Of Writing and Residencies
I’m at the halfway point of my two-week residency at Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, GA, and it’s the first time I’m sitting at a desk. One of the best things about going to a residency is that it compels you to reconsider your habits, especially here where there’s no Internet in the cabins. I’ve rediscovered my love of working in bed all day so I can just nap when I’m tired. I’ve also become aware of how addicted I am to YouTube, and the detox has made me more determined to keep it up when I get home.
Btw apologies for not having written in a while. I started teaching at both Sarah Lawrence and Antioch College low-res MFA the same semester, and it’s taking me a while to adjust. The volunteers and I are hoping to be able to do a workshop series in late spring/early summer, and I do want to say hello more often.
So yes, residencies. They don’t have to be official. You can make your own, even if you don’t have the money. Ask friends if they might have space somewhere. But it’s also well worth applying, which I feel hypocritical for saying because I’m very bad at applying to things. But the more residencies I do, the more motivated I feel to apply to more. Here are a few other wonderful things about residencies from my point-of-view:
The other artists, of course. At Hambidge they range from food writers to dancers to playwrights to arts administrators. We’re also a great mix of folks from the South and people who live elsewhere—between the nine of us there’s Colorado, Illinois, New York, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Los Angeles, and Bermuda.
The new ideas. It’s funny because my plan before coming here was to work exclusively on my novel, but after a couple of days I ended up working on some ideas I came up with here in collaboration with the other residents. Stay tuned!
The self-confidence. Few experiences make you feel like, “Okay maybe I’m a writer,” than an anonymous jury assuring you that you are. I’ve shifted to fiction after seven years of only writing nonfiction, and seeing my genre on the info sheet as “Meredith Talusan, Fiction Writing” has assuaged so much of my self-doubt about my current artistic direction.
The food. I wish I have pictures but the veggie meals at Hambidge are top-notch, made by the wonderful chef Laurie. Particular favorites are the sweet potao cacao y pepe and the ginger peaches, which I saved and had for breakfast with granola and yogurt the next day.
The nature. This is specific to Hambidge but it’s a gorgeous setting full of hiking trails and places to traipse, which is one of my favorite activities. Too bad it’s a bit too early in the spring or I’d be in the swimming hole every day.
See you on the other side!
M.