What mediums do you accept?

For application writing samples and proposed works while in residence we accept fiction (all genres), narrative non-fiction, poetry, screenplays, and plays.

What is expected of the writers when in residence?

Writers will be expected to start a new writing project while in residence and work on site at Linden Place for a minimum of 8 hours during the month of April, with no more than 4 visits. Writers are also required to complete 1 one-on-one consult with the program's sensitivity reader and to attend the Public Reading & Community Discussion in early/mid-June. All writers are expected to behave professionally and courteously while participating in the program, showing respect for their fellow writers; the staff, volunteers, and visitors to Linden Place; and to the property itself.

Who are the judges and how are they evaluating the submissions?

Every judging panel includes a mix of professional creative writers and experts in early Black history. Past judges include Seth Rockman, Padma Venkatraman, Ginny B. Moore, Lissette Acosta Corniel, Steve Edwards, Rosaria Munda, Octavia McBride-Ahebee, Chaya Bhuvaneswar, Jennifer Lighty, Adam McNeil, Daisy Abreu, Robert Isenberg, Eirene Tran Donahue, and Marco McWilliams. There are two rounds of judging. Individual submissions are first judged on social impact of the statement of intent, creativity, and merit of the writing sample. For the second and final round of judging, evaluators are looking at all previously stated criteria as well as curating a collective group of writers who represent diversity in as many areas as possible. We do not employ a blind judging process. You can read why in this article.

Linden Place Writers' Residency

SUPPORTING RHODE ISLAND WRITERS IN THE CREATION OF VIBRANT NEW WORKS

2026 Applications are now closed

The world has changed a lot since the late 1800’s when Theodora Colt reclaimed and rebranded her childhood home “Linden Place.” Where her father had once hosted slave traders and corrupt politicians, Theodora gathered abolitionist writers here in literary salons that included the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and John Greenleaf Whittier.

Now, we want you to be part of our literary lineage by bringing a creative point of view to our history. The Linden Place Writers’ Residency is a no-cost, daytime only residency program that gives creative writers the tools to discover, engage, examine, and interpret Linden Place’s people, events, setting, and artifacts through a contemporary lens.

LINDEN PLACE AS CREATIVE MUSE

Linden Place is a nonprofit museum with a potent place in American history. Built in 1810 by slave trader George DeWolf, the house serves as a place of education and catalyst for discussion about the transatlantic slave trade and Northern complicity in the same. Occupants and guests of the house have included Presidents, enslaved Africans, famous writers, servants, freed slaves, business magnates, Hollywood actors, abolitionists, and philanthropists. The museum’s collection includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, and rare items, such as a horse-drawn coach from the 1820’s. The house has notable architectural details and sits on 1.8 acres of land that are part of the Pokanoket ancestral homelands.

The stories of those who lived and worked here speak to issues of enslavement, colonialism, early industry, class divides, philanthropy, and the agency of women. In all, it is fertile ground for creative writers to re-interpret, re-examine, and expound on history through contemporary viewpoints.

Could you imagine Linden Place as the backdrop of a LGBTQ+ historic romance? Could you envision a superhero narrative with a freed African as the central figure? Could you see a Young Adult novel where the teen protagonist discovers a portal to the past through one of the museum’s paintings? Could you pen a classic mystery where Ethel Barrymore, one of our former occupants and most popular actresses of her day, goes missing while visiting here? Could you write a narrative essay about your life that draws parallels to the lives of the widowed women who’ve resided here? Could you create an anti-racist rock opera that sheds light on the DeWolf slave traders? Could you conceive of a screenplay with a pivotal scene taking place in our gardens?

These ideas represent the kind of varied, thought-provoking, contemporary works that we aim to foster through the writers’ residency. We believe the work that comes out of the program will be a gateway for an expanded understanding and re-examination of our complex history.

MEET THE 2026 RESIDENTS

Maria Grande is a writer based in Providence, Rhode Island whose work explores disability, embodiment, and representation. Her essays blend personal narrative with cultural reflection, examining the subtleties of everyday life, the challenges of navigating an inaccessible world, and the unexpected moments of resilience and connection. She is drawn to the tension between vulnerability and levity, using humor as both a tool for coping and a lens for insight.

Erin Kulis has lived in Bristol since 2020 with her husband and their two cats. She is a full time elementary art teacher in Barrington and she also has my own Paint and Sip event business called Arts&CraftsRI. She is predominantly a painter, working mainly in watercolors and acrylic, but she has also dabbled in writing for fun. In both her art making and writing she has found inspiration in the places she’s traveled and the quaint town of Bristol that she is happy to call home.

A Rhode Island native raised by Azorean immigrants, Christopher Michael (they/he/she) is a queer healing practitioner, writer, interdisciplinary artist, and certified full spectrum perinatal doula. As a writer, Christopher wishes to birth pieces that open the mind of the reader, provoking questions and generating space for expansive thought. And not only to think, but also to feel, to live, and to love more expansively. They draw influence from their spiritual practice, Mother Earth, and the current human experience of life itself; witnessing magic in the “mundane.” Above all else, throughout the steps (and stumbles) ahead in their life’s journey, Christopher hopes to inspire others to live as their most honest self and work towards collective liberation.

Annabel Rarick is a first-year student at Brown University, concentrating in Literary Arts and Psychology. A four-time winner of Write Rhode Island, a statewide short fiction competition for young writers, she has also received both national and regional recognition for her work in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. When she’s not rehearsing for an upcoming dance performance on campus or revising old work, you can find her reading the latest Stephen Graham Jones or rewatching Knives Out.

Victoria Restler is an artist, educator and new(ish) poet. Her first book, What Do You Do That Can't Be Measured? On Radical Care in Teaching and Research (Brill, 2023) draws together multimodal art practice, with poetry and empirical study. Victoria’s writing has been published in various journals including Outlines, Art Education, and Panorama. She is an Associate Professor of Educational Studies at Rhode Island College and lives in Providence with her family.

Tanya L. Young is a writer, visual artist, and PhD student. Her work is featured in publications such as Salt Hill Journal, The Amistad, New Delta Review, and others. She is a VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation) alum. Currently, she is a staff reader for TriQuarterly and she serves on the Editorial Committee for The Ocean State Review.

RESIDENCY OVERVIEW

The Linden Place Writers’ Residency (LPWR) is a free, month-long, daytime-only residency for creative writers wishing to interpret the museum's complicated history through a creative lens.

Three esteemed judges will select 6-10 residents to join us for the residency month of April. Each writer receives:

A free audio tour
On-site workspace through the month of April
Research support from museum professionals
A $100 travel stipend (for writers outside of Bristol for whom transportation costs are a barrier to access)
½ hour one-on-one consult with sensitivity reader Renee Harleston of Writing Diversely
Press and publicity
An audience to hear works in progress at the Public Reading & Community Discussion
50% off accommodations at the Bradford-Dimond-Norris House B&B next door for the month of April

Frequently asked questions

Writers' Residency

LPWR is open to all levels of creative writer including beginner, mid-career, hobbyist, or seasoned writers, who will create a new work while they are in residence. They must be at least 18 years old and meet one of the following criteria: Have Rhode Island as a primary residence at least 9 months of the year or live along the Massachusetts border within 25 miles of Linden Place. College students (18+) who can be present for the public reading event on June 11th are welcome to apply. Former writers’ in residence must wait 3 years to apply to the program again.

GUIDELINES AND APPLICATION

Applications for the 2026 residency are now closed.
To be notified when the 2027 application opens, please sign up for our email newsletter.

The residency is open to writers of all genres of fiction, narrative non-fiction, poets, screenwriters, and playwrights 18 and older who primarily reside in Rhode Island or live within 25 miles of Linden Place. Beginner, mid-career, hobbyist, and established writers are welcome to apply.

Writers will primarily be judged on the merit of their writing and Statement of Intent. However, we will also look at individuals within the context of the larger whole in order to ensure our resident cohort represent a diversity of viewpoints, life experiences, and genres.

In addition to the residency application, writers must submit one of the following for consideration: 5 consecutive pages of fiction or narrative nonfiction, or 7-10 pages of poetry, or 10-15 consecutive pages of a screenplay or play.

FEES AND STIPENDS

This is a no-cost residency. All writers who live outside of Bristol, RI and for whom transportation costs would pose a barrier to access will receive a $100 stipend to cover travel and related expenses.

The $20 residency application fee helps cover the administration costs and judges’ honorariums. You may also pay by check or cash. To do so please contact us at info@lindenplace.org. Applicants with financial hardship for whom the fee is a barrier are asked to email us at info@lindenplace.org for fee reduction or waiver.

In line with our mission to serve the community, the Public Reading and Community Discussion will be free of charge.

PROGRAM TIMELINE & DEADLINES

Please note, the timeline below reflects the 2026 Residency. Dates for 2027 are expected to be approximately one month earlier. The best way to be notified of 2027 application dates is to sign up for our email newsletter and follow us on social media.

November 1st – Applications open
February 8th – Applications due by 11:59 pm ET
February 26th – Applicants notified of their status and residents announced
March 28th - Museum walk-through and group orientation
April – Residency at Linden Place
April 17th – Progress report due
May – Writers continue work from home
June 1st – Residents submit works-in-progress for excerpt selection
June 10th – Community reading and discussion of works in progress

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Linden Place Writers’ Residency is committed to fostering accessibility in all aspects of the program in order to ensure that all writers in our community have the accommodations and support necessary for a successful writing experience. At present, Linden Place’s self-guided tour is available in both audio and text formats for anyone with visual or hearing impairment. We have wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and our museum’s first floor is accessible via wheelchair ramp. Tours and research related to the 2nd floor will be done via video livestream with the program administrator. Quiet spaces are available for people with anxiety or overstimulation issues. For the Public Reading event, accommodations can be made for anyone with disabilities that may impede or prevent public speaking, such as anxiety disorders or speech language impairment. Our goal is to remove all barriers to entry and participation in the program.

AI POLICY

All writers applying for the Linden Place Writers' Residency must affirm that they do not utilize generative AI in the creation of their works, that the work submitted as part of their application was not created with the use of generative AI, and that any work created during the residency will not use generative AI. Applicants understand that writers found to be in violation of this policy will be asked to leave the program. For information about the difference between generative AI and assistive AI, reference this article from Writers Weekly.

2026 APPLICATION IS NOW CLOSED

To be notified when the 2027 application opens, please sign up for our email newsletter.

This activity is made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Funding provided in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private funders.