WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE
We partner with Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) annually to sponsor a week-long writing retreat. Residents work on creative writing endeavors undisturbed by the outside world while enjoying the beauty of the PNW coast. A reception and reading of the resident’s work are open to the public and scheduled at the AVA Gallery.
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The residency provides writing time and space in an idyllic setting to make substantial progress on a significant writing project. Writers of novels, short stories, nonfiction, plays, memoirs, poetry, screenplays, and hybrid manuscripts will be considered.
The program hosts and chosen writer will determine the week of the residency. Lodging and a $250 stipend are provided. A reception and public reading will be held at the end of the residence at the AVA Gallery in Astoria.
WHEN AND HOW TO APPLY
Applications are now open for 2024. Applications are due April 30, 2024.
Applications consist of (1) a one-page cover letter describing your experience and interests as a writer, your connection with the Pacific Northwest, and what you hope to accomplish during your residency; (2) a one-page description of your writing project, its scope, and current state; (3) a 5-page writing sample; and (4) a resume or CV, including any publications if applicable. Please do NOT put your name or address on any of the application materials (only in the body of the email).
Send complete applications to info@thewritersguild.org. A suggested donation of $10 per applicant can be made via PayPal.
ELIGIBILITY
Writers of novels, short stories, literary nonfiction, plays, memoirs, poetry, and screenplays who are from the Pacific Northwest and over the age of 18 are eligible and encouraged to apply!
The Writers Guild of Astoria and Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) are delighted to announce the winner of the 2023 North Coast Writer’s Residency:
ASTORIA, Ore. — Erica Berry, the Portland, Ore.-based author of Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear, was named the 2023 Writer in Residence by the Writers Guild of Astoria. During her week as the writer in residence on the North Coast, Berry will make progress on her second nonfiction book, Hot Heads, which she describes as “a mix of cultural criticism, journalism, and memoir exploring the influence global warming has on romantic love.” Berry’s exploration of the linkage of climate change and romantic love flows from an assignment by Outside magazine. Imagining the existence of love in the face of an impending ecological catastrophe, she said, “is critical for helping us cope.”
The directors of the Writers Guild, who selected Berry from among more than 30 accomplished applicants, were impressed by the way Berry’s writing weaves through and connects what may appear to be fragments of larger themes.
The Guild awarded honorable mentions in the highly competitive program to Sean Davis of Astoria, Caroline Holm of Salem, and Alena Nahabedian of Portland. This will be the fourth year of the Writers Guild Writer in Residence program. Chosen writers are hosted in a private setting for a week so that they can focus on their projects. The program is one of the ways the Guild seeks to support and cultivate promising writers, especially those who live in the Pacific Northwest. The residency culminated in a reading at the AVA Gallery on Sunday, September 24th,2023.
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Congratulations, Erica!
PAST RESIDENTS
2022
Jennifer D. Munro
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2021
Deborah Williams
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2020
Sarah Buckmaster
2019
Cecelia Hagen
Andrew Zingg
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*2016
Heather Douglas
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* This was a previous version of the program done exclusively with AVA.