[New-Poetry] Richard Hugo House Seeks Writer-in-Residence Location: Seatt...

[Suzanne Burns]

I once had a year long residency at the Vermont Studio Center, which I
juggled with an adjunct teaching position.  The compensation was room and
board since I was a "staff artist".

On the plus side:  The food was great and I met an amazing array of artists
and writers from all over the world.  I had a free ticket for all of the
writing workshops, and since I was not paying for rent or food, my adjunct
pay actually covered my bills comfortably.  I left withy enough money saved
to get an apartment in Boston.

On the negative side:  Well I can't think of any negatives except that you
really do have to be in a position to take a very, very long vacation in
order to do something like this.  I was at a point in my life back then
where I could be the modest-living wandering bohemian (I didn't have a
choice, frankly) but I do not see how anyone who has a home, children, pets,
horses to care for, mother dying of cancer, and/or a real job/business to
maintain could ever do this.

Sinced then I have had the opportunity to live in P'town or spend a few
months at MacDowell, and a whole host of other residency type places.  I
haven't taken these opportunities (though I am severely tempted all the time
to run away and live in a dune shack, the most appealing opportunity)
because I know perfectly well that if I stepped down from my current job it
would be very hard to find anything else like it again.  Back when I had my
own business it was out of the question because clients have this way of
flying away and never coming back.  Not having other resources to fall back
on, losing my livelihood just wasn't an option.

Most of these residencies presume that you are an academic with access to
summer vacation and paid sabbaticals (or that you at least have the power to
take unpaid leave and not lose your job), or that you are a member of the
leisure class (perhaps one of those wealthy Brookline matrons who I see all
the time in tai chi class).  This one sounds like actual work and not just a
free place to stay.  If they upped it to $1500 and if those teaching
positions paid decently, I could see this being a good job to take between
gigs or while doing contract work on the sly.  But when would I write?

Ahh life...


Suzanne



On 6/9/06, JforJames at aol.com <JforJames at aol.com> wrote:
>
>  In a message dated 6/9/2006 11:06:00 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> AlMaginnes at aol.com writes:
>
> Which shows what poetry fetches in hte market these days. Serisoudly, I
> love Richard Hugo's work and a residency at the Hugo House would be a
> terrific honor, but damn, I got bills to pay. Maybe if the Guggenheim goes
> through...(yeah, right).
>
> Or Powerball.
>
>  You have to rent (sublet) your abode...then move in to Hugo's old digs
> & you're net $750 ahead. It does imply you've rot got a day-job holding
> to your current residence/zipcode. Good for a sabbatical ....I'm trying to
>
> convince my boss I deserve one...oops, I'm the boss. All I have to do
> is go.
> Finnegan
>
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>
>
>


-- 
"Start with your identity, which is a combination of your assets and what
your friends mean when they discuss 'the trouble with you,' polish that, and
you have style."

--Quentin Crisp
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