The first "Literature and Place: International Creative Writing Retreat" will be held in Burgas on 24 and 25 October, organiser and author Irina Papancheva said.

This story follows our earlier report on the first international creative writing retreat in Burgas, when Burgas council announced the dates and the organisers.

The four guests are Hayri Hamdan (Palestine/Bulgaria), Emil Andreev and the Belgians Anelies Verbeke and Dr Filip Meersman. They will join Zhivka Ivanova, Kerana Angelova, Irina Papancheva and Burgas's literary community to discuss writing fiction. The meetings look at Burgas as a literary place.

"I have wanted to organise a literary retreat for years, and I am happy that I will finally do it in my home town," said Papancheva, who was born in Burgas. She said the retreat is possible thanks to the support of Burgas council, the authors taking part and their publishers, who are partners of the organiser.

The retreat is funded by the Culture Fund of Burgas council and by the Flemish literature house Flanders Literature. The publishing houses Znaci and Izida are partners.

The programme runs for two days and has three events. On 24 October, from 10:00 to 12:00, the guests and local authors will speak on "From Memory to Fiction: Bringing Personal Experience, (Auto)biography and History into a Literary Work". It will take place at the Centre for Contemporary Art and Library at 43 Sts Cyril and Methodius Street.

That evening, from 19:00 to 22:00, the cultural salon "Literature and Place" will feature a talk and readings by guests and local authors at the House of the Writer at 1 Vola Street. Papancheva has run a salon of the same name in Brussels for 10 years.

On 25 October, from 17:00 to 19:00, the authors will meet again at the Centre for Contemporary Art and Library. The topic is "The Process: From Idea to Finished Work". The programme also includes visits to literary sites in Burgas, where participants will learn more about the history of the city and about Burgas authors over the years.

"The meetings will be in the spirit of genuine sharing and a shorter distance between authors, and between authors and the public," Papancheva said. She said they will be like all the other formats she creates. She hopes more writers from Burgas and from across Bulgaria will join.

Anyone can attend any of the meetings, and entry is free.