Throughout the year, the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, located near Santa Cruz, California, offers monthlong fellowships for visiting writers.
Applications for our next writing fellowship, this November, are due by October 10. For details, see below.
THE WCR FELLOWSHIP
We offer a setting of spectacular beauty sure to inspire any writer not only to find new directions to make progress with a writing project, but also a chance to pamper yourself with a break from many of the pointless distractions of day to day life. A visiting writing fellow can enjoy many hours of solitude, either in the Library House where she or he will be staying, or with a soak in our hot tub or a walk out on our private trails through the redwoods or elsewhere on our 4.7 acres of beautiful land, four miles up from the Pacific Ocean near Santa Cruz, California. Or the visiting writing fellow can also enjoy joining the permanent residents of the WCR for our delicious common meals, prepared with fresh fruit and vegetables from our own organic gardens, eggs from our hens and milk from our goats. Twice a week we have morning yoga and we also have regular cooking courses as well.
TESTIMONIAL
A word from Joan Anderman, our first fellow:
It’s been a week since I left the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, where I spent the month of July living and working in the Library House as the Wellstone’s inaugural writing fellow. During these past seven days many people have asked me to describe my experience there. I tell them, of course, about how much progress I made on my book, about my simple, beautiful cabin and the power of solitude as a creative conduit. I came to the Wellstone to write, and write I did. But I left the Wellstone with more than a fistful of chapters. I left as part of a creative community, a community of dreamers and strivers dedicated to nourishing mind, body, and spirit with, simply put, what matters. Ideas and encouragement. Garden vegetables and fresh goat’s milk. Hikes through the forest. Honest conversation. Progress can be measured in many ways, and I measure mine in terms of words written, to be sure, but also bonds forged. I don’t know how I got so lucky. I do know how much I’m looking forward to going back.
ABOUT THE WELLSTONE CENTER
Founded in 2012 by Sarah Ringler and Steve Kettmann, the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods was named to San Francisco Magazine‘s 2013 “Best of the Bay” issue for its weekend workshops. We are a small community looking to work together to inspire each other through close contact with nature and a commitment to using creativity to make a difference in our lives – and those of others. Writing fellows are invited to join us for meals and encouraged to cook for all of us on occasion.
The fellowship does not include transportation expenses to come to us, but we will pick you up at a local airport on the day of your arrival. Writing fellows will be asked to join us for at least an hour of work a day in our gardens or orchards, to experience firsthand a connection with nature. Writing fellows will also be asked to contribute one essay on reading for our forthcoming collection from Wellstone Books, I Read It in the Library House, during the monthlong fellowshop, and to lead one weekend workshop at a date to be determined subsequent to the fellowship. (We will offer a stipend to defray travel expenses to return for the workshop weekend.)
To apply, please email a letter of roughly 500 words explaining your interest and why you believe you would be an asset to our community; as well as one sample of your writing, between 1,000 and 2,000 words long; and a resume listing your work experience and publications. Please let us know how you heard about us and the fellowship. Preference will be given to writers with at least one book published. Applicants are encouraged to read about our upcoming workshops at our homepage, and also to peruse some of Steve’s blogs, like this one, which help offer a sense of what we’re about.
Mail your application to steve@wellstoneredwoods.org or to 858 Amigo Road, Soquel, CA 95073 by October 10, 2014, to be considered for our November fellowship. The winner will be notified by October 15.