Welcome to my world of writing! The art of crafting stories has been my lifelong passion, books my refuge and reading my greatest joy. ‘Do what you love,’ they said. So, I did. But little did I know that my obsession with making stories would see me teaching, connecting, motivating, and uplifting more than 180 international writers in Florence, Italy, as well as developing a creative writing hub in Tuscany. Only to ultimately bring that expertise and experience back to Brisbane, Australia.

It all seems like a bit of a full circle really. Following a scholarship at the Australian, Film, TV and Radio School, I reported for 2GB News and Kiis FM. Eventually I corresponded from Italy for the ABC, 2UE and the American Radio News Network. Then came television news. While Associate Producer for Sydney’s Channel 10 National News I wrote my first book – Walking Sydney, A Guide to 25 of Sydney’s Best Walks. The move to live and correspond fulltime from Italy led to three more books – The Promise, Death in the Mountains and Naples: A Way of Love.

One of the best things about writing my books is that they’ve reached readers in the US, UK, India, China, and Africa. It was a natural progression that writers from these nations joined me in Florence to learn about their own authoring. We work with Literary Agents from different territories, discuss international and translation rights. The Art of Writing is a global centre for creatives and their representation.

After four decades of living in and writing about Italy, I decided it was time to bring the Art of Writing back to Australia. Now I share what I have learned in Europe by helping Aussie writers achieve their dreams.

My retreats run in the Italian summer, and the Australian summer. They are for beginning, emerging and established writers. I’d love to meet you in either Florence or Brisbane. Maybe even both! Let the Art of Writing team help take your idea from heart to page. I really hope you can write with me.

— Lisa Clifford