During this monumental time, The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow believes it is important to give a voice to the writing community, to hear their thoughts, guidance, and words of hope regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning the week of March 30, Chad Gurley, WCDH Colony Coordinator, will host a special, daily edition of "Write Now at The Writers' Colony.” Each podcast will be a short conversation with a writer (held over the phone) regarding their work and how the current situation is affecting their lives and their writing. Featured writers will include local and regional writers as well as Writers’ Colony alumni from across the country.
The first three podcasts will feature Eureka Springs author, Charles L. Templeton, who has a new book out, Boot: a Sorta Novel of Vietnam; Crescent Dragonwagon, prolific author, teacher, and founder of The Writers’ Colony; and Philip Cioffari, award-winning author and filmmaker, and instructor of the “Structuring the Novel” workshop at WCDH in August. Explaining his motivation for the series, Gurley says, "It is so important for artists to call out to one another right now just as the birds do. To be able to hear another's voice is a gift, and in a world of texting and emails, it is easy to take it for granted. Calling out and really listening is an important way of connecting in our present world of social isolation. It can help provide sanity and deepen our experience of life, opening our minds and our hearts."
Creating a Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow podcast was the brainchild of board member and author, Charles Templeton, who made the effort possible by generously donating the equipment and software required. The first “Write Now at the Writers’ Colony” podcast was released on December 5, 2019. Since then, the series has released a total of seven thirty to forty-minute podcasts, at least one per month. The regular series podcasts feature readings and interviews with writers, poets, and community advocates.
“Write Now at the Writers’ Colony” podcasts can be found at writerscolony.org/podcast, or through Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Since opening its doors to writers in 2000, The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has made a lasting impact on the arts and literary communities providing uninterrupted residency time for writers of all genres, including culinary, composers, and artists, without discrimination. The WCDH has hosted over 1,500 writers from 48 states and 13 countries. To learn more, please visit writerscolony.org or call Michelle Hannon or Chad Gurley at (479)253-7444.