Our experts will conduct a class or group discussion each day on finding solutions to challenges that every writer faces, from the creative process, to plot development, to personal style, to getting your work published.

Emphasis will be on each writer being able to work autonomously towards their individual goals, and utilise the talents and resources of our resident writers as they wish, as well as those of each other.

One-to-one sessions can be held in the early afternoon, reserving late afternoons and evenings to explore the Komito estate and Syros itself.

Enjoy walks down to the sea for a swim or to relax by our private cove; walking excursions to discover nearby beaches and hillsides; our own adaptation of padel tennis; opportunities to play tennis with a local expert; visits to the island’s capital, Ermoupoli; and backgammon or guided yoga at your leisure.

Bruce is a writer, lecturer and broadcaster with many years’ experience at The Economist, Reuters and The Times. He is author of very highly regarded titles including Athens, City of Wisdom and Twice a Stranger, and is the winner of the Runciman Award 2007.

As a tutor, Bruce shares and draws on his long experience as a journalist and non-fiction author.

Sara is a highly-experienced writing coach and a multi award-winning travel writer and bestselling biographer. Her eleven books include Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica, Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard and Glowing Still: A Woman’s Life on the Road.

Sara is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a contributing editor of the Literary Review.

Jan Morris: A Life by Sara Wheeler was published by Faber in 2026.

Laura Beatty is an acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Her debut novel Pollard won the Authors’ Club First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize recognising books that evoke a powerful spirit of place. Her most recent book, Looking for Theophrastus, Travels in Search of a Lost Philosopher was shortlisted for the Runciman Award.

Laura is interested in the no-man’s land between established genres and combines writing with teaching. She is a Gladstone Fellow as well as a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund.

Josh is a writer and translator with a deep love of Greece, where he has lived for over a decade. He holds a degree in Classics and a master’s in Modern Greek literature.

His translations of Greek folk poetry were shortlisted for the Greek State Prize, while his latest book, Athens Tales, was shortlisted for the Runciman Award. His first book of poems is due to be published in autumn 2026.

When he is not writing, he leads specialist tours in Greece and the Balkans.

www.joshuabarley.com

Neil Griffiths is a creative writing teacher who is also a novelist and publisher. He has taught creative writing for 25 years at B.A., M.A. levels, in small groups and one-to-one. He is experience teaching genre fiction, literary fiction, and non-fiction.

His own work includes Betrayal in Naples, which won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, while his second, Saving Caravaggio was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award. His recent memoir, The Wrong Son, has been widely reviewed.

With over 40 years’ experience in publishing, media, commercial strategy, and 26 years at The Literary Review, Terry Finnigan offers writers a practical, end-to-end perspective to bring their book successfully to market.

The purpose of Terry’s sessions are advisory, strategic and hands-on, helping writers think like publishers, build their author platform, and position their work professionally.

Terry helps writers harness modern platforms, build visibility and audience engagement; develop podcast opportunities and create effective content strategies across social media. The aim is simple: to ensure that when your book is ready, so is the market for it.

Terry Finnigan, Linkedin