The Writers' Colony

From the Eureka Springs Artists Registry - www.eurekaspringsartists.com - as announced by American Style Magazine.....

"Eureka Springs moved up to the number ten spot in the Top Art Destinations in the United States annual reader's poll sponsored by American Style Magazine. In the catergory of small cities with populations under 100,000, Eureka Springs pulled ahead of Carmel, California, Aspen, Colorado, and Laguna Beach, California, for 2010.

Another successful event in spite of a little bit of stormy weather. Held inside the beautiful Crescent Hotel, which donates a ton of meeting space to this literary celebration each year, the annual Books in Bloom featured our Writers Colony table. Hosted again this year by Colony Coordinator Vicki Kell-Schneider and guest starring alum and recently published writer Jen Nipps. Thanks to both of them for representing the Colony so well!

Jennifer Hansen

Curing her recent two-week stay at the Colony, Writer and Alum Pat Laster logged an amazing 80 hours of writing on her novel plus uncharted time on her other writing projects: columns, new poems, reading about writing, etc.

Yeah! That's what it's all about!

Here are Pat's thoughts on the rest of her stay in the Spring Garden Suite at Dairy Hollow House: The night before she left, resident Tom Sweeney organized a "resident-read-around" for the writers who were here during his stay. Pat found this extremely helpful, and said Tom's comments gave her insights that improved the chapter she shared.

Another reading opportunity came at the monthly Poetluck. Pat, a Poetluck veteran, found the gathering "especially delightful" for the quality and quantity of local writing - and the fact that the audience interrupted her several times with laughter!

As if this weren't enough, she was inspired by Jana's good work on our landscaping, by Cindy's food and friendliness, and by Vicki's outgoing and happy persona. It all makes her want a bumpersticker that reads: Proud Alum of WCDH!

Thanks, Pat. We look forward to seeing you and our other returning alums each year.

Follow Pat's writing - her lovely poetry and haiku are quick, inspiring and reflective reading - at www.pittypatter.blogspot.com. (Note from Jennifer: Enter that blog title carefully to avoid similarly titled but differently focused blogs).

Take care,

Jennifer Hansen

Last fall, short story writer Vanessa Blakeslee of Maitland, Florida left us her thoughts on her two-week stay at the Colony. As the winner of the Another World! Writing Fellowship, she arrived at the Colony in late November and departed just before we closed down for the season on December 10.

During her Fellowship residency, Blakeslee (who is also a poet and novelist) worked primarily on her latest short story collection including the story, "Clinica Tikal", which won her the Fellowship. In this science fiction tale, a teenage girl in Guatemala is told by a village psychic to seek treatment at an obscure clinic near the ruins of Tikal, only to encounter a surgery that is anything but ordinary.

"I loved the 'best of both worlds' aspect of Dairy Hollow - the close priximity to the charm and conveniences of town, but also the solitude," Blakeslee wrote. "From the moment of my arrival, I easily slipped into a work routine which lasted for the entirety of my stay.

"Early in the residency, I  knew I would return to the Colony before too long. There's a creative spark, an energy, in Eureka Springs and it turns up on the page. Meeting and interacting with the other residents was a delight."

We think that sums up The Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow. It's the best of both worlds with privacy in an arts town; it makes slipping into a productive work routine easy; it has that rare, creative spark; and it provides the opportunity for delightful interaction with other writers. Thanks, Vanessa. Happy writing!

Learn more about Vanessa's work at www.vanessablakeslee.com.

Jennifer Hansen

"I Have a Book Out! Can You Believe It?"

That's how long-time alum Jen Nipps announced the publication of her book, Devoted to Creating.

"I'm still having a hard time believing it," she wrote us.

We believe it! Jen is a delight, and the range of her creative efforts is impressive. (Check out her links below). After four seasons at the Colony, this year Jen will be splitting her month of general residency into 2 separate two-week residencies - one in the spring and one in the fall - something more and more writers are doing as life gets busier. As always, we're happy to work with her - and with any resident - to make time here work within her schedule.

You can check out Devoted to Creating and even read the introduction and a couple of devotions at the publisher's website http://www.awocbooks.com/Book.cfm?b=80&f=d   (You can order it from there, too!)

So what's it about? Jen gives us a preview:

"These devotions illustrate how creativity surrounds us and how we can use it in God's service even -and especially- in unexpected ways, such as teaching, parenting, gardening, and cooking as well as the more expected outlets of writing, painting, and drawing. Hopefully they will help ignite the spark of creativity in you." -  Jen Nipps, Freelance Writer. Websites: JeniferNipps.com & Creative Tips; Contributor for OWFI Report, TutorialBlog.org, & WritingforDollars.com