SWLF Writing Residency at Barry Lopez Cottage
Location: Lopez Cottage on the McKenzie
The School of Writing, Literature and Film’s SWLF Writing Residency at Barry Lopez Cottage supports visionary authors, artists and activists whose creative and/or critical work engages ecological issues. Our two-week residency provides time, space, and freedom to immerse oneself in the creative process. The Lopez Cottage, situated on Oregon’s storied McKenzie River, offers an energizing environment for focused work and the solitude afforded to residents is complemented by amenities in nearby Eugene (45 minute drive) and Corvallis (90 minutes), as well as Bend and Portland.
Residency Details
Writers of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, long-form journalism and graphic narrative are welcome to apply.
As part of the residency package, the School of Writing, Literature, and Film will work with chosen candidates to arrange a public presentation, at least one informal engagement with OSU students, and one short video interview for our archives. An honorarium will be provided for these commitments, which can be scheduled immediately before or after the residency, or for a different time within one year of the stay.
This residency is by invitation only for the next two academic years (2023 and 2024). Please check back for application instructions, to be posted no later than October 2024.
The School of Writing, Literature, and Film is partnering with the Spring Creek Project and McKenzie River Trust on this residency.
Current Residents
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is a poet, essayist and professor of creative writing at the University of Mississippi. She is the author of the New York Times best-selling illustrated collection of nature essays, "World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, & Other Astonishments," as well as four poetry collections. Her writing has been recognized with a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pushcart Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Ben Goldfarb is an independent conservation journalist and the author of two books: "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter," winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and "Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet." His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Science, the New York Times, National Geographic, Orion Magazine, The Guardian, High Country News, Smithsonian, Audubon Magazine, Scientific American and Hakai Magazine, among many other publications.