We offer solo residencies of 1-3 weeks (two-week max summer quarter, so that we can accommodate more women who teach or have family commitments) in a well-appointed cottage in deep woods above Hammersley Inlet on Puget Sound. The cottage is five miles from Shelton, a small logging town. Residents are responsible for their own transportation to Holly House, preparing their own food, and maintaining themselves while in residence. The small kitchen has a two-burner countertop stove, under-counter refrigerator, broiler oven, microwave, and coffeemaker. A loft bedroom has writing/drawing space, and there is a pull-out sofa bed downstairs for those who do not want to have to use stairs.
The cottage has a ramped entry and spacious bathroom, but is not fully ADA compliant, and the grounds are not particularly wheelchair-friendly. Residents with some disabilities are welcome to bring a helper by arrangement with the board. We are a small nonprofit, and a working board; there is no staff. However, volunteers provide clean linens; we ask residents to spend a few hours at the end of their stay cleaning the house for the next resident.
The place is good accommodation for writers, visual artists, academics, playwrights and artists in other fields. There is decent wifi through a sharing arrangement with the next-door neighbors. There are paths in the woods and great hiking and saltwater access nearby. Residents are required to have a vehicle on the premises for their own safety in case of evacuation orders.
Residency Eligibility
Residency Experience Summary
Application Information
While we accept residents at all levels of accomplishment, we make a particular effort to include emerging artists in each quarter's selection.
We do not turn away any applicant on the basis of ability to pay. We are happy to accept donations (and call it a fee if it helps with tax status). It costs about $40 per day to keep the doors open, but many residents pay only a portion of that, if at all, and some donate more.
There is no specific grant/scholarship structure. We simply rely on residents' assessment of their ability to pay.