Winter 2024 brought our residency in Venice, Italy! A sense of place is a key element of writing in the Alma program. For 10 days, we lived exposed to the place of Italy, the language and the people. The family-owned villa where we stayed, the Hotel Villa Franceschi, gave us more of a sense of being invited guests than hotel patrons.

While we experienced three full days of excursions together, we also held all the lectures, readings and workshops of a traditional MFA residency. There was consideration for those who could not make the trip to Italy to gather as a cohort in Detroit, Michigan, and be a part of the Venice classroom time through Zoom.