This week’s mail held a treat: the news that I was selected to receive a full fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center. This means that, come October, I’ll get to spend four weeks living here
and writing at a desk in a private studio like this
and taking walks in woods that look like this
and because it’s a place for visual artists as well, hanging out with people who make cool stuff like this
I’m reading the resident handbook, enjoying lines like “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided seven days a week” and “Each of the studios overlooks the Gihon River”. And I love how the list of local services includes bookstores, thrift shops, and welding supplies.
I’ve never done anything like this before. The idea of leaving my oh-so-familiar life and oh-so-beloved husband, and challenging myself to concentrate totally on my work, has equally terrified and intrigued me. But lately I’d been feeling like now or never. So the news is good.
Ahhh! Congratulations. You’re going to have a wonderful and productive time, I just know it. The amount of work I accomplished during my weeklong residency (30,000 words of a new novel!) was mind-boggling. A full month will be bliss. And it’s well-deserved!
Thanks, Laura. You were actually one of my inspirations to apply!
Congratulations, Tricia!
Thanks, Kathy! It’s exciting and a little daunting, too.
Wow..congratulations! You are ready. Really exciting and so deserved.
What an awesome honor, Tricia, and totally perfect for you. It’s your time, girlfriend. And hey…..I’ll drive you up there!
A plane ticket is actually included in the deal! But thank you for the offer, dear friend.