About your host of Writing Retreats in Italy
Shirley Giggacher grew up in a small town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
As a young child she developed a passion for reading and a keen ear for stories, thanks to her grandfather, who was an avid writer and an enthusiastic storyteller.
During her adult life Shirley trained to be a social worker, and worked with developmentally disabled adults before she returned to studying and completed a Master's degree in Education and Linguistics, during which she taught academic writing at universities abroad, including Australia, Abu Dhabi Qatar and England .Shirley has worked with many students from around the world and has designed many courses for both general and creative writing. Her particular strength as a writer lies in her ability to develop a strong, solid plot and uncannily lifelike characters. She also has a passion for passing on her knowledge to others and delights in whiling away the hours discussing other writers' stories and feeling INSPIRED
Over the past ten years Shirley has lived and worked in five different countries including Italy, and is the Founding member of two successful writing groups; that meet regularly one in Perth, Western Australia and the other in Doha Qatar.
Why in Italy?
Shirley is just as passionate about living in Italy as she is about promoting writing and art, so when she purchased a 500-year-old house in the Historical Centre of the medieval town of Penne, which is aptly named 'Citta d'Arte' (The City of Art), she couldn't resist the urge to create an opportunity to host Writing and Art retreats.
Shirley is committed to building up a writers and artists community in the heart of Abruzzo and she hopes that all the writers and artists who participate in the retreats will also experience the magic of the wonderful creative environment Penne has to offer, and come back to participate in other writing and art events in the future.
Shirley is also a firm believer in community and the spirit of sharing and is keen to encourage local businesses to be involved in all the retreats' activities. That is why she has chosen the local BIO Agriturismo IL Portico as the base for accommodation and some of the Local Trattoria for providing optional meals, as well as a local tourist agency for offering optional tours of region of Abruzzo. Wolf Tours Penne
Shirley is currently working on the final edit of her latest novel 'Flight of the Uberbites: No Time for an Epiphany', which is a satirical comedy about the 'disastrous adventures of a hapless aristocratic British family' who are hiding out in rural Italy from a fictitious law enforcement agency. She hopes to have it published in mid 2018.
Shirley Giggacher grew up in a small town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia.
As a young child she developed a passion for reading and a keen ear for stories, thanks to her grandfather, who was an avid writer and an enthusiastic storyteller.
During her adult life Shirley trained to be a social worker, and worked with developmentally disabled adults before she returned to studying and completed a Master's degree in Education and Linguistics, during which she taught academic writing at universities abroad, including Australia, Abu Dhabi Qatar and England .Shirley has worked with many students from around the world and has designed many courses for both general and creative writing. Her particular strength as a writer lies in her ability to develop a strong, solid plot and uncannily lifelike characters. She also has a passion for passing on her knowledge to others and delights in whiling away the hours discussing other writers' stories and feeling INSPIRED
Over the past ten years Shirley has lived and worked in five different countries including Italy, and is the Founding member of two successful writing groups; that meet regularly one in Perth, Western Australia and the other in Doha Qatar.
Why in Italy?
Shirley is just as passionate about living in Italy as she is about promoting writing and art, so when she purchased a 500-year-old house in the Historical Centre of the medieval town of Penne, which is aptly named 'Citta d'Arte' (The City of Art), she couldn't resist the urge to create an opportunity to host Writing and Art retreats.
Shirley is committed to building up a writers and artists community in the heart of Abruzzo and she hopes that all the writers and artists who participate in the retreats will also experience the magic of the wonderful creative environment Penne has to offer, and come back to participate in other writing and art events in the future.
Shirley is also a firm believer in community and the spirit of sharing and is keen to encourage local businesses to be involved in all the retreats' activities. That is why she has chosen the local BIO Agriturismo IL Portico as the base for accommodation and some of the Local Trattoria for providing optional meals, as well as a local tourist agency for offering optional tours of region of Abruzzo. Wolf Tours Penne
Shirley is currently working on the final edit of her latest novel 'Flight of the Uberbites: No Time for an Epiphany', which is a satirical comedy about the 'disastrous adventures of a hapless aristocratic British family' who are hiding out in rural Italy from a fictitious law enforcement agency. She hopes to have it published in mid 2018.