Writers and Poets Retreats: Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, and Others

Many writers have unusual work habits. With the daily demands and responsibilities that life puts upon most of us, the most common writer requirement is uninterrupted quiet. For those of us lucky enough to have the personal time and financial resources, an isolated cabin in the woods becomes the ideal escape. For the rest of us, two or three weeks of idyllic solitude for, say, the sole purpose of writing the great American novel, a volume of poetry, or even (dare I say it?) a blockbuster Hollywood screenplay may seem like an expensive unattainable dream. For example, a two-week rental cabin in California's Big Sur can cost thousands.

Now the good news: there are writer retreats that may only cost you the flight or bus to get there. Chief among these retreats are long established writers and artists colonies like the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire, or Yaddo in upstate New York. In these places, qualified writers and artists can have that uninterrupted time isolated in the woods, plus the added bonus option of meeting other highly talented creatives.

MacDowell Colony

Founded in 1907, the MacDowell Colony is located in the hills of Peterborough, New Hampshire. They offer writers and artist retreats for up to two months. There are 32 artist cabin-studios spread out on 450 acres of woodland. While the "colonists" have access to these studios 24 hours a day, they sleep in bedrooms in residences apart from the studios. Besides writers, MacDowell is also open to composers, visual artists, photographers, and filmmakers. "Colonists" at MacDowell have included the likes of Carson McCullers, Aaron Copland, Barbara Tuchman, Thornton Wilder, Alice Walker, and more recently Richard Ford.

For admission into this prestigious retreat, all you need is talent and a work in progress. There are no fees for residencies, and fellowship grants are available. The Carnegie Foundation is among the longtime supporters of the MacDowell Colony.

Note that throughout the years MacDowell has also sponsored teaching conferences.

Yaddo

Founded in 1900, Yaddo is an artist community located at an estate on 40 acres in Saratoga Springs, New York. For over 100 years, Yaddo has offered residence to artists from many different disciplines including writing, performance art, film, music composition, video, and photography. Room, board, and studios are provided for up to two months. Residents are selected on talent and without regard to financial means. Noted residents have included James Baldwin, John Cheever, Leonard Bernstein, and Truman Capote.

Like MacDowell, there are no residence fees and grants are available. Admission samples for writers include three copies of a manuscript no longer than 30 pages. For visual artists, samples include seven colored 35 mm slides of images. For composers, admission samples include two separate musical scores.

Djerassi Resident Artist Program

Although the Djerassi program is only 28 years old, it's the largest writer-in-residence retreat in the West. Founded by Stanford University professor Carl Djerassi, the retreat is located on acreage in California's beautiful Santa Cruz Mountains. Djerassi modeled his artist retreat after its East Coast counterparts Yaddo and MacDowell.

Hedgebrook

Founded in 1988, Hedgebrook, a retreat aimed a female writers, is located on Whidbey Island near Seattle. It offers six cabins in the woods on 40 acres, and residencies up to two months.

Sources:

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing", Laurie Rozakis, pg 279