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IWR 2021 Online
The 2021 Iceland Writers Retreat and Iceland Readers Retreat will be virtual, allowing you to take part from anywhere in the world, either live or later a time convenient to you. Stay tuned for details about:
- Live, interactive workshops with many of our most highly reviewed faculty of the previous seven years.
- Q&A panel(s) for the opportunity to ask your favourite writers about what you’ve always wanted to know.
- A virtual “book club” with authors discussing some of their own works.
- Iceland at your doorstep: Panels, readings and fun events that showcase literary Iceland.
We’ll share more specific details with you in January, including the price and how to sign up.
If you have a chance to attend the Iceland Writers Retreat, leap at it roaring.”
– Lauren Groff, National Book Award nominee and 2018 faculty
Past Faculty
Adam Gopnik
New Yorker staff writer
Adania Shibli
Award winning author and teacher
Adelle Waldman
Bestselling author
Alison Pick
Man Booker Prize nominee
Andrew Evans
Author, travel writer, and TV host
Andrew Westoll
Charles Taylor Prize winner
Andri Snær Magnason
Icelandic Literary Prize winner
Ann Hood
NYT bestselling author
Barbara Kingsolver
Orange Prize for Fiction winner
Bret Anthony Johnston
Head of Creative Dept, Harvard University
Carsten Jensen
Olof Palme Prize winner
Chigozie Obioma
Man Booker Prize finalist
Chris Cleave
New York Times bestselling author
Claudia Casper
Author, IWR Alumna
Craig Davidson
Scotiabank Giller Prize nominee
David Lebovitz
Chef, Author
Elina Hirvonen
Author, journalist, and filmmaker
Elizabeth Renzetti
Bestselling author and journalist
Esi Edugyan
Giller Prize Winner
Geraldine Brooks
Pulitzer Prize winner
Gerður Kristný
Icelandic Literature Award winner
Gwendoline Riley
Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction nominee (2017)
Hallgrímur Helgason
Icelandic Literary Prize winner
Iain Reid
Award winning author
Ivan Coyote
Hilary Weston Roger's Trust prize nominee
James Scudamore
Man Booker Prize nominee
John Vaillant
Governor General’s Award winner
Joseph Boyden
Giller Prize winner
Kate Williams
Historian, novelist, and broadcaster
Lauren Groff
National Book Award finalist
Lina Meruane
Chilean writer and scholar
Lina Wolff
August Prize winner
Linn Ullmann
Critically acclaimed Norwegian author
Louis de Bernières
Commonwealth Writers' Prize winner
Madeleine Thien
Man Booker Prize nominee
Marcello Di Cintio
Award-winning travel writer
Mark Kurlansky
Journalist and bestselling author
Meg Wolitzer
Bestselling Author
Miriam Toews
Governor General’s Award winner
Nadifa Mohamed
Somerset Maugham Prize winner
Neel Mukherjee
Man Booker Prize nominee
Pamela Paul
The New York Times Book Review editor
Paul Murray
Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse winner
Paul Yoon
Harvard University lecturer
Paula McLain
Author of The Paris Wife & more
Priya Basil
Commonwealth Writers' Prize nominee
Ragnar Helgi Ólafsson
Icelandic Literary Prize nominee
Randy Boyagoda
University of Toronto English professor
Rory Maclean
Bestselling travel writer
Ruth Reichl
Bestselling food writer and editor
Sara Wheeler
Internationally bestselling travel writer
Sarah Moss
Creative Writing Prof and award-winning author
Sjón
Nordic Council Literary Prize winner
Susan Orlean
New Yorker staff writer
Susan Shreve
Guggenheim Award winner
Taiye Selasi
Granta “Best Young British Novelist”
Terry Fallis
Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour winner
Tessa Hadley
Windham Campbell prize winner
Vilborg Davíðsdóttir
Author, Ethnologist, Journalist
Vincent Lam
Giller Prize winnerONLINE OPTIONS
Our Digital Programs
IWR participants take part in an exclusive full-day outing into the Icelandic countryside, in addition to a literary walking tour of Reykjavík (the latter is for all participants). IRR participants attend two unique all-day tours. All the day tours are led by and feature contemporary Icelandic writers, and include a stop and reading at Gljúfrasteinn, the former home of Nobel Prize winning author Halldór Laxness.
Literary-themed Golden Circle Tour
A unique variation on Iceland’s most popular excursion that includes stops at Geyser geothermal fields, Gullfoss waterfall, and the UNESCO-listed Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir), as well as a visit to Iceland’s ancient seat of learning, Skálholt. All IWR and IRR can take this tour.
Literary Borgarfjörður
This trip travels west to the Borgarfjörður region, setting of the famous Egil’s Saga, as well as numerous other Icelandic sagas. We’ll circle the picturesque Hvalfjörður “Whale” fjord and visit the cultural centre Reykholt, where chieftain and writer Snorri Sturluson lived in the 13th century. Natural wonders on this tour include Europe’s largest hot spring, Deildartunguhver, and the waterfalls Barnafoss (“Children’s Falls”) and Hraunfossar (“Lava Falls”). Update for 2021: Either this tour or the next one will be available to IRR participants. Details will be confirmed later in 2020.
Geology, Ecology, and Literary Inspiration
This trip begins near geological wonders in the Reykjanes peninsula, including the spectacular Lake Kleifarvatn (made famous in Arnaldur Indriðason’s novel The Draining Lake) and the Krýsuvík geothermal area. We’ll also have a reading at the Strandakirkja Church, a visit to the Sólheimar Eco Village, and a stop at the Laugarvatn Fontana Spa to sample some delicious rye bread baked in the hot geothermal ground. Update for 2021: Either this tour or the one above will be available to IRR participants. Details will be confirmed later in 2020.
Reykjavik Literary Walking Tour
During the retreat, all participants are also invited to join a literary walking tour of Reykjavik, organized by the UNESCO City of Literature.
Á Íslensku
Ritlistarnámskeiðið Iceland Writers Retreat verður haldið í sjöunda sinn dagana 28. apríl – 2. maí, 2021. Í þetta sinn verður námskeiðið stafrænt á netinu. Á námskeiðinu gefst rithöfundum og fólki sem hefur bók í bígerð kostur á að taka þátt í námskeiðum og vinnustofum sem þaulreyndir höfundar og ritstjórar sjá um. Námskeiðið verður á ensku.
Auk námskeiða og vinnustofa fá ráðstefnugestir að kynnast hinum ríka bókmenntaarfi Íslendinga í gegnum kynningar af ýmsu tagi.
Iceland Writers Retreat er ætlað að höfða til erlendra gesta sem vilja æfa sig í skrifum og kynnast um leið sögu, menningu og náttúrufegurð Íslands. Heimafólk getur líka skráð sig á námskeiðið.
Ég held að IWR sé mikill hvalreki fyrir íslenska bókmenningu. Leiðbeinendur á heimsmælikvarða ásamt þáttakendum færa heim fjölbreytt og góð áhrif.”
–Andri Snær Magnason