Linden Place Writers' Residency

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.

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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 (for writers outside of Bristol)
½ hour one-on-one consult 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

MEET THE 2025 JUDGES

LISSETTE ACOSTA CORNIEL

Lisette Acosta Corniel writes about gender-based violence, free and enslaved black women, and resistance in colonial Hispaniola. She has presented her research internationally and throughout the United States and is the editor of Transatlantic Bondage: Slavery and Freedom in Spain, Santo Domingo, and Puerto Rico, SUNY Press. She is a contributor to the New York City Department of Education Hidden Voices: Stories of the Global African Diaspora, Vol. 1 and 2. She is working on her book manuscript about gender-based violence, femicide, and women’s autonomy in colonial Santo Domingo.

STEVE EDWARDS

Steve Edwards is the author of Breaking into the Backcountry, a memoir about his seven months as the caretaker of a remote Oregon homestead. His personal essays have appeared in The Sun, Orion, Literary Hub, and Longreads. His latest work, an essay about the intersection of writing, mental health, and neurodiversity, was recently published in The Yale Review. He teaches writing at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts..

ROSARIA MUNDA

Rosaria Munda grew up in rural North Carolina, studied political theory at Princeton, and lives with her family in Florida. She is the author of The Aurelian Cycle trilogy (Fireborne, Flamefall, and Furysong) and the forthcoming Confessions of a Junior Spy (Feiwel & Friends, 2025). Booklist called her debut work “a near-perfect work of high fantasy.”

GUIDELINES FOR APPLICATION

Applications are due on January 30, 2025 by 8:00 pm ET. We highly recommend that you read this Linden Place factsheet before applying.

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.

FEES AND STIPENDS

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

The $17 residency application fee helps cover the project administrator’s stipend and judges’ honorariums. 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.

PROGRAM TIMELINE & DEADLINES

December 2nd – Applications open
January 30th – Applications due by 8:00 p.m. ET
March 7th – Residents announced
March 23rd - Museum walk-through and group orientation
April – Residency at Linden Place
April 17th – Progress report due
May – Writers continue work from home
June 2nd – Residents submit works-in-progress for excerpt selection
June 11th – 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 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.

2025 APPLICATION IS NOW OPEN THROUGH 1/30/25 AT 8:00 PM EST

To apply for the Linden Place Writers’ Residency please complete both steps. Both 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 and upload your documents HERE.