the local farmers’ markets, the nearby wineries, and the company of other writers. Bonus: writing a scathing roman à clef about your former employers will make you feel much better.

Price: Rates for three-week retreats range from $975 to $1,365, depending on the room. In winter, you can barter for your room by working several days a week—your tasks might include building stone walls or gardening."

Reuters will also be running an article a long the same lines soon.

Julie Baugnet - Art Expo - October

To the left, is the poster for the painter and book artist Julie Baugnet's Art Expo at La Muse on October 24th.

Julie lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she's the Professor of Design in the Art Department of St. Cloud State University.

You can check out better images of Julie's great work on her gallery's website, or, on her blog.

Below, is a video snippet (sorry about the poor video quality!) of the show. It will give you an idea at least of the beautiful work Julie created while she was here during the months of September and October 2008.

August Art Expo

So, the first paintings you see on the video above are by our resident artists last August, Jane Hoople and Rachael Peacock. Jane's are the two top paintings and Rachael's are the three portraits below them (they were all done at La Muse.)

Next: (the landscapes on the easel) Painted by Mary Offermann, an artist from Santa Cruz who spends all her summers two villages down from us in Miraval.

Next: (the earth colored mystical landscapes on the white wall) are by the local artist, Maria Walther.

Next: (the large oil landscapes on the back wall) are by our friend the Texan artist, Thomas Darnell, who also lives here in Aude.

Next: The four very colorful canvasses on the stone wall are by Lance Simms, also from Santa Cruz, California.

Next: Beside Lance are local artist Virginie Campagnie's cool collage paintings.

Last: Christine Lange's abstracts.



Above is a video of Judith Mok, the Dutch opera singer and writer, singing her last piece "Summertime." Judith sang four beautiful songs in the medieval chapel next door to our art studio.

Thanks to Jane Hoople for taking the two videos of the exhibition!