Morocco is a collection of twelve stories arising out of the Magical Journeys Creative Writing retreat to Morocco. Each story is linked to a different calendar month and by the unifying theme of Morocco. These stories explore what it is to be human. They are true in the way all stories are true, and they are all absolutely a work of the imagination, spooled out of the creative flux of which we are all a part.
We write to capture the ordinary and make it glow, to take risks on the page, to be fully present in the world, to entertain and to make a kind of magic. We write because story is at the heart of who we are and how we belong to each other. This collection of short stories grew out of a series of workshops designed by Claire Steele as part of a Magical Journeys creative writing retreat to Morocco. Morocco is the original Magical Journeys retreat and feels like coming home to a place where creativity cradles the soul and trust flourishes.
The writers in this collection have come together in random ways, drawn by the power of imagining our way into the hearts and minds of an extraordinary array of characters and situations. The way the groups work is fluid, organic, open to chance, but it is a space in which charm, candour and creativity can all flourish. The Magical Journeys retreats provide a space in which to make remarkable discoveries with people who generously and imaginatively share their creative energy. We write because we are human, and full of passion. It’s mortal work, but it tells you that it’s good to be mortal.
Grateful thanks to the brilliant Imogen Marchant for the thoughtfulness, precision and insight which she brought to bear copyediting this collection.
Contents
- January: At the Gate of the Year – Jill Glenn
- February: Nadir – Moira Cormack
- March: Resurrection – Mary Longhurst
- April: The Unbroken Circle – Coco Jones
- May: Quickening – Claire Steele
- June: Sisters of the Same Bed – Gabrielle Goldsmith
- July: Live Music Tonight – Jeneane Hobby
- August: Mint Tea and Pomegranates – Valerie Rule
- September: Fragments – H.A.C. Simm
- October: Granny’s Legacy – Lea Taylor
- November: Strangers – Cathy Welch
- December: Romjul and the Fish of Fortune – Babybel
