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.
Our 2023 writers-in-residence
GALEN AUER
Born and raised in Warwick, Rhode Island, Galen Auer has been reading and writing speculative fiction ever since the second grade, when they fell in love with the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Through their work as a community organizer for civic education, anti-racism, and queer justice, Galen has been a witness to the capacity of ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and such people and their stories are often at the heart of their writing. Galen is 32 years old and currently living in North Providence with their husband, their cat Egypt and newly adopted puppy Sassafras, and far too many books which they insist they will read someday.
CASSANDRA BOUSQUET
Cassandra Bousquet is a freshman Creative Writing Major at Roger Williams University. Her work is featured in the collaborative poem, "Breathe," which appeared in Nature & Culture 2021 Festival Book (Copenhagen: Red Press Kulturhuset Islands Brygge & Københavns Kommune, 2021). More of her work can be found under the Youth and Ecopoetry section of the web archive: speakpoetry.org. Cassandra runs InsANNity Radio at RWU, a weekly radio show on which she reads original poetry and poetry submitted by fellow creatives (Instagram: @ins_ann_ity.radio). Spending time in and protecting the natural world is very important to her and she tries to educate and empower others through her Instagram: @unitedagainstclimatechange
CANDACE NADINE BREEN
Candace Nadine Breen is a former eleven-year English Language Arts teacher for the Providence Public School District. She holds a B.A. in Secondary Education/English, a Master’s in Human Services/Marriage and Family, as MS in Metaphysics and a Doctorate in Metaphysics. She is also an artist, author, and mystic and lives in Barrington, Rhode Island.
GAIL BURTON
Gail Burton began her creative writing journey as a spoken word artist during the era of the Poetry Slam in MA. Burton was influenced by this style of writing and expression and became a spoken word artist in cafes, bars, museums, and bookstores. Eventually, the structure of the choreopoem culminated in her first traditional play entitled Muses. Burton received a Cambridge Peace Award for the play. Her work has been written about and reviewed in the African American Review, ArtsMedia, Proscenium, Boston Globe, and the Bay State Banner.
TERESA DEFLITCH
Teresa DeFlitch is a writer and educator whose work employs lyrical strangeness to explore nature, place, and history. She has worked for museums, schools, the government, and a distillery. She currently serves as the Director of Leadership Development at Leadership Rhode Island. Soon after moving from Pittsburgh to Rhode Island, Teresa launched a Substack in which she utilizes her expertise in place-based work to write on the spot in different locations around New England, lightly edit the material, and share. You can find her Substack at
https://deflitched.substack.com/.
SUSAN KUSHNER RESNICK
Susan Kushner Resnick, MFA, LCSW is a creative nonfiction writer and social worker. She has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine writer, essayist, and Brown University nonfiction writing lecturer. She is the author of three books of creative nonfiction, including the memoirs Sleepless Days, and You Saved Me, Too, and the historical narrative, Goodbye Wifes and Daughters. Her social work career has included stints in child protection and addiction medicine. Resnick grew up in Cranston, abandoned Rhode Island for 35 years, and now lives in Narragansett.
ERIN VACHON
Erin Vachon is a gender-fluid writer and editor, and a Recipient of the SmokeLong Fellowship for Emerging Writers. Their multi-Pushcart, Best of Net, and Best Microfictions nominated work appears in SmokeLong Quarterly, DIAGRAM, Hayden’s Ferry Review, The Pinch, and Brevity, among others. An alum of the Tin House Summer workshop, Erin earned their MA in English Literature and Comparative Literature from the University of Rhode Island. You can find more of their writing at
www.erinvachon.com.
LOREN WALKER
Originally from Sauble Beach, Ontario, Canada, Loren Walker’s debut fiction novel EKO won the Library Journal Indie E-book Award for Science Fiction, was awarded a BRAG Medallion, shortlisted for the Half the World Global Literari Award, and selected as a Shelf Unbound Notable Indie title. The sequels, NADI, INSYNN, and NYX were released to high acclaim. Her novel-in-progress Birds of Gracebourne is a queer Gothic fantasy novel described as Crimson Peak meets Carmilla, which will feature the background of Bristol society at the turn of the century. Pages from Birds of Gracebourne was also selected for a Fellowship in Speculative Fiction at the Lambda Literary Writer Retreat in 2022.
2022 WRITERS-IN-RESIDENCE
Our 2022 residents started projects that were beautifully crafted and incredibly impactful - a wrenching poetry collection about the DeWolf’s Cuban sugar plantations, a moving and vibrant poetry collection about African American barber Daniel Tanner, a gripping murder mystery movie script about the lives and lies of the house’s servants, a biting and dynamic play about Samuel Colt’s privileged life, a heart pounding horror novel that found Charlotte DeWolf battling forces in the home stemming from her husband’s work in the slave trade, a transportive LGBTQ+ romance novel that brought the home’s interior and occupants to life with remarkable detail, a spare and precious set of haikus about the spiral staircase and other unique objects in the collection, and a gorgeously crafted novella about a civil war heroine who was based on a real person.
Pictured L to R: Ben Jolivet, Mia Manzotti, Rebecca Siemering, Curtis Perdue, Rochelle Leach, Kate Lane, Genesis Barrera, Elizabeth Maligranda
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 8 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
WHO CAN APPLY TO THE RESIDENCY?
LPWR is open to all levels of creative writer including beginner, mid-career, hobbyist, or seasoned writers. 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, or attend Roger Williams University as an enrolled undergraduate student.
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 12 hours during the month of April, with no more than 6 visits. Writers are also required to attend the reading of their works in progress and community discussion in mid-June. Vaccination is required. Covid-19 safety guidelines are below.
Applications are due on March 7, 2023 by 8:00 p.m. ET. We highly recommend you download and read this Linden Place factsheet before applying.
Our 2023 Judges
Jennifer Lighty
Jennifer Lighty is a writer, teacher, and mentor whose work aims to bridge the gap between imagination and logic through myth, traditional oral stories, and poetry.
Author of three books of poetry, Siren, Bluebell: The Apocalypse Diary and Breaking Up With the Moon (Finishing Line Press, 2017), her poems and essays have appeared in numerous publications including Earthlines, The Island Review, Poetry Lore, The North American Review, The Providence Journal, and Thrush Poetry Journal.
Her poem "That Which There Are No Words For" was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and she received a fellowship grant in poetry from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. Piko: A Return to the Dreaming, her nonfiction account of a 21-day ceremony enacted on Hawai'i Island telling stories to a body of water will be published by Whale Road Press in 2023.
She writes weekly on the intersection of myth, ecology, current events, and daily life at The Corpus Callosum Chronicles.
For more information on Jennifer's multidimensional work see Aquaodyssey.com.
Adam McNeil
Adam McNeil is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at Rutgers University.
His scholarship focuses on how enslaved women were key contributors to the Chesapeake’s culture of rebelliousness during the Age of Revolutions.
His secondary focus is on histories of Appalachian mountain slavery and labor histories in the 18th and 19th centuries.
His research has been supported by fellowships from the University of Michigan’s Clements Library, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture (OI).
In addition to academic writing, he regularly contributes to academic blogs Black Perspectives and The Junto, along with interviewing nearly 100 scholars on the New Books in African American Studies podcast.
Follow him on Twitter.
Padma Venkatraman
Padma Venkatraman is the author of Born Behind Bars as well as The Bridge Home, A Time to Dance, Island’s End and Climbing the Stairs.
She is the winner of a WNDB Walter Dean Myers Award, Golden Kite Award, Crystal Kite Award, two Nerdy Book Awards, two Paterson Prizes, three South Asia Book Awards and many other awards and honors.
Her novels have been shortlisted for over 20 state awards, received over 20 starred reviews, appeared on numerous best book lists, such as the ALA Notable, NYPL Best Book, Kirkus Best Book, Booklist editor's Choice and Junior Library Guild selection.
Her poetry has been published in Poetry magazine and elsewhere.
Before becoming an American author, Dr. Venkatraman spent time under the ocean and in rainforests, served as chief scientist on oceanographic research vessels where she was the only BIPOC female, and worked as a teacher and diversity director.
Learn more at PadmaVenkatraman.com, or find her on Twitter and Facebook.
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, or attend Roger Williams University as an enrolled undergrad. 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
January 30th – Applications open
February 20th – Early bird deadline
March 7th – Applications due by 8:00 p.m. ET
March 25th – Residents announced
March 26th – April 1st – Residents schedule tour & visits
Month of April – Residency at Linden Place
April 25th – Progress report due
May – Writers continue to work from home
May 26th – Residents submit works-in-progress for excerpt selection
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 20th will receive discounted fee of $10. After that date the application fee will be $15. 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 vaccinated, as is Linden Place staff.
They 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 will be required to wear a
mask. The community reading and discussion event will be held 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 Partners
Our 2023 partners are helping us create a month-long celebration of writers and writing to run in tandem with the residency. Throughout the month of April, we’ll present online and in person public programming for adults and teens. Please join our mailing list here for forthcoming updates.
What Cheer Writers Club 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.
The mission of the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society is to stimulate 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.
APRIL EVENTS
April 1st: Bristol Bookfest
Week of April 2nd: Research webinar with Bristol Historical & Preservation Society
Week of April 9th: Teen writing workshops with School One’s Literary Center
April 20th: "Writing Early Black History with Authenticity & Sensitivity" Webinar with Renee Harleson of Writing Diversely
April 23rd: Community Write-In with What Cheer Writers Club
Week of April 24th: Student Event with Roger Williams University Department of English & Creative Writing
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 SPONSORS
We are also sponsored with in-kind support from the following individuals and businesses:
Bradford-Dimond-Norris House B&B in Bristol, Rhode Island provides discounted accommodations to our resident writers.
The Greenery in Warren, Rhode Island spruces up our writing desks with fresh floral bouquets throughout the month of April.
The Wave in Bristol, Rhode Island provided pizza for our student-led 'Stanzas and Slices' event with Roger Williams Univ. English & Creative Writing Dept.
QUESTIONS?
Contact us at writersresidency@lindenplace.org.
2023 LINDEN PLACE WRITERS’ RESIDENCY APPLICATION - NOW CLOSED TO APPLICATIONS UNTIL 2024
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 $15 application fee HERE.
STEP 2: Fill out personal information below. All fields are required.