Nia Martin

Hedgebrook

Mission: Hedgebrook supports visionary women writers whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. Founded in 1988, Hedgebrook hosts a global community of writers, close to 1600 in 28 years, at our Whidbey Island retreat. Our programs empower women writers through exceptional workshops and connect their work with thousands of book-lovers and audiences each year through readings, screenings, events, salons, publications and festivals. For more information about Hedgebrook's programs and upcoming events, check out www.hedgebrook.org. Hedgebrook is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. RESIDENCIES THE ALCHEMY OF TIME & SPACE, SOLITUDE & COMMUNITY Located on beautiful Whidbey Island near Seattle, Hedgebrook offers one of the few residency programs in the world exclusively dedicated to supporting the creative process of women writers, and bringing their work to the world through innovative public programs. The gift of time and space in solitude cannot be overestimated. It is essential to a writer's process and difficult to carve out in daily life. Having her own cottage, with meals provided, enables a writer to give full focus to her work and go deeper into her writing process. Hedgebrook was founded on Virginia Woolf's belief that giving a writer a room of her own is the greatest vote of confidence in her voice. What we've discovered in the ensuing decades is the power of community: bringing women together is equally important in nurturing and informing their voices, and emboldening them to speak. At the end of a day of writing, all six residents come down to the farmhouse kitchen and share a meal, their stories, histories, breakthroughs and roadblocks. They give advice and feedback, and challenge each other to take risks. A community forms around the kitchen table, bonds deepen through conversation, and writers leave knowing they are part of the larger Hedgebrook community in the world.