A Writer-in-Residence Program That Gives the Writer the Home, Forever.
I’d like to introduce you to Write A House, a different kind of writer’s residency program. The Detroit writers and urban activists who founded the organization in 2012 did so with one goal: use vocational training to renovate vacant homes and then give these homes to writers.
The homes are in emerging, active, and diverse neighborhoods. It won’t be Beverly Hills, but maybe that’s okay. We believe writers are out there – perhaps in Cleveland, Denmark, Brooklyn, or maybe out just past Eight Mile, who are interested in becoming a part of Detroit today. Or maybe they just want a home. We would like to invite them to move in. Even if you already live in Detroit, feel encouraged to apply.
We don’t know of another movement like this, but then Detroit is a unique place. Our idea supports literary arts, vocational education, neighborhood stabilization, and the creation of more vibrant cities. Good, right? I’m inviting you to please Get involved..
WAH seeks to (1) educate youth on carpentry and building skills (2) use those skills to renovate Detroit city homes and (3) award those homes to writers. Like any literary community, writers will be awarded based on their writing and their desire to be here. WAH seeks to support low-income writers by awarding at least three homes each year. We will also publish a journal of arts and creative non-fiction to document the process, work to determine a sustainable and green approach to home renovation, and connect writers to support a more vibrant literary community in Detroit. Our long, long term goal involves building a literary colony in Detroit, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Through vocational training, we are giving kids job skills that will provide them with a self-sustaining future. Through home renovation, we are creating more stable and positive neighborhoods. Through our support of writers, we are creating a more vibrant literary arts scene in Detroit. And we’re giving writers homes.
Onward.