This photo is similar to my last post, I wrote last week about a “writers’ retreat” coming up in May in a town in Illinois. I’d call it more of a wrter’s gathering. There will be some workshops and award ceremonies, book readings in town, some meals together. But not a retreat in the sense of all staying in the same place, But what you see above is a home for a writers’ retreat. Stephen King’s! Yes, a few years back (well, five now) Stephen King opened his home to resident writers.
“Now, you can travel to Bangor, Maine, and sit inside Stephen King’s (haunted) house — and write!” Jason Hellerman wrote in 2019. King and his wife have rezoned their home as a non-profit, There they’ll house the King archives and up to five writers at a time. This is the house where King and wife Tabitha raised their kids and where he wrote many novels. (They mostly live in Florida now.)
This gives me an image like Charles DeLint’s Newford series. DeLint invented a city called Newford based on his home city of Ottawa, Canada. In his made-up city is a made-up house called Widdershins that moves from place to place. The house always has resident writers and artists.
I wasn’t able to find new information on how King’s retreat is going. I’d love to find an account by someone who’s experienced it. How do the people get along? Do they have a house parent to keep an eye on things?
Instagram pics:
Marie Judson 