"I believe that this great peaceful region of France will be a sacred spot for man and when the cities have killed off the poets this will be the refuge and the cradle of poets to come. France will someday exist no more but the Dordogne will live on just as dreams live on and nourish the souls of Men". Henry Miller, "The Colossus Meroussi"

Basilica of Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume and the Royal Couvent

Our first Abroad Writers Conference in 2006 will take place in the Provence. The heart of the Provence is the hills, alps and the Mediterranean seaside. Sloping vineyards, fields of lavender and sunflowers reminds us of paintings by Van Gogh, when he lived in the nearby town of Arles with Gauguin. Another Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cezanne, lived in Aix en Provence. Today, it's possible to visit his studio, where he lived and worked. In the Provence we'll be staying residing in St Maximin, which is 35 km from Aix en Provence and 71 km from Toulon. This ancient city is renowned for its historical and artistic endowments. There we'll be staying at the Royal Convent at the Basilica of Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume. It was founded in 1295 by Charles II of Anjou, the King of Sicily and Count of Provence to house the relics of St. Maria Magdalena, whose tomb had been discovered here in 1279.

Placed under royal protection by Louis XII at the beginning of the 16th century, the Convent was entrusted to the Dominicans, who brought it safely through the centuries in spite of many upheavals - the war between the Catholics and the Huguenots during which it became a fortress, its abandonment in 1791 during the Revolution, and its restoration in 1859 by Father Lacordaire, who had the west wing built. Conference, JUNE 23 - 30, 2006

CHATEAU SEDAN

Our second session will be in Northeast France on the Belgium border, at the largest fortified castle in Europe, Chateau Sedan in the Ardennes. Sedan is recognised as a Town of Art and History, testament to which are the large number of architectural works in the old town. Some of the villages in the surrounding area have also managed to preserve to the authentic architectural heritage of the Ardennes and traditional types of dwelling: the ham-let at Chaumont with its huge farms built from yellow stone, the villages of Illy, Pouru-aux-Bois and La Moncelte are fine examples of this.

Louis XIV built two fountains in Sedan one in the Place d'Armes and a second in the Place du Château, in 1660 for the Dauphin who has just been born. On the occasion of the celebrations held in honour of his birth, the fountain was filled with wine for the townsfolk to enjoy.

The Ardennes landscapes. is a geological variation of patchwork hilly ranges that vary in time, to the newer slopped terrain one views from every turn of the road. It all starts in the south, in a barren land dotted with a few limestone hills, which look across a beautiful landscape leading out to the horizon and to Champagne. Then the Argonne in the east, divided between Champagne and Lorraine. A secret corner of the Ardennes, the Argonne is a land of great forests. You don't travel in the Argonne, you wander and stroll. The heart of the Ardennes, delightful "windbreaks" for the region, which characterise the richness of this fertile land. This is a region in which each meadow has its tree and every tree shelters its cows. Babbling streams run from pasture to pasture. Orchards lie tucked away behind the hills. A mythical animal, the wild boar has become the symbol of the Ardennes. But roe deer, foxes and more recently the beavers plus no end of species still live in the Ardennes. It is at nightfall that you have the best chance of seeing them, and the most patient or the luckiest among you may even hear the troat of the stag or the staccato song of the nightjar in the early evenings of autumn. Conference JULY 3 - 10, 2006

THE ROYAL ABBEY FONTEVRAUD

Third session, we'll be staying in the Loire Valley, the river of Kings. This region is renowned for it magnificent chateaux and relics of the royal days of the past. Due to its central location, culture and fine cuisine, Tours is the natural visitor's capital. Angers is a close second, but more authentic are the historic towns of Amboise, Blois, Saumur and Beaugency, strung out like jewels along the river. This is the classic Loire valley, a château trail which embraces the Renaissance gardens of Villandry and the fairytale turrets of Azay-le-Rideau. Venture northwards and the cathedral cities of Le Mans and Chartres reign supreme,their medieval centers bordered by Gallo-Roman walls. Nantes in the west is a breezy, forward-looking port and gateway to the Atlantic. In the valley of the Loire, we'll be staying in the ancient town of Fontevraud where the 12c Abbey was built. Here Eleanor d'Aquitaine, queen of England and the wife of Henry II, lived until she died. Fontevraud is 15km from Saumur and 15lm from Chinon. Conference July 30 - August 6, 2006