By Rex Weiner
“What better place to read, write, and talk about the art and craft of writing than Todos Santos, where all the saints of the sea and sky watch over you?” said Christopher Merrill after his first visit to Todos Santos, a town perched on the Tropic of Cancer between the rugged mountains of the Sierra Laguna and the wild shores of the Pacific in Baja California Sur, Mexico. “I can’t wait to return.”
Merrill has returned many times since his 2016 visit. The world-renowned poet, globe-trotting author and translator, as well as director of the International Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, is part of the faculty at the Todos Santos Writers Workshop where he leads the poetry class each year. Founded in 2014 in the courtyard garden of one of the town’s historic haciendas by several writers (including me and co-founder Jeanne McCulloch, former managing editor of The Paris Review), and since expanded to include a Spring Session in Paris, TSWW is part of a travel trend called edu-tourism—going somewhere to learn something.
“Whether I’m writing in Todos Santos and Paris with TSWW, practicing photography in Puglia with Women Photo Tours or learning how to block print from local artisans in Jaipur with Thread Caravan, I always return home with a renewed sense of craft, connection and clarity in my creative work,” says Rebecca Haller, a Washington, DC-based writer and researcher.
Beyond the workshop experience itself, whatever the subject and wherever on the map, there is the sense of place that edu-tourists seek out to nourish their creativity.
An officially designated pueblo mágico, Todos Santos is an hour north of the better-known luxury resorts of Cabo San Lucas, a town “where the desert meets the sea.” From the town’s historic colonial center, to beach-walks, whale watching and sea turtle hatchling releases, to a wide variety of gastronomic pleasures, as well as the town’s reputation as a wellness center for yoga followers and meditation practitioners, Todos Santos offers a rustic, tranquil experience. As TSWW attendee Erin Rech puts it: “When we needed inspiration, we roamed the streets of Todos Santos, devoured the best fish tacos, navigated the bumpy dirt roads to the beach to watch the waves pummel the shore, and took yoga class in Cuatro Vientos’ palm-gilded studio.”
TSWW’s weeklong session, which is open to writers at all levels, begins with an evening welcome reception, where returning attendees and first-time arrivals get acquainted over home-made tamales and freshly mixed margaritas. Daily classes begin early the next morning over coffee and locally-grown fruits and baked pastries, continuing to 1PM. Early evening events (optional yet encouraged) include a faculty reading, panel discussions, and craft talks with guest authors, as well as a fiesta night with regional cuisine and dancing to a hot local band.
In between, while exploring the town, strolling the beaches, hiking desert trails, or even doing homework, there is a special sort of reset, unplugging, slowing down, being fully present in the supportive group, camaraderie, and creative expression as a kind of catharsis. The week concludes on the final night with a catered dinner and open mic for those who wish to read their work.
And the week produces results. “Attending TSWW was a commitment to jump-starting and resuming my writing practice,” says Jeremy Stone, San Francisco-based founder and managing member of Business Matters in the Visual Arts LLC. “My memoir/non-fiction work was put on the back burner in my 20s when the art world consumed my life professionally. The superb faculty, friends I have made at TSWW in workshops together, and an addiction to fresh fish tacos make returning to Todos Santos a must. Again and again.”
“Of course I can write in Brooklyn,” says Caroline Aiken Koster, a New York City-based lawyer and writer, “but when I gather with creative folks each January in Todos Santos there’s an extra magica that enlivens my page. The TSWW instructors and workshoppers are world class and in Baja, somehow I’m digging for my best wisdom, my deepest prose. Whether rising at 5 AM to write my daily essay, trudging to seminar past shopkeepers, bakers, fresas and dogs, or munching churros after a poetry craft talk, inspiration swirls here. Returning each year to dedicate myself to my art in the presence of others doing the same—I don’t tire of trying to catch it. I’m hungry for that—and the fish tacos.”
For the faculty, the experience is also rewarding. “I’ve taught in a number of workshops, and they all have their unique identities, but Todos Santos has truly stayed with me,” says Madison, Wisconsin-based novelist Michelle Wildgen (Wine People). “I think it was thanks to its invigorating contrasts— relaxed and intimate but also thoughtfully curated, an incredible faculty and passionate participants. There’s something about a fresh and unfamiliar setting that wakes a writer up, takes you out of your daily life and gets your senses excited again. Writers know that leaving behind their usual routine can help with their writing, but this experience got me thinking about the benefits of more stimuli rather than less. And if at least some of that sensory shake-up comes in the form of locally made tortillas, well, even better.”
In addition to supporting the local economy through the number of hotel rooms and AirBnBs booked by TSWW-ers, and restaurants patronized, the workshop contributes to the town’s reputation as an artist’s community. Jamie Sutton, a longtime resident who will be attending his sixth TSWW this winter, says “I have owned a home for twenty-five years in beautiful, historic Todos Santos. It is a community that has been founded on the Arts with a wide range of talented writers, actors, musicians, painters, and other creators, supported by a broad circle of appreciation and embrace.”
For travellers considering their next trip, edu-tourism could be the next adventure. “There’s something sacred about a slower, more immersive style of travel that allows me to focus on deepening my craft,” says Haller, “broadening my worldview and building meaningful connections, all at the same time.”
With TSWW’s 13th Winter Session approaching, January 31 – February 7, registrations are open and early applicants receive a discount on tuition ($1800 USD instead of $2200 before October 15, 2024).
At the Todos Santos Writers Workshop, we believe everyone has a story. Why not yours?