If you like reading, writing and traveling as much as I do, you are sure to like the Castle Hill Reader and Writers Retreat on May 20th-23rd, 2013. For 3 days, be in the company of literary elite in a historic mansion that has entertained visitors like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Patrick Henry and Robert E. Lee. The historic grounds embrace the mystery and romance of the 19th Century with sweeping views, gorgeous gardens and rumors of ghosts from past visitors.
Join authors John Grisham, Sissy Spacet, Jan Karon, Henry Wieneck, Donna Lucey, Peter Hatch, Caroline Preston, Christopher Tilgman, Barclay Rives and Hugh Wilson for an unforgettable experience.
The Schedule:
Monday
6:00-7:30 pm | Guests arrive to Castle Hill for cocktails and a tour of the estate. |
7:30 pm | Guests will be served a formal seated dinner at Castle Hill. Barclay Rives, direct descendent of William Cabell Rives, will share the colorful history of the estate as it was passed down through members of his family over two hundred years. |
Tuesday
9:30-10:00 am | Guests meet at Castle Hill for coffee and pastries. Guests are divided into two groups of fifteen. |
10:00-11:00 am | Each fifteen-person group meets with one of the husband-wife authors Chris Tilghman, director of the creative writing department at UVA and author of the eagerly anticipated, ‘ The Right-Hand Shore” and Caroline Preston, author and creator of the delightful, “ The Scrapbook Of Frankie Pratt”. |
11:00-11:30 am | Break. |
11:30-12:30 pm | Each fifteen-person group meets with the other husband-wife author. |
12:30-2:00 pm | Guests enjoy an Italian-style lunch in the garden. |
2:00-3:15 pm | Jan Karon, author of the hugely popular Mitford series, will give her presentation to the entire group. |
Wednesday
9:30-12:00 pm | Guests meet at the visitor’s center of Monticello for a private tour of the house and gardens led by Peter Hatch, former director of the grounds and Gardens at Monticello. Hatch is also the author of “A Rich Spot Of Earth, Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden At Monticello”. |
12:00-12:30 pm | Transition to Keswick Vineyards. |
12:30-2:00 pm | Guests meet at Keswick Vineyards for wine tasting and box-lunch picnic. |
2:00-3:00 pm | Each fifteen-person group meets with one of our second pair of husband-wife authors. Henry Wiencek is the writer of the controversial exposé of Thomas Jefferson, “Master of the Mountain” while his wife, Donna Lucey, has written about Castle Hill and it’s very own Amelie Rives in “Archie and Amelie: Love and Madness in the Gilded Age”. |
3:00-3:30 pm | Break. |
3:30-4:30 pm | Each fifteen-person group meets with the other husband-wife author. |
6:30-8:00 pm | Guests meet for dinner at La Fleurie, 108 3rd. Street NE, Charlottesville. |
8:00-10:00 pm | Guests arrive to Live Arts to see Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “August Osage Country”. |
Thursday
10:00-10:30 am | Guests meet at Castle Hill for coffee and pastries. |
10:30-12:00 pm | Sissy Spacek will give her presentation to the entire group in the carriage barn. |
12:30-2:00 pm | Guests meet at the pool for a buffet-style lunch. |
2:00-3:15 pm | John Grisham will give his presentation to the entire group on the pool terrace. |
7:00-9:30 pm | A tasting menu dinner will be served at the Clifton Inn, where Hugh Wilson will give a presentation on the thrills and spills of surviving in Hollywood. |
For more information, visit www.castlehillretreats.com