The Literary Arts Residency is a unique opportunity for writers to fully immerse themselves in an exquisite retreat environment conducive to working with no distraction.  We invite applications from emerging and accomplished writers of all genres who would benefit from a focused amount of un-guided time to create a new work, complete a project, conduct research, or simply find inspiration amid the beauty of the Adirondack Mountains.

The primary aim of the residency is to provide uninterrupted time and space to work in a supportive community of artists and makers.  In addition to their own private cabin studio, writers have access to a variety of shared studio and outdoor spaces on our new, in-process mountainside campus.  Participants are encouraged to exchange ideas and engage with the creative energy of the staff and fellow residents, explore the surrounding Adirondack region, and share their work with the local community through public readings.

Responsibilities:

• Present a talk, reading, or other presentation to program participants and the public as part of the Applebarn Series.

PLEASE NOTE:  All participants are responsible for their own transportation needs and any personal materials or expenses.  Internet is not currently available in the artist cabins — Wifi is only available in common spaces.

"What a wonderful and productive time. Although the setting was gloriously distracting (the Adirondacks in autumn as viewed from the Adirondack chairs!), somehow I managed in the main to stay desk-bound and accomplish more writing and organizing of material than even hoped." Alison Owings

"Craigardan is an amazing place for writers, a perfect combination of isolation, camaraderie, and natural beauty. I had a big desk in a cozy room and no distractions except the lure of a spectacular hike when I needed to clear my mind or work out a plot point." Deborah Michel

"Craigardan offered me the kind of radical hospitality that every writer dreams of receiving. I had a room to myself in a rustic farmhouse, infinite hours to write, and the Adirondacks all around to offer inspiration and a place to stretch my limbs after a long day at work. Even better, the refrigerator was stuffed with eggs from the chickens outside our windows and vegetables from the garden. All of this support allowed me the time and focus to finish a draft of my novel in ten days." Jennifer Steil

"Craigardan offers solace, silence, space and time to write in the Adirondack Mountains. Everything fills the creative well. A nurturing community of artists and kindred spirits. The view. Walks in the woods. Fresh food from the garden. The practice of simple, sustainable living. Thanks to Craigardan I experienced breakthroughs in work I'd wrestled with for twenty years." Lorene Garrett

"I spent a week at Craigardan, finishing up a novel, taking long lovely walks and feasting on food from the farm. Writer's heaven." Ellen Sussman

"The minute I pulled into the driveway, I knew this was my kind of place: a big farmhouse on a hill, rolling gardens, and out over the tree line, massive mountains in sharp relief, looking close enough to hit them with a stone. What should I call it—an honesty in the landscape, that is also apparent in the people living and working there: these are real people in a real place. I felt, I think, relieved of the burden of being literary, of trying to say something important, and simply moved to write. A manuscript of poems, which seems to take me about five years to complete, takes maybe four or five key turns in its development, each of which I must wait for before moving on; the last key turn in the book I’m finishing now happened at Craigardan; I am increasingly unsure it could have happened anywhere else." Christian Barter

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've had a tremendously productive and delightful two weeks due to your generosity and kindness. What an inspiration this place and its people and animals are!" Amy L. Seidl

“The drive out of the mountains was easy and clear and I came back different than when I left and felt so much gratitude for Craigardan and its people.  When I arrived what I hoped to do was in the realm of the theoretical, now it is real.”  Andrea Volpe

 Click APPLY for deadline and fee information