Our Location
In English Harbour, Antigua
Pineapple House is a West Indian cottage colony on the hill above the Antigua Yacht Club in English Harbor. Can’t miss it. Libby Nicholson, who grew up on Antigua, has created a real West Indian gem of a hostelry. Scattered over the hillside among garden of trees and flowers are 9 unique cottages, each with it’s own style, decor and charm.
Cottages can be reserved for individuals or couples. There are individual sleeping enclaves tucked in here and there and the Crew Quarters, or a dorm, for those on a budget. See a portfolio of images of the cottages on this site. Priced range from $65 a night to $195. There is WiFi on site, cell phone service is good, and there are beaches, bars, restaurants and food stores all within walking distance.
Pineapple House is a Caribbean B&B, but the second B is not for “breakfast,” it’s for Booze. Most evenings, Libby’s famous rum punch is served up, and the stories and laughter begun. No meals are served at PH, but there are communal kitchens so you can whip up a meal, or join others in preparing a banquet.
To reserven a cottage or a bed within a cottage, first take a look nat the next page to see a sample of what's available. Pick out a few options, and email Libby and Shelby at XXXXXX
• Chick here for a story on Libby and Pineapple House.
pineapplehouseantigua@hotmail.com.
Visit at www.PineapplehouseWestIndies.com.
Registration
Dates: the Month of March into April.
How to Register: First let's make sure this is the best option. Send me an email, include a 1,00 word sample of your writing, or 20 photos, along with a paragraph about you and what you wish to learn or do. I'll respond with suggestions of how the retreat or a workshop can be of help.
Then, make a reservation at Pineapple House. See information adjacent.
Retreat: There is $25 registration, but no fee to attend a retreat, other then your travel, accommodation and meals.
Workshops
Enrollment: 10 per workshop.
Workshop Tuition: $500US for each one-week workshop, in person or via Zoom. Pay on line or I’ll send you a Venmo request.
What to bring: you’ll need something to write with, a laptop, tablet, journal or notebook. You’ll want to take notes, write short, in-class assignments, and jot down references. Bring a short piece of your own writing, 2,000 words or less to read the first day. If you have a project already underway, perfect, bring that.
Questions? Email me at DHLyman@mac.com.
How to Register: Simple! Send me an email. We’ll work out the details, one-on-one. I’d like to read a paragraph about you and something you’ve written, around 1,000 words, to see if my workshops can be of help.
The Island of Antigua
Antigua is an island in the West Indies with a long and storied history. Admiral Lord Nelson built a British Naval Base here in the 1700s, now restored. English Harbor is a sailors’ town and one of the Caribbean’s great sailing centers. Yachts of all sizes gather each winter, and the town is awash with sailors and boat crews from around the world. There are lots of restaurants, inns and resorts, a farmers market, two food stores, and a laundry in English Harbor.
When it comes to swimming, Antigua has 350 beaches. Pigeon Beach, in English Harbor is where the water is clear and warm, and just a 10 minute walk from PH. There are daily flights from major cities into Antigua, and entry into the island during Covid is rather straight forward, if you’r vaccinated.
Workshop Leader
I've been organizing and leading workshops and master classes for 35 years.
In my years as The Workshops' Director, I developed hundreds of workshops and master classe in all areas of creative media. My facukty and I created a Professional Certificate Program and a Masters of Fine Art degree program— all centered around “The Transformational Learning Experience.” What I built continues today as MaineMedia.edu.
Each summer, I would lead a one-week workshop: "Developing Your Creative Potential," for working professionals and those who wanted to be more creative in their careers and lives. These workshops helped awaken the inner artist, and free the creative spirt. My workshops showed hundreds how to break through blocks and barriers, dispel the fear of failure and move forward. "I turned my schools over to a non-profit in 2007, took the family sailing for a year and have now returned to my original career, writing magazine articles and a few books.
Who Should Attend
The Retreat is for anyone with a project: writing, photography or video, who needs to "get away" and concentrate on that project. There are no formal classes or critiques but there are evening socials where creative people gather to share they progress, or frustrations. The rest of the time, it's just you and the work.
Workshops are for writers, journalists and photographers, published and un-published, anyone who wants to spend a week or a month in a world of creative development.
Intensive, one-week workshops provide daily classes, lectures, assignments, and critiques--along with the evening socials. If you have yet to find your creative voice, or a method of working that's meaningful and productive, these workshops will be a kick in the pants and give you the troolks and a road map to your creative future.
Writers living in and working on West Indian themes are especially encouraged to participate. But, if you can’t make it to Antigua this winter, join the workshops on Zoom.
Any form of writing--fact, fiction, fantasy, adventure, how-to or tell -all needs to be clear, understandable and concise. This writers’ group will help you see where your writing is failing your story, provide direction to the story line, clean up the tangents, help you create dynamic and believable characters and action. You’ll be encouraged to turn off the internal editor as you write, send the nit-picking intellect out for coffee, allowing your intuitive, inner voice to emerge. The internal-editor’s role will be needed later, during the re-write/crafting process, after the intuition has captured something to work on.
You'll need to have a project to work on: a magazine article, a novel, a memoir, a work of non-fiction, a short story. Photographers need a body of work, prints or on their laptop, that needs editing to discoverf where the work is taking you. We’ll cover post production on Lightroom and where to publish your work. We’ll help you build a website, a blog, a portfolio, or an exhibition.
If in doubt, send me a 1,000 word piece of writing, or 20 images, and a page describing your project, and a one paragraph bio. I’ll get back to you.
The sun sets behind the island of Montsurrat, seen from the anchoreage off Pigeon Beach in English Harbour, Antigua
Retreat and Workshop Details
Pigeon Beach in English Harbour, Antigua