The Island Institute's Writers' Residencies provide opportunities for four writers to each spend a month in Sitka, Alaska, pursuing their own work and getting to know this unique island community in the forested coastal mountains of Southeast Alaska.

Residents' time is largely their own to pursue their work, but each person is expected to take part in a community activity approximately once a week (more if desired). These might include public readings, talks to school or college classes, writing workshops, radio interviews, discussions with special interest groups, or other events appropriate to the writer's background.

Each resident is provided living accommodations including a kitchen and a stipend of $300 toward food costs. Travel to and from Sitka, as well as all other incidental costs, are the responsibility of the resident.

Three positions are filled by application. There is a single application deadline of April 15 for positions in September of that year and January and April of the following year. The November position each year is reserved for an international writer who comes to Sitka from the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

The program aims to encourage the work of both promising and published writers who share the interests of The Island Institute - the nature of vital communities, the social and ethical web of human relationships and connections to the natural world, the global effort to shape sustainable human cultures.

Testimony about the program:

"A gift of uninterrupted working time is immeasurably valuable to any creative endeavor. There are three ways, however, in which The Island Institute's gift differs from other residency programs-
. . . the astonishing landscape of the southeast Alaska panhandle
. . . the community involvement which the Institute fosters
. . . the interdisciplinary nature of the residency program."
Alison Deming,
English Department, University of Arizona, Tucson

"I came to Sitka with high hopes for a quiet and beautiful place to write. . What I found was a community of intellectuals and activists who were truly inspiring, impressive beyond even the landscape in the intensity of their involvement with ideas, the breadth of their perspective, their moral energy, their commitment to communities, both cultural and ecological."
Kathleen Dean Moore,
Philosophy Professor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

Guest faculty will lead participants in engaging conversations about the commons--those shared assets, both natural and cultural, that we inherit and create as humans. Air, water, ecosystems, ideas, music, and stories are among the gifts of the commons. Symposium discussion will consider the threats posed to these assets through privatization and globalization, and ways we can contribute to and sustain this shared well-being for all.

The Symposium format brings both writing and the oral tradition to the service of ideas. We welcome a broad audience of writers, readers, and others interested in our theme. Activities include faculty talks, readings, panel discussions, small group discussions, and workshops. Writers enrolled full-time may opt for one-on-one manuscript critiques with faculty. Enrollment is limited to 60 so as to foster genuine conversation. University of Alaska credit is available at either graduate or undergraduate levels for those interested in fulfilling college or professional development requirements.

Sitka is located in Southeast Alaska's striking coastal mountains and temperate rainforest. Symposium participants have opportunities to learn about local Tlingit culture and the natural environs. A Solstice Dessert Cruise and two chamber music concerts of the Sitka Summer Music Festival are included in the schedule.