For the past few days, I've been walking around Athens, scouting the places where we'll write this November. Some are natural spaces, others are small and locally-owned businesses, and one even has turtles wandering around ancient olive trees.

This Friday, October 9, is the last day to book your spot with a deposit (full payment is due by October 23).

Before then, I wanted to take you to some of these places.

I'm thinking a lot about the evolving role of the storyteller these days.

Short attention spans, social media, and AI may put obstacles in our path, but I believe that one fundamental aspect of being human will persevere.

It's the need to process the world around us through stories.

Athens is the perfect setting for conversations about this craft: it's filled with remarkable spots where people have gathered to tell and listen to stories for the last 5,000 years.

One of these spots is the Hill of the Muses that rewards steady climbers with stunning Acropolis views at the top.

It's named for the nine Greek goddesses of storytelling, literature, poetry, and more, and I can't think of a better beginning for our time together.

Our writing spots will include lots of local pine and artifacts. © Yulia Denisyuk

What I love most about my work is noticing tiny details, meeting passionate people, fermenting all of it, and creating something new.

In Athens, we'll follow this very arc across our three days together:

  • On Day 1, we'll learn the basics of writing well – noticing details – on the Hill of the Muses, and discuss the psychogeography of Athens with a local art curator
  • On Day 2, we'll hear from a seasoned travel editor and work through the travel feature at the Ancient Agora
  • On Day 3, we'll discuss how the best personal essays tell us something about our universal human condition

Throughout the intensive, we'll engage with the city around us.

We'll get into flow at Omsom, a specialty coffee spot in Koukaki where the sun hits just right in the early mornings.

We'll write at Little Tree Books, where books, posters, and signs for a free Palestine line floor-to-ceiling walls.

We'll run some of our sessions at Impact Hub Athens, a social entrepreneurship community in Athens where the city's creative minds gather to work.

And we'll reflect on each day at places like Commune, a local coffee spot that turns into a vinyl outpost by night.

PLUS: We'll jump on an exclusive live Zoom masterclass with a travel editor who works with major U.S. travel publications and discuss the business of storytelling, like pitching, rates, and getting work.

The group is coming together, and I'm so excited to meet everyone in it.

Join us in Athens here.

➡️ Tuition & securing your seat: Tuition is set at an inaugural rate of $1,200, and you can lock in your spot today with a $400 deposit.

(I'll run this workshop again next year, but at a higher rate.)

Registration closes this Friday, October 9.

👉 Click here to grab your seat in Athens with a deposit

See you in Greece,

xx Yulia

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Our paid members get a free 1:1 consult with me (a value of $250) when booking this workshop.

You can use it however you'd like: to review your portfolio, get feedback on your work, receive advice on a particular project, or even compare notes on our creative endeavors. This private one-hour call will be scheduled at a time of your choosing.

➡️ The code to get this perk is inside your paid-member newsletter.