Amtrak Now Accepting Applications For Free Writer’s Residency
There comes a point in The Writer’s life when they must look themselves in the mirror and ask, “Am I a buzzard, or a hawk, or a popinjay, or am I a bloody owl?” But maybe The Writer is none of those things—maybe The Writer was actually a well-ventilated business class train car the whole time. If you think you may fall into the latter category, then
Starting today, you can now apply for Amtrak’s all-new free writer’s residency program. “#AmtrakResidency was designed to allow creative professionals who are passionate about train travel and writing to work on their craft in an inspiring environment,” they write on their website. “Round-trip train travel will be provided on an Amtrak long-distance route. Each resident will be given a private sleeper car, equipped with a desk, a bed and a window to watch the American countryside roll by for inspiration. Routes will be determined based on availability.”
Up to 24 writers will be selected for the program, starting March 17, 2014 through March 31, 2015; residences will last 2-5 days, and all
You can read all about how the residency program went from a throwaway comment in Alexander Chee’s interview in Pen America (“I still like a train best for [writing]. I wish Amtrak had residencies for writers”) and was turned into reality here. Jessica Gross, one of the first people to tweet about the idea, was given the opportunity to try it out on a “test run,” and wrote about her experience for The Paris Review.