Gone Writing: The (Second) Ox-Bow Residency

This weekend, I’m headed for my second two-week writing residency at Ox-Bow!

Affiliated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Ox-Bow is located along the shores of Lake Michigan and offers 115 acres of inspirational space: pristine natural forests, dunes, a lagoon, and historic buildings.

Writers at this artists’ colony are provided with a small apartment, private lodge with inspirational views, three gourmet meals a day, and snacks around the clock — all from local farms.

Last time I was in Ox-Bow, as I prepared for Tracks to be published, I was working on a revision of my novel, Womb.

This time, I plan to plunge into a new novel: Setting the Family Free.

I also plan to take some appropriate reading material to start and end my days: Thoraeu’s Walden, O’Brien’s In The Lake of the Woods, and Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven.

Ox-Bow offers the opportunity to meet other artists from around the world, and (most importantly) uninterrupted time to write. Not to mention gourmet meals three times a day using local, organic food.

Ox-Bow’s residency program is all about immersion, commitment, freedom, and focus. Founded in 1910, Ox-Bow is celebrating 102 years as a haven for artists, writers, and thinkers.

I plan to live by the bell for the two weeks, leaving my watch behind. I may spend an hour a day online, but plan to spend most of the two weeks unplugged, and writing.

If I stay the course and manage to get in a full day of writing each day, maybe I’ll even have time to partake in other writer-in-residence duties, such as eating, hiking, canoeing, and carousing.

Learn more about Ox-Bow by visiting their online campus.

www.ox-bow.org