They come from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and creative interests, but the eight writers selected to participate in Linden Place’s inaugural Writers Residency all impressed the panel of judges with their potential to add context and explore new facets of the property’s complicated history.

“Allowing writers to come in, look at the history, ask questions, make connections, and put forth an interpretation allows us to think more deeply about a variety of themes and issues,” said organizer Leigh Medeiros, herself a writer and artist. “I feel very strongly about the artist's role in shaping culture. The Linden Place Writers Residency makes space for artists and allows them to use their creativity to explore and amplify various aspects of our collective history.”

“The program celebrates artists, continues a literary lineage at Linden Place that harkens back to Theodora DeWolf Colt's gatherings in the late 19th century, and fosters community discussion of our history.”

The eight writers will be working on-site during the day throughout the month of April, in blocks of time accommodating schedules in the evenings and on weekends, as well as weekdays. There are two designated spots to write in the house: at a desk in the light-filled glass conservatory, or at Colonel Samuel P. Colt's desk in his bedroom. Residents have access to archives and research support at both Linden Place and at the Bristol Historic Society. They each receive at $100 travel stipend, and a discounted rate to the Bradford Dimond Norris House next door, if they’d like to stay in town.

“We've tried to eliminate any barriers to access and provide a pleasing experience that fosters creativity,” said Medeiros.

The Residency has been made possible in part by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The writers
Medeiros was really pleased by the response to the residency, which attracted far more candidates than the program could accommodate. She admitted that having to limit the number of residents to eight was challenging, and hopes that applicants who they were not able to accommodate in 2022 will apply again in the future.

As the judges strived to bring in a variety of voices, they found that in many cases, an applicant’s sample was excellent, but their niche was already well-represented. Medeiros said they received many applications from poets, for example. Selected residents represent a range of genres, and include Genesis Barrera, a first-generation Mexican American multimedia artist, writer, and librarian who writes Spanish-language poetry; Kate Lane, a writer and illustrator who enjoys feminist historical romance and is planning to use her time to work on a historical romance novella set in 1876, a time when Theodora Colt presided as matriarch of Linden Place and Samuel would have just been graduating from Columbia and entering politics; Rochelle Leach, an artist, and musician who is extremely passionate about writing as a tool for personal expression, healing, questioning, exploring, and enrichment; Elizabeth Maligranda, a writer with a Masters in writing and producing for television, will be working on a television pilot, a fictional drama set in the pre-Civil War Era when Linen Place was a boarding house; Mia Manzotti a history enthusiast who enjoys writing in her spare time and often draws on her experiences living abroad; Curtis Perdue, an accomplished writer who founded and edited an online journal of poetry and art, published two chapbooks and one full length collection, and whose poems have appeared in a variety of publications; Rebecca Siemering, the Education Manager at the Handicraft Club and a trained fiber artist and sculptor who uses writing to influence her visual work; and Ben Jolivet, an award-winning playwright who was the playwright in residence at the Wilbury Theater.

“I have a germ of an idea,” said Jolivet. “I want to write about class structures — think about all the people it took to get fresh toast to the people who lived here.” He noted that the writers have been given great access to a lot of people and materials for their research, and he appreciated Linden Place’s recently-updated tour for a comprehensive overview of the property’s history.

“The tour is great,” he said. “The willingness of organizations like this to be honest about how these houses gotten built is important and refreshing. Let’s not sweep under the rug that this came from the slave trade, because none of this would be here — Bristol wouldn’t be here.”

“All of the writers are fabulous,” said Medeiros. “A really excellent group of people. I'm excited for their work to be showcased at our community reading and discussion on June 2nd.”

For more information on the residency and the June reading, visit LindenPlace.org/Writers-Residency.