Writers' Residency At Linden Place

SUPPORTING RHODE ISLAND WRITERS IN THE CREATION OF VIBRANT NEW WORKS

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 Wampanoag/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.

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 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
• ½ hour one-on-one consults with sensitivity reader Renee Harleston of Writing Diversely
• Press and publicity
• An audience to hear works in progress
• 50% off accommodations at the Bradford-Dimond-Norris House B&B next door for the month of April

our 2024 writers in residence

ALICE CROSS is a retired high school teacher and college instructor who began fiction writing and tap dancing as ways to pass the Covid isolation. She is the author of two children’s books, illustrated by her friend Mary Hood Davis: A Patch of Shimmering Light and Tale of a Tail. Several decades ago, she wrote film reviews for Cineaste, articles on teaching for English Journal, and personal essays for Pittsburgh Magazine and The New York Times Westchester Section.

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KATE HANLEY is host of Finding the Throughline, a podcast that gives listeners inside access to honest conversations about the creative process. A long-time writer, Kate's books include How to Be a Better Person, Stress Less, and The Anywhere, Anytime Chill Guide. She has also co-authored numerous bestselling health books, and her work has appeared in Real Simple, Health, Whole Living, Yoga Journal, and Parents magazines. Kate is currently branching into more creative nonfiction, and is grateful to the Linden Place Writer's Residency for giving her the time, space, and deadlines to fuel this work.

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CAITLIN HOWLE holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas and a Master of Arts in English from Rhode Island College. Caitlin is a published journalist and creative writer. Caitlin’s publications include multiple creative non-fiction pieces, poetry, short stories, and a plethora of bylines in magazines and journals. Caitlin runs a small business that aids other business owners with digital marketing and public relations. They currently work as an adjunct faculty member at Rhode Island College and Dean College, focusing on composition, rhetoric, and arts marketing coursework.

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CÉLINE KEATING is an award-winning writer formerly of New York City now living in Bristol, Rhode Island. She is the author of several novels, most recently The Stark Beauty of Last Things (2023), excerpts from which received the first-place 2014 Hackney Award for Short Fiction and the 2021 Tucson Festival of Books First Place fiction award. Her short stories have been published in many literary magazines, including The North Stone Review, Prairie Schooner, Santa Clara Review, and Mount Hope (published by Roger Williams University). A student of classical guitar, Céline is a regular contributor to Minor7th.com and is a member of Bristol's Community Strings Project. Céline earned a Masters in Creative Writing from City College, CUNY. For many years a resident of Montauk, New York, she is the co-editor of On Montauk, A Literary Celebration.

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ELIZABETH REINHARDT is an aspiring writer who calls Bristol, RI home. She has spent much of her post-college years working in the advertising industry, and she harbors a deep love for culture, history, and fiction. She writes from a feminist point of view, with an interest in exploring themes of women’s agency and social justice. As someone living with OCD, Elizabeth is also personally invested in crafting authentic representations of mental illness and recovery.

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NADA SAMIH-ROTONDO is a multi-genre Palestinian American writer, educator, and mother. A graduate of Rhode Island College, she earned degrees in English and Education and an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University. When she is not befriending trees or attuning to hidden stories, she is leading transformational educational experiences and addressing the social- emotional needs of historically underserved and multilingual youth. Her writing has appeared in Masters Review, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, and Squat Birth Journal. She lives in Providence with her husband and three children.

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SAMANTHE SHEFFER is a coast-swinging writer of poetry and creative non-fiction, who has also written and presented public education programs for non-profit organizations such as Seattle Audubon Society and the MS Society.   She has been selected to perform her creative work in Providence, Boston, Harvard, Portland (Maine) and Seattle, and rare submissions have appeared in publications, including Cave Moon Press and The Seattle Star. She is currently preparing work for magazines.

 our 2024 judges

CHAYA BHUVANESWAR is a practicing physician, writer and PEN /American Robert W. Bingham Debut Fiction award finalist for her story collection WHITE DANCING ELEPHANTS: STORIES, which was also selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Debut Fiction and Best Short Story Collection and appeared on "best of" lists for Harper's Bazaar, Elle, Vogue India, and Entertainment Weekly. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, The Sun, Narrative Magazine, Tin House, Electric Literature, Kenyon Review, Masters Review, The Millions, Joyland, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Awl, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from MacDowell, Community of Writers and Sewanee Writers Workshop.

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OCTAVIA MCBRIDE-AHEBEE's poems present human relationships within the context of global inequality. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including For Harriet, Badilisha Poetry Exchange, Fingernails Across The Chalkboard: Poetry And Prose on HIV/AIDS From the Black Diaspora, and elsewhere. McBride-Ahebee's poetry collections include Assuming Voices (Lit Pot Press) and Where My Birthmark Dances (Finishing Line Press). Her work is informed by the convergence of cultures and the many ways people move throughout the world. Her poetry consists of narrative vignettes that are dense, emotionally difficult, yet honest.

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SETH ROCKMAN is a History professor at Brown University focusing on the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War. His research unfolds at the intersection of slavery studies, labor history, material culture studies, and the history of capitalism. He serves on the faculty advisory board of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. He is the author of Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery (forthcoming, 2024) and the co-editor of Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development (2016).

 WHO CAN APPLY TO THE 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.

Former writers’ in residence must wait 3 years to apply to the program again.

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 9 hours during the month of April, with no more than 5 visits. Writers are also required to attend the reading of their works in progress and community discussion in early/mid-June. 

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. Our 2024 judges are Octavia McBride-Ahebee, historian Seth Rockman, and author Chaya Bhuvaneswar. Past judges were Padma Venkatraman, 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.

Applications are due on March 7, 2024 by 8:00 p.m. ET. We highly recommend you download and read this Linden Place factsheet before applying.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

The residency is open to writers of all genres of fiction and 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 8 residents 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.

PROGRAM TIMELINE & Deadlines

February 1st  – Applications open

February 15^th – Early bird deadline

March 7^th – Applications due by 8:00 p.m. ET

March 25^th – Residents announced

March 26^th – April 1^st – Residents schedule tour & visits

Month of April – Residency at Linden Place

April 25^th – Progress report due

May – Writers continue to work from home

May 26^th – Residents submit works-in-progress for excerpt selection

Early to mid June (weeknight) – Community reading and discussion of works in progress

FEES AND STIPENDS

This is a no-cost residency. All writers will receive a $100 stipend to cover travel and related expenses.

The residency application requires a fee to help cover the project administrator’s stipend and judges’ honorariums. Applications received by early bird deadline of February 15^th will receive discounted fee of $12. After that date the application fee will be $17. There is an additional $3 processing fee if using a credit card. If you’d like to avoid a processing fee, you may 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 writersresidency@lindenplace.org for fee reduction or waiver.

In line with our mission to serve the community, the reading and discussion event will be free of charge.

COVID-19

Writers-in-Residence will be able to take the self-guided tour and work in our spaces at times that are convenient to them and allow the ability to control the amount of people they interface with. They will be provided with masks, if necessary, and hand sanitizer, as well as with access to clean restroom facilities. The mansion where they will be working has many spaces, allowing for ample distancing from others. If working during our visitor hours or interfacing with staff, they may opt to wear a mask. The community reading and discussion event is held outdoors and in our spacious ballroom with social distancing and windows open for airflow. If a resident or attendee has additional concerns, we will find suitable adaptations. Judging of the entrants’ applications will take place online and over Zoom and, thus, pose no risk to jurors.

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 community 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.

RESIDENCY PROGRAM DIRECTOR

The residency program is administered by Leigh Medeiros, an award-winning screenwriter, two-time RISCA Screenwriting Merit Fellow, and author of The 1-Minute Writer: 396 Microprompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing. She has worked in the arts for nearly 30 years. For the past 16 years she has been a writing mentor, coach, and developmental editor for screenwriters and non-fiction authors. Her creative work has been featured in SPIN, The Boston Globe, Outside, Food Network magazine, Uppercase, and Rhode Island Monthly. 

RESIDENCY FUNDING

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.

RESIDENCY Partners and sponsors 

LitArtsRI supports Rhode Island's creators of the written, spoken and illustrated word through community events, free and low-cost business services and coworking space.

The School One Literary Center serves adult writers and young authors, from beginners to professionals. Known for Write Rhode Island, a creative writing program for teens, our Center offers an annual creative writing contest, after-school classes, an intensive summer program and other opportunities for students to find their voice and explore their creativity.

Bristol Historical & Preservation Society stimulates interest in the history of Bristol, Rhode Island, through education, research, and the collection and preservation of historic objects.

Writing Diversely is dedicated to helping writers create diverse and inclusive stories. Their team of editors and readers offers a full range of editing, writing, and consulting services.

Roger Williams University Department of English and Creative Writing is committed to providing students with a dynamic, hands-on education that focuses on project-based learning experiences that prepare students for a wide variety of professional careers in areas including publishing, journalism, public relations, advocacy, and marketing. 

Bradford-Dimond-Norris House Bed and Breakfast in Bristol, Rhode Island provides our writers with discounted accommodations for the month of April.

The Greenery in Warren, Rhode Island spruces up our writing desks with fresh floral bouquets throughout the month of April.

QUESTIONS?

2024 LINDEN PLACE WRITERS’ RESIDENCY APPLICATION - the 2024 submission period is now closed.

To apply for the Linden Place Writers’ Residency please complete the following three steps. All three steps must be complete in order for your application to be considered. If you have any questions, please contact Leigh at writersresidency@lindenplace.org.

STEP 1: Pay application fee HERE.  

STEP 2: Fill out personal information below. All fields are required.