Writing Residencies: The Millay Colony in Austerlitz, New York

Beautiful Barn Life: part 1 of a series on writing residencies

This post is part one of a series on writing residencies, in which I’ll share my writing residency experiences and how to apply. If you like this post, you might also enjoy reading The Highs, Lows, and Lessons of a Long-Term Writing Career. And if you enjoy my posts on writing, you might like my books.

photo of the Millay Colony barn, from the colony’s Indiegogo page

For a period of several years early in my writing career, I did a one-month writing residency each year. I thought I would share a few of the residencies with you in a short series. At the bottom of each post, you will find deadlines and links to the application.

If all of this is new to you, you can scroll down to read, “What is a writing residency?”

The Millay Colony and Life in the Barn

The first official writing residency I ever had was at the Edna St. Vincent Millay Colony in Austerlitz, New York. I think I was 28. The bucolic property, called Steepletop, had been the home of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. The colony was founded in 1973 by Millay’s sister, the artist Norma Millay Ellis.