Greetings from the island! It’s been raining off and on since we arrived to Inishbofin on Wednesday evening, but students’ spirits just can’t be dampened. After we cooked up a family-style breakfast together at the hostel’s communal kitchen, our guest writer Jess Richardson conducted an improvisational writing exercise to get students thinking about the role of “status” and voice in their respective projects. Whereas in Dublin our schedule tends to mirror the city’s hectic pace, Inishbofin is comparatively relaxed: students get the unadulterated writing time they need, plus all the scenic inspiration they could want. We find them drinking milky tea in the hostel’s sunroom, sharing writing-in-progress with Jess and ourselves, and banding together to take in whatever green vistas break through the rain.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” said Alex Hillcoat of Montreal, Canada.