THE space and time to work on a creative project with minimal distractions and separation from one’s daily routines and responsibilities is a privilege. Whether leaving behind kids, a partner, pets, plants, or what have you, it can be wonderful to go away in order to advance a writing project. A writing residency isn’t a tough sell. Meals cooked for me? A room of one’s own? A community of other poets and writers? Yes, please. As wonderful as these opportunities may be—whether you’re headed for a month-long stay in Utah, two weeks in Vermont, a yearlong fellowship in Provincetown, Massachusetts, or a DIY retreat at a local Airbnb—they still require some careful preparation. The following are useful tips I’ve picked up while planning for retreats. I hope you find them helpful as you prepare for your own.
WHAT TO PACK
Aside from personal items, some writers bring along favorite pens, journals, Post-its, a mug, tea, coffee, warm socks, flip-flops for the shower, good running shoes, a bottle of rum, a deck of cards, ear plugs, and even bedding. Poet Jill McDonough, the recipient of fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, the Lannanhave a down comforter at the Fine Arts Work Center and good desert-walking sneakers at Lannan’s Marfa Residency. McDonough, who teaches in the MFA program at the University of Massachusetts in Boston as well as classes for individuals awaiting trial in two Boston jails, suggests talking to administrators and people who have previously attended the residency so you will know what to expect. For instance, some residencies will have corkboards or even whiteboards, but you do not want to assume this. I found it especially useful to bring along my own tape, paper, markers, and index cards so I could outline my novel along the wall of my writing studio, which was essential to my process.
