Millay Colony for the Arts

Promoting the vitality of the arts and the development of writers, visual artists, and composers by providing a retreat for creative work.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Workshop Retreat Schedule Firming Up

We are busy setting the line-up for this year's workshop retreats and should be able to announce the list within a week. Last year featured painting with Jason Middlebrook, poetry with Tomás Urayoán Noel, poetry with Eleni Sikelianos, and critical writing with Frances Richard. This year? Details coming soon....

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

In another sphere

Hi all,

This is the first time that I have ever written on a blog. I hereby enter the zone between intimate conversation and publication...hi hello and other greetings of the day and days.

I will be writing about all things residency-related, from my perch at The Millay Colony for the Arts.

You, reader, will come to know the characters that fill my days here: Warrior-baker Calliope Nicholas, Demoiselle of Letters, Cara Benson and, of course, my bouncy puppy Chelsea Penelope.

More soon -- I like this. I can say whatever I want.

xx, CC

Winter Shaker Report from Diane Simmons

Back from a Winter Shaker week at Millay where I worked on pulling together a short story collection.
Back, I'm remembering--and I'm glad--that I have a job where I see lots of students, a house to live in, and a husband to talk to about all that goes on, a teen age daughter to worry about.
Still, all of these good things aren't writing, and I realize that the week at Millay allowed me to live my work all the time, not just for the 2-3 hours a day I manage to steal--if I'm lucky--in "real life."
I know I could never live the life of an artist full time; I need people to see and places to go. It's scary to be alone most of the time with your own head.
But the opportunity Millay offered does remind me of the difference between art and busy-ness, and I'm very grateful for that.

Diane blogs at http://freezeinthedark.blogspot.com/.