[NEohioPAL]Thurber House Playwright Residency

[Geoffrey Nelson]

The Thurber House Residencies
Spend a season in residence at the restored home of James Thurber.


The Thurber House (James=B9s home during his college years) is a =
literary
center unique for its combination of historic preservation and literary
programming. And now, in the nineteenth year of our residencies for =
writers,
we offer time for writing and varied opportunities to work in the =
broader
central Ohio community. While each residency entails different
responsibilities--whether teaching a class, overseeing a play's staged
reading, or instructing clients of a neighborhood agency--more than half =
of
the time is available for the writer=B9s own work-in-progress.

Our residencies for writers are a seasonal retreat from daily chaos. We
offer a lovely, quiet living and working environment (yes, in the attic
where Thurber=B9s grandfather slept), a modest stipend, and most =
importantly,
time to write. Inspirational ghost sightings or other paranormal
encounters<as Thurber himself and many past residents have =
experienced<are
likely but not guaranteed.

Playwright-in-Residence

The James Thurber Playwright-in-Residence will teach one playwriting =
class
in the Department of Theatre at The Ohio State University two afternoons
each week and will be involved with either a staged reading or full
production of the playwright=B9s own work. Candidates should have had at =
least
one play published and/or produced by a significant company, and show
aptitude for the teaching aspects of the position. (Available Winter or
Spring 2004.) Stipend, $6,000.  Application info at the end of this =
e-mail.

Columbus, Ohio

"Columbus is a town in which almost anything is likely to happen and in
which almost everything has." So wrote James Thurber in My Life and Hard
Times. Since that time, many notable things have happened in Columbus:
Garrison Keillor has declared it =B3the capital of American humor;=B2 =
our major
arts institutions, like the art museum, symphony, and ballet, have =
achieved
national recognition; and the multicultural and experimental =
contributions
of visiting and local artists have enlivened the city=B9s cultural =
arena. The
growth of Columbus has led to an abundance of independent, specialty, =
and
used bookstores (according to the ABA, Columbus is ranked sixth among =
cities
where North America=B9s best-read readers live); alternative newspapers; =
and
interesting, diverse eateries. Columbus is a flourishing environment for
writers.

=B3It=B9s difficult to sum up the Thurber experience in brief, to =
capture the
lively spirit I felt as a Thurber Fellow. What better way to ignite the
imagination than to find yourself animated by dogs, seals, ghosts, =
Mitty,
owls, deer, clocks<a fantastic Thurber carnival of attractions. Thurber
Fellow or Rochester=B9s mad wife? Writing madly in the attic, and often
laughing, I was never sure.=B2
<Lucy Wang (Playwright-in-Residence, 1997)

=B3This is one of the more important houses in American letters. It is =
the
house where the bed fell and where the ghost got inS. The preservation =
of
the Thurber House suggests that, despite talk about our galloping
illiteracy, Americans can still be hospitable to the written language =
when
it is used with loving care.=B2
<Russell Baker, The New York Times

Other residencies:

Writer-in-Residence
The James Thurber Writer-in-Residence will teach a two-week, =
graduate-level
intensive workshop/seminar in the Creative Writing Program at The Ohio =
State
University; conduct a writing workshop in a community setting; and offer =
a
public reading. Candidates for this four-week residency should have =
national
visibility in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, substantial book
publications, and teaching experience. (Available Winter or Spring =
2004.)
Stipend, $6,000.

Columbus Dispatch Newsroom Residency
The James Thurber Newsroom Journalist-in-Residence will work as a =
writing
coach with a select group of general newsroom and city desk reporters at =
The
Columbus Dispatch twenty hours a week for four weeks. Candidates who
currently work or have worked at a significant daily newspaper are =
invited
to bring their depth of newsroom experience and understanding of a =
daily=B9s
environment to this special assignment at the newspaper where James =
Thurber
began his own journalism career. (Available Autumn 2004, Summer 2005.)
Stipend, $5,000.


More than forty writers have lived in our furnished apartment since the
program began in 1984. That select group includes fiction writers Doris =
Jean
Austin, Doug Bauer, Pinckney Benedict, Barbara Dimmick, Meg Files, Tara
Ison, Deirdre McNamer, William O=B9Rourke, and Randall Silvis; poets =
Alfred
Corn, John Daniel, Peter Meinke, Patricia Traxler, and Enid Shomer;
playwrights Gloria Baxter, Carlyle Brown, Sam Kelley, Julie Jensen, Gus
Kaikkonen, Lavonne Mueller, Don Nigro, Marina Shron, Brian Silberman,
Caridad Svich, Lucy Wang, and Matthew Witten; and journalists and =
creative
nonfiction authors Nat Brandt, Christopher Corbett, Paula DiPerna, Lise
Funderburg, Wil Haygood, Laurie Hertzel, Jane Howard, Erich Hoyt, Joe
Jackson, Elizabeth Kadetsky, Elaine Liner, James Merriner, Eugene Meyer,
John Nance, Leila Philip, Arlene Schulman, Toby Smith, and Laurie Stone.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Thurber House is a
literary center, bookstore, and museum of Thurber materials. With the
Thurber Center, an adjacent contemporary conference and classroom =
facility,
Thurber House=B9s programs include author readings, Thurber =
celebrations,
writing programs for children, and gallery exhibitions.
=20
The Thurber House Residency Program is conducted in cooperation with The
Ohio State University=B9s Department of Theatre and the Department of =
English
Creative Writing Program, as well as The Columbus Dispatch.=20


Interested writers may apply by sending the following to:

Residencies Director Trish Houston
Thurber House
77 Jefferson Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43215.=20

Application packets must be received by November 15, 2002.=20
1. A letter of interest.
2.  The two-page application form (available by e-mail
thurberhouse at thurberhouse.org).
3. A curriculum vita.
4. Two writing samples (including at least one from a major publisher.
5.  A $15 application fee.=20

The selection panel will then choose writers to be brought to Columbus =
for
interviews in February. Residency selections will be announced in April
2003.

Check out the Thurber House Website: www.thurberhouse.org



______________________________

Geoffrey Nelson, Artistic Director
CATCO (Contemporary American Theatre Company)
77 S. High St. 2nd Flr
Columbus, OH 43215
614-461-1382 x 154
www.catco.org



______________________________

Geoffrey Nelson, Artistic Director
CATCO (Contemporary American Theatre Company)
77 S. High St. 2nd Flr
Columbus, OH 43215
614-461-1382 x 154
www.catco.org