Crescent Dragonwagon and the late Ned Shank and the main office building of the Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow

Our History & Location

Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow

The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) opened in June, 2000, on the original site of the Dairy Hollow House Bed & Breakfast , started in 1979 by writers and innkeepers Crescent Dragonwagon and Ned Shank. The Washington Post described the Inn as "a kind of Algonquin Round Table of the Ozarks."

Co-founder and first executive director Ned Shank, who tragically died in an accident six months after the Colony's founding, was a writer, visual artist, preservationist and visionary. Ned's spirit was instrumental in bringing together the founding board and launching the program. Co-founder Crescent Dragonwagon is the author of 40 published books, including cookbooks (Passionate Vegetarian and Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread, a Julia Child Award and James Beard Award nominee), children's books, and novels.

In 2005, the operation grew into the Communication Arts Institute, expanding investment in the world of words and creativity for writers, readers, schools, organizations and our newest constituent, business. A building donated by Martin & Elise Roenigk, adjacent to the Colony's main building, will be renovated in partnership with Traditional Home magazine and become the Institute's national headquarters.

Communication Arts Institute
The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) is a program of the Communication Arts Institute.