Did you know that Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world and has been deemed “One of the World’s Most Literary Countries”?

It’s true that Cuban culture and literature go hand in hand. While there have been many tours and delegations to Cuba for academics as well as dancers, musicians, painters and photographers, we are offering the first of its kind – as far as we know – specifically for writers.

The Writer’s Journey to Cuba is an upcoming Altruvistas delegation focused on Cuba’s contemporary and historical literature and its role within the larger creative-arts community, exploring the relationship between personal expression, history, culture and identity.

How a Writer’s Journey to Cuba Was Born

This trip is the brainchild of Aysha Griffin. In late 2013, Aysha spent three months in Cuba as a guest of the renowned Instituto del Libro Cubano. She was invited to present courses on digital publishing to Cuban writers, editors and publishers in Havana and Cienfuegos.

Aysha, a travel writer and author marketing coach, was asked repeatedly if she would organize a tour to Cuba specifically for writers, and after much planning and coordination, this first-ever literary-based people-to-people delegation will take place in Cuba October 7 to 14, 2015.

Throughout her stay (and subsequent trips) to Cuba, Aysha met, befriended and kept in contact with some of the top authors and influencers in the world of Cuban literature.

Among them is the trip co-facilitator and tour translator Susana Haug – a senior professor of Latin American literature at the University of Havana, an author and passionate lover of books – and her husband, Jesús David Curbelo, director of the Centro Dulce Maria Loynaz and award-winning author of numerous books of poems and stories.

Aysha chose Altruvistas as her tour partner “due to its vast experience of organizing successful people-to-people tours to Cuba and its commitment to philanthropy and sustainable travel.” Of course, we couldn’t be more pleased to be involved in making this innovative trip happen!

More About Writer’s Journey to Cuba October 7-14, 2015
This groundbreaking journey will bring together award-winning Cuban authors with North American writers (bibliophiles are welcome too) to discuss the challenges and joys of the writer’s life, the crafting of excellence in various genres and how place, time and cultures influence the styles and subjects of authors.

Writers and book lovers will have the unique opportunity to meet and share with accomplished Cuban authors and experience this fascinating country through the personal worlds and works of contemporary writers and their historical inspirations, like José Martí, Alejo Carpentier and Dulce Maria Loynaz.

In addition to facilitated (and translated) conversations of all things literary, travelers will visit Cuba’s top cities and sites of literary significance in La Habana, Cienfuegos, Santa Clara, Matanzas, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Trinidad, gain insight into the history and culture of Cuba via its literature and arts, be enriched and inspired by genuine Cuban hospitality and profoundly connect with colleagues.

Aysha Griffin

Aysha Griffin

What to Expect Along the Way
While participants can expect to see the sights and experience life in Cuba, it will largely be through the lens of its rich literary traditions and greats, then and now.

Of course, there’s what you can read in a trip description, and then there’s what really happens on a journey, so we asked Aysha what she thinks people who take this trip may be surprised by during their journey.

Here’s what she said:

“The biggest surprise is the genuine warmth and gratitude of Cuba’s literati for interest from outsiders and their desire to share their craft and works. Journeyers will also be amazed by the vast contribution to Spanish language literature by highly respected Cuban authors, poets, dramatists, essayists, etc., both historical and contemporary. And, they will be wowed by the extraordinary level of creativity in the literary arts, the prolific output of writers, the long tradition of publishing and the value placed on books among Cuba’s highly literate population.”

Become a Writer Who Travels…to Cuba
Fancy yourself a writer or book lover? Then consider embarking on this first literary delegation of its kind to Cuba. The journey takes place October 7-14, 2015. Aysha is excited to share with writers her love of Cuba and its people through their extraordinary historical and contemporary literature.

Trip Info:

*Lead Photo Credit: Tim Tendick