Amtrak launches writers' residency program
A cozy space with time to write 鈥� and no need to pay for that space 鈥� is many authors鈥� dream.
Amtrak may be on the way to providing that.
It all started when writer Alexander Chee mentioned in an interview that one of the best places to write, for him, was on a train. In the interview with , Chee said, 鈥淚 wish Amtrak had residencies for writers.鈥�
Writers Zach Seward and Jessica Gross a link to the article at the Amtrak Twitter account and responded to them, writing, 鈥淲e鈥檇 need a test run. You two up for a trip to Chicago and back?鈥澛�
So Gross embarked on the journey from New York, which Amtrak offered for free as long as she wrote about her trip on social media and participated in an interview conducted by the company, which was posted on the Amtrak blog.
鈥淲e loved the idea,鈥� Amtrak staff wrote on their of Chee鈥檚 suggestion.
According to , Amtrak said it will make the 鈥渨riters鈥� residency鈥� idea a program.
Gross told the Wire that the idea seems to have caught on with others.
鈥�I鈥檝e seen a billion tweets from other writers saying 鈥業 want one of these,鈥欌�� she said. Amtrak social media director Julia Quinn agreed, saying that the company has experienced 鈥渙verwhelming demand.鈥�
And now himself will get to experience a soothing writing experience.
鈥淚 can announce my @Amtrak writer's residency dream came true, thanks to them,鈥� he tweeted. 鈥淎m set for a trip from NYC-Portland, OR in mid-May.鈥�
Quinn told the Wire that if future writers residency trips aren鈥檛 free, the company wants to keep them inexpensive.
She said she doesn鈥檛 believe there will be requirements to qualify for the program 鈥� for example, needing to be a published author to participate, or only being a creative writer.
鈥淭he differences between a journalist, a published author,聽a blogger 鈥撀爐hose lines are continually blurred by the Internet,鈥� she said.
What say you, readers? Would you be interested in embarking on a long train ride to get some writing done?
