In the August issue of The Writer, Sion Dayson reflects on her experience as a writer-in-residence at the Kerouac House in Orlando, Florida. The time living at Kerouac’s former home deeply impacted Dayson’s life and writing.
“Important changes were occurring simply because of the chance to live and work in the space,” she says.
Revolutionize your own creative process by spending time in a new space. Here are five under-the-radar residencies at writers’ homes.
The James Merrill House Writer-in-Residence Program
This program offers a variety of multi-week residencies at the former home of poet James Merrill in Stonington, Conn. Writers of all genres enjoy ocean views and opportunities for readings, workshops and literary events. Extended term residents receive a $5,000 stipend.
The Dartmouth Poet-in-Residence at The Frost Place
Spend the summer in Robert Frost’s former farmhouse, a quiet space in Franconia, N.H., with majestic views of the White Mountains. The program seeks poets who are “at an artistic and personal crossroad, comparable to that faced by Robert Frost when he moved to Franconia in 1915.” The residency includes a $2,000 stipend and opportunities to give readings in the region.
Thurber House Writers-in-Residence
The boyhood home of James Thurber in Columbus, Ohio, is host to two annual writing residencies. The John E. Nance Writer-in-Residence provides writers with a four-week residence, stipend and community outreach opportunities. Writers are chosen according to the specified genre of that year (fiction or creative nonfiction for 2014). A Children’s Writer-in-Residence program is also available for children’s or young adult authors.
Carl Sandburg Writer-in-Residence
The accepted writer-in-residence receives a three-week stay at a historic cottage near Carl Sandburg’s former home in the western North Carolina forests. Writers also participate in three public programs in exchange for a stipend.
Writer-in-Residence at Ernest Hemingway’s Birthplace
The program provides year-long use of an office in Hemingway’s childhood home in Oak Park, Ill. The writer-in-residence provides quarterly readings, workshops or presentations in the community.
