The annual Books in Bloom literary festival, "a celebration of writers and readers", will be held at the beautiful Crescent Hotel on Sunday afternoon, May 16, 2010. Each year, the Crescent graciously opens its lawns, gardens and rooms to writers, readers and literary types to wander, peruse, gather, listen, discuss or simply read. This is the essence of spring in Eureka!

"Books in Bloom is an annual event that brings together accomplished authors, booklovers, and writers in a lovely, informal setting. This free literary event, presented by the Carroll and Madison Public Library Foundation, is open to the public and celebrates book culture and promotes reading and literacy." For more information, check www.booksinbloom.org.

And, the Ozark Creative Writers Conference has set the dates for its 42nd gathering. The Conference will be held October 7 - 9, 2010. Pre-registration date is August 27, 2010.

This is a wonderful, small but powerful conference with a varied and excellent array of information for every writer. Guest speakers are informative and realistic, ideas flow, editors are on site, and the charge you'll get from being with this crowd will amaze you. Last year, I left the conference with a whole new approach to a project I've struggled with for years. I highly recommend this friendly but serious conference.

Check out www.ozarkcreativewriters.org for more information, and don't miss the contest entries!

Take care,

Jennifer Hansen

Once again, we're being super flexible with lengths of stays this year. We learned last year that our flexibility made it possible for many old and new friends to come and get that protected work time they need. Realistically, the economy means changes for all of us, and if a shorter than usual stay is what's best for you, let us know.

When you come, you'll see familiar faces: Vicki Kell-Schneider at the front desk, Cindy Duncan in the kitchen, Jana Jones in the garden and sprucing up the suites, and me behind the scenes. All of us are looking forward to supporting you however we can - for lots and lots and lots of writing time, thinking space, gathering for yummy dinners, quiet work in the writing suites, and fun breaks in town.

Spring is hinting that it's here, we hope you'll be here soon, too!

Jennifer Hansen

But that's what winter is all about, right? Would spring be so beautiful if we didn't miss it so? Nope.

This year, come spring, summer, or fall, we hope to see you at the Colony. Right now, we're in the process of finalizing some 2010 Fellowships, and here's a sneak peak:

The NEW Mahony Fellowship for Courageous Writing for Young People;

The return of ... The Moondancer Fellowship for Writing About Nature and the Outdoors;

Year 2 of The Duncan Eat-Write! Culinary Fellowship;

and more!

So stay tuned and start dreaming of writing days at the Colony - spring really is just around the corner!

Stay warm and well,

Jennifer Hansen

 

We've had a bitter cold but beautiful winter so far. Even though today we're enjoying a respite from the cold, sleet, and icy roads, we know there's more on the way before we're through. Ever wondered why The Writers' Colony doesn't stay open all year long? Ever wondered why we don't invite you to be here through the yummy winter months when it's so nice to curl up in a cozy corner and write, write, write? Because when skies deliver ice and snow to Northwest Arkansas, hilly and steep Eureka Springs shuts down - and for good reason!

Yes, Arkansas is way down south to many of you, but our little corner of the Ozark Mountains has all four seasons, and winter came raging in this December. Schools were closed for days due to ice, and Eureka was all but impassable. It was a good but harsh reminder to us because each year we consider the option of staying open and each year, we err on the safe side and are usually glad we did.

But wait - spring will come! If you're considering your options for where you'll be writing next year, not to worry. There'll be plenty of warm, cozy writing time and space at the Colony when we re-open March 15. Want to reserve some? Contact Vicki at director@writerscolony.org . We're starting to fill in dates for 2010, so let us know when we can look forward to seeing you!

Stay warm,

Jennifer Hansen

What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time, we were barely holding on. With careful financial management and the support of long-time donors, our Board, alums and new writers, we not only paid off old bills - some several years old, to be honest - but we ended the year in strong financial condition. In addition, we moved way ahead on renovation of our new building next door and, looking ahead to a renewed marketing effort in 2010, we pursued a full-fledged marketing study through long-term alum Joe Cangelosi to get to know our potential audience better.

Now, with the holidays behind us and two whole months before we open again, we have the quiet time to review and renew. Our 2010 season begins in mid-March, and between now and then we'll be cleaning, repairing, writing grants, revising outdated promotional material, and much more. With time to think and reflect on an incredibly difficult year, a year which many non-profits did not survive or barely survived, I have to say that The Writers' Colony is going strong. I truly believe that 2010 will be a great year for us, and I hope it will be a happy, healthy and prosperous year for each of you.

Jennifer Hansen

Luminaria lit dead luminaries this weekend at the Eureka Springs Cemetery.  Politicians, preachers and Arkansas' first female pediatrician reincarnated along with scoundrels, socialites and suffragettes to support the Eureka Springs Historical Museum by resuscitating their lives and times for both locals and visitors.

The hour and a half tour featured a hatchet-wielding prohibitionist Carrie Nation, who ranted her last lecture at Basin Park where she collapsed and died a few days later;  John Carroll, who built the Grand Central Hotel and would no doubt be pleased they still shake a mean martini (a healing "water" of a different sort than what brought him to Eureka Springs);  and Carrie Lassagne, who planted the maples along Spring Street and fretted whether future generations would appreciate them.

In all, eleven alive Eurekans portrayed the entombed in "Voices from Eureka's Silent City."  Financial underwriting for the all volunteer effort came from Cornerstone Bank, whose current president's grandfather, Congressman Claude Fuller, was one of the risen.

The event has been such a hit during its premiere weekend, organizers hope to make it annual.  As a writer interested in how current events shape our history, I can only hope people crowd under an equally clear sky some October many, many years from now while a young actor portrays a writer who helped shape today's view of tomorrow's history.

# # # # #

Kelly Hayes-Raitt is the Gorrell-Nelson Fellow in residence this fall at the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow.  She is writing a book about her experiences with Iraqi refugees and blogs at www.PeacePATHFoundation.org.

On my first day exploring Eureka Springs, I wore sneakers. (I NEVER wear sneakers.) Everyone here wears sneakers as a half-caz fashion statement/half-self preservation effort. The sidewalks are older than the turn-of-the-last-century buildings, but decidedly less quaint. 

The town is great, great, great:  an artsy, quirky, hilly enclave of people, many of whom left citified corporate lives to pursue their muse in a simpler place. As one “Yrkn” told me, “Everyone here has had their 15 minutes of fame. Now we just want 15 minutes of gentility.”

It’s the first place I’ve ever been where everyone, everyone, wants to be here.

This town of 2,000 people caters to one million tourists/year.  The shops boast a wide variety of local artwork, local music, local stuff, all surprisingly affordable. The art is gorgeous and inspiring, and I was glad I'd left my credit card in my room during this inaugural jaunt. (Although I am dreaming about a mischievous meditating yoda statue for my garden.) 

People pile old books on their porches with signs that say, "Free: Take me."  One shopworker told me about a metaphysics group (the "metafizzies"); African drum lessons taught by local meter man; yoga classes held above the antique shop down the street; and Opal Fly and the Swatters, a local group whose lead singer sounds like Billie Holiday.

My kinda place!

I arrived at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in the dark, so initially I wasn’t sure what critters belonged to all the noises outside my Farmhouse windows. I’m in a charming room called "Tulip" with two corner windows, a huge writing table, fluffy reading chair, queen bed with a delightfully firm mattress, wood-burning stove, wireless internet and an adjoining bathroom with a sumptuous Jacuzzi tub.

It converted me to Bathism.

Two other suites in this same building share a broad wooden porch and Adirondack chairs that have rocked many a tall tale, I suspect.  The porch overlooks woods that shelter precocious deer.  (Hopefully, they won't demand a writing credit.)  Up the street is the Main House with the great room, a TV, the dining room where Cindy serves home-cooked meals, the offices and three more suites, including the culinary suite.  It's a very well-run place and I'm quite charmed, if a bit waterlogged from the extensive soak in the aforementioned Jacuzzi.

There are ghost tours galore, but I think I can offer one from my own room. I swear, every night around 11:00, I hear footsteps on my porch but I’m in too much denial to check it out. I'm sure it's just rambunctious squirrels, but last night I swore I heard keys rattling.  Damn smart squirrels.  The Crescent Hotel, one of America’s historic inns, is just a respiratory failure walk away from my digs and has breathtaking views of the valley as well as its own ghost tours. The town boasts a spook tour, too. Stand by for more reports this Halloween month when I take one!

But what really got me are the spas! One historic hotel has rooms for $129, a 50-min massage included. I booked a 60-min massage and facial tomorrow for only $95! I'll need it after my urban hiking today.

And the deer! I see deer every day. They flirt with the hood of my car on the curvy road into Eureka Springs. They pass my bedroom window every morning, pausing to check themselves out in the reflection. Another crossed my path today, not 10 feet from me as I was walking – huffing - my way back up to my room. He offered to call the paramedics.

And the springs!  Quaint, legend-inducing springs with natural waterfalls and modern water fountains. One spring down the street boasts its healing powers restored the sight of 20-year-old Jennifer Cowan, blinded by an accident for over a decade. She drank the healing waters daily for a month and in 1880 declared her eyesight restored with the profound comment: "I can see again!"

What I dream about is sipping from the writers’ spring, rumored in my imagination to produce inspired phrases, enamored publishers and cries of “I’ve got an advance!”

 - Kelly Hayes-Raitt

Kelly Hayes-Raitt is spending three months this fall at the Writers’ Colony working on a memoir about her work with refugees in the Middle East.  She blogs at www.PeacePATHFoundation.org.

This free, self-guided annual art event is a wonderful way to spend three cultural days exploring beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas!

During September 25 - 27, 2009, 16 studio locations will offer behind the scenes experiences with 21 local artists. Artworks in studios around town will be on exhibit and for sale. Pieces will include original paintings and prints, pottery, fiber art, jewelry and other fine crafts. Hosting studios will offer demonstrations, Q & A, and lots of interaction with the artists right in their working environments.

Additionally, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA), as this year's Tour Headquarters, will offer presentations by visiting artists and instructors Doug Stowe and Leon Niehues - both designated as 'Arkansas Living Treasures'.

Hours and location details are available at the website www.eurekaspringsstudiotour.com . Map Brochures are available at ESSA, Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce, local galleries, and the numerous sponsors of the event including Crescent Hotel and Community First Bank.

See you in the studio!

J. Hansen

Great! Tell your friends and colleagues about the Writers' Colony!

This summer, I finally decided to stop dreaming about a writing seminar I've wanted to participate in for years, and I committed to making it happen. This is the week - I'm signed up and headed to San Francisco. If the seminar is as well-attended as it usually is, I'll be in a room with literally hundreds of writers. These writers will come from all genres and ranges of experience and success.

Guess what I'm taking with me? My Writers' Colony business cards. Tons of them. I hope to be able to spread the word and the contact info for the Colony to as many writers as possible, and in the process, to ask at least a few of them what they look for when they think about getting away from distractions and focusing in on their current writing projects.

Recently, we've gotten great feedback on the new website. We continue to adapt it and craft it to add details that our residents tell us made the difference to them when they were choosing where they wanted to go. With the new site ready and able to showcase all the Colony offers, we're hoping you'll help us spread the word to the writers you know, too.

Thanks!

J. Hansen

Writer Dick Jespers in Spring Garden Suite, April 2009