A Three-day Intensive With
Peter Godwin

09:30 – 13:00 | The Working Room
We begin with the essential question: what makes lived experience compelling on the page? Peter Godwin will guide participants through the process of identifying the central tension within their story, the narrative thread that gives memoir its momentum. Through close discussion and generative exercises, writers will explore:

• Finding the narrative spine
• Transforming memory into scene
• Writing family and real people with nuance
• The ethics of truth-telling

This session emphasises clarity over confession and structure over sentiment.

Mid-morning pause for coffee.

13:00 | Lunch
Balinese seasonal specialities served at a long communal table, encouraging conversation and reflection.

Afternoon at leisure for writing or rest.

18:00 | Twilight Aperitif
An evening aperitif featuring a bespoke Casa Luna signature cocktail. Each guest will enjoy one complimentary signature cocktail, with additional beverages available to order.

An open conversation on witness, responsibility and the risks of writing close to home.

19:30 | Welcome Dinner at Casa Luna
A generous shared meal and the beginning of a temporary literary community.

09:30 – 13:00 | The Working Room
Memoir unfolds within a wider social and political landscape. Drawing from his own experience writing about Zimbabwe’s turbulent history and his family’s story, Peter will explore how to braid the intimate with the historical.

Topics include:

• Integrating context without overwhelming narrative
• Writing exile, belonging and displacement
• Managing chronology and time shifts
• Balancing reportage with reflection

Participants will draft new material and workshop selected excerpts, receiving focused, practical feedback.

Mid-morning pause.

13:00 | Balinese Lunch
A seasonal menu celebrating local ingredients and tradition. Afternoon optional writing hour for those wishing to continue their work in a quiet, supported space.

18:00 | Twilight Aperitif
Signature cocktail service. Conversation turns to doubt, discipline and sustaining long-form nonfiction. Each guest will enjoy one complimentary signature cocktail, with additional beverages available to order.

19:30 | Shared Dinner
Curries, Asian greens and banana-leaf specialities with Balinese coconut-based desserts.

09:30 – 13:00 | The Working Room
Revision is where memoir truly takes shape.

Peter will offer detailed guidance on:

• Beginning in the right place
• Shaping decades into a coherent arc
• Building emotional momentum
• Identifying what must be cut
• Strengthening clarity and precision of language

Participants will receive constructive, rigorous feedback focused on sharpening voice and deepening narrative stakes.

Mid-morning pause.

13:00 | Farewell Lunch
A final meal of Balinese seasonal specialities shared in conversation.

14:00 | Final Readings
Participants share selected excerpts in a spirit of attentiveness and respect.

15:00 | The Practical Path
A candid discussion covering:

• Drafting and redrafting memoir
• Working with editors
• Protecting integrity when publishing personal stories
• Approaching agents and navigating the contemporary literary landscape

18:00 | Festival Cocktail Party
A special night to remember with global publishing sensations and the biggest names in Indonesian literature at the official 2026 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Cocktail Party.