Writers Retreat: Tijuana Edition

Latino's Bar, Tijuana

My friend Albert William and I had our first official “Writer’s Retreat” in Astoria, OR in June of 2012. During that epic weekend-long exchange, I finished 4 short stories and wrote for about 6-8 hours a day. In the evenings, we workshopped ideas and issues and drank at every bar in town.

Four years later in 2016 we returned in March after each having read our completed debut novels as homework. Instead of writing for hours, we spent the entire weekend discussing each other’s novels. What worked, what didn’t? It was an amazingly productive weekend that had me completely rethinking my novel in the best way.

In 2017, we met in Tijuana, Mexico, where Albert William lives. I had always wanted to come visit him on his home turf, but the opportunity did not arise until October 2017. After a conference in San Diego, I spent an entire weekend in Tijuana exploring the city and discussing our current literary works. 

fries at Lico Bar

The thing about TJ though…is that there is a lot more partying and drinking to do than in sleepy Astoria, Oregon. So we didn’t exactly get around to talking shop until my last night there, after an intense night of drinking until 6:00am following by a day of me reliving the night in my journal.  

By evening, Albert William and I were at Lico Bar, one of his favorites for drinks and cheese fries, where he spent an hour and a half talking me through his screenplay – about the time it would have taken me to watch the movie had it been produced. Unfortunately it was a horror plot and got me really scared, which I guess is the point. 

After our first few drinks and snacks we moved on to Verde Y Crema and I workshopped the plot summary of my new novel with him in front of a plate of Korean tacos and mezcal. The idea had come to me while I was jogging on one sunny afternoon several months ago, and I had already begun putting some pieces together. Albert William was the first person I told and it felt great to finally say the plot out loud and wrap my head around it.

The night ended, of course, at Dandy del Sur, the oldest bar in Tijuana, with a conversation that had nothing to do with out novels and every thing to do with our lives.

Return to Astoria: A second Writers' Retreat

The view from our hotel room

The excited 4-year sequel to our 2012 Retreat has arrived. This year, Albert William and I traveled back to the small coastal city where it all began. In 2012, the purpose of the trip was to isolate ourselves from our lives back in Portland, and to write as much as we possibly could. This year the purpose was to read and critique the finished manuscripts we have recently completed.  It was also a chance to see what’s changed about Astoria, and what’s changed about ourselves. Since the retreat of 2012, I’ve changed jobs, homes, and countries. Albert William has also changed jobs, homes, and countries. In the two-hour drive over we had a chance to catch up on all that before digging deep into our novels at Astoria.

The trip was very successful. I am so pleased with the work we have created, and with the feedback we were able to share with one another. Everything about our lives is different now. And everything about Astoria is different too. Thought it looks the same, it has a different atmosphere to it. When we visited  our beloved Astoria Coffeehouse we sat on the same couches where we began writing in 2012, and were served by the same waitress. She had actually resigned shortly after our visit in 2012, traveled the world on a sailboat for years, and had just came back to resume her old job at the cafe. Apparently our lives are not the only ones coming full circle. But one difference was obvious: the café was packed. When we were there four years ago – in the high season no less – we were the only customers. But on a rainy March weekend in 2016 crowds of people waited outside for their names to be called from a waitlist, and they jealously eyed our seats. The city had been discovered. 

Me at Astoria Coffeehouse

Albert William at Astoria Coffeehouse

I didn’t take many photos this trip, but the ones I took seemed to capture the essence of our return.  Astoria has changed and will change again. We have changed and will change again. This is a way for me to preserve this moment, when we were still unknown authors bumming around cafes and dreaming big dreams. 

View from the balcony

Late night bar hopping

Big dreams...

Astoria: Other great places writers love

Although the Astoria Coffee House was deemed the coolest place to write in town, I don't want to downplay the other awesome cafes in Astoria. We did quite a bit of cafe-hopping and these three places were all excellent:

The Most Relaxing: The Blue Scorcher

Both a restaurant and cafe, the Blue Scorcher was serene at 9:00 am when we began our writing fest there. It is also an entirely vegetarian cafe, which made excellent frittata and tea.

Cafe counter

Paradise found

The Most Fun: Columbia River Coffee 

This place was about a thirty minute walk from downtown, right along Marine Drive.  From this neighborhood, you can smell the  sea water. This cafe is definitely catered more towards families, but when we went in we had the place to ourselves, and got to goof off a bit.

Front of the cafe

Their famous mango ice tea

They had a hammock in the cafe!

Albert William serenading me

The Most Posh: 14th Street Coffee 

This was the very last cafe we visited in Astoria, even though it was only one block from our hostel. What I didn't like is that it closed at 4:00 p.m. Seriously, 4:00? 

Well, I'm really glad we got out early enough to check it out, because it is the chicest little cafe in town. 

Coffee bar

Lounge area

The counter

The pre-4:00 p.m. crowd

Vanilla latte

Astoria: A writer's favorite place to write

I spent this past weekend in Astoria for the inaugural Astoria Writers' Retreat. Astoria is the type of small coastal town where you could walk several blocks in any direction without seeing other people, but when you do, they are happy to stop and talk to you.  The sky always looks like it is on the verge of raining, and 200 days out of the year it actually does. But one of the main reasons I was most excited to go to Astoria was the abundance of wonderful coffee shops.

The colorful facade of Astoria Coffee House

On this trip I penned three short stories in four coffee shops in Astoria. Of all the places we wrote, our favorite was by far the Astoria Coffee House. Every evening the two of us were fixtures on the coffee shop's black sofas from the early evening on into the night. At dusk we would start with a light snack and coffee or chai. At night we would finish the session with a round of drinks (they have a full bar). Although the House is technically a coffee shop, restaurant, and bar, their entire food, cafe, and cocktail menus are available from anywhere inside or outside the restaurant.

Here is just a visual summery of our days at the Astoria Coffee house.

The indoor-outdoor seating

Albert William penning his novel

Me and my short stories

Iced Chai

Cupcake

Salted Caramel Latte

An Americano: cocktail with campari, vermouth, and soda

Live from the Astoria Writers' Retreat!

Astoria, Oregon

I am writing this post from the Oregon coast, where I have arrived to participate in the Astoria Writers' Retreat. Just this afternoon  I left behind sunny 85-degree Portland for this chilly, coastal town.  I will spend three days here and I hope to finish four short stories and make substantial progress on my novel. Yes, apparently I write more than just frivolous blog posts.

I am attending the retreat with my posh friend and fellow writer, Albert William. Our reasons for attending the retreat can be summed up in the following:

1. Get the hell out of the city for a weekend

2. Write without the interruptions of our daily lives

3. Meet other writers and creative people

4. Get critical feedback on our work

5. Get shit done!

My life for the next three days

Of course, no retreat would be complete with the element essential to all writing. No, I'm not talking about creativity, I'm talking about booze.

Aperol: my liquor of choice second only to Campari

Bag Check: Astoria Writers Retreat

I am packing for the Writers' Retreat in Astoria, Oregon this weekend! Here is what's in my bag.

1. Wine glasses

2. H&M Sun glasses

3. Delfonics Agenda (from Japan)

4. Mac

5. ipod

6.  Handwritten journals for transcribing

7. Inspiration: The Lover by Marguerite Duras

8. LV Wallet 

9. iphone

10. Favorite bottle of wine: CMS Hedges

11. Anna Sui Mirror

12. Revlon Orange lipstick

13. Car (It's a road trip after all)!
14.  Vintage tote