We here at Green Prophet are all about writing about the environment, and so we were very excited when an ‘environmental writing residency’ opportunity cropped up and landed on the desk today, and eager to share this with our readers.
An organisation based in Minnesota, USA is giving writers and artists the chance to stay and work at a research station on the banks of the St. Croix River in Minnesota, for sessions of different lengths ranging from 2 to 4 weeks, from May through to August, as artists in residence. They are calling for applications from “natural history artists and writers, who seek field experience and closeness to nature to provide inspiration for their work.”
The residency, as well as time alone to create, will include time to interact with environmental scientists who also use the research station, and an expected opportunity to engage with the local community (of 700 residents) through creating a community outreach project. Quoting more from the brief: “Pine Needles cabin is located along the St. Croix river…. a nationally designated wild and scenic river. the site is heavily wooded, with spring-fed streams and native wildflowers.”
Accomodation is provided at the site in a “rustic but comfortable cabin.”
So what are we all waiting for? What an opportunity to spend some Thoreau-like time by ‘the woods and the water.’ Let’s distill all our knowledge of Israel, the Middle-East and other countries and shape them into something (flights not included). The programme’s stated mission is to facilitate artists who can “enhance environmental awareness through the aesthetics of art.”
It takes my breath away just reading about the opportunity. But hurry, applications for 2008 must be in by feb. 29th!
:: Further information about the residency and application forms www.smm.org/scwrs/programs/artist/”>available here.
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Author: James Murray-White
Growing up in a green village outside Cambridge, UK gave me an eye into the natural world, and years later, after being an actor, dramatist, weary traveller and anthropologist, the environment fires me up the most – and the need to save and nurture it… while we live within it. I now live in the UK, with partner Tania and 2 pesky cats – writing and filming the world (slowly making a documentary about the Bedouin situation) take up my creative time. I do this while growing things organically and composting profusely take up the remainder. James can be reached at james (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
