History of the Residency
The Wilderness Writing Residency program at the Dutch Henry Homestead was initiated in 1992, and the program has continued, uninterrupted, since then. The idea was to find writers with a desire to live and write at the homestead and a willingness to perform minimal maintenance chores in exchange for the residency experience. In return, the annual resident has at her/his disposal six to twelve months in wilderness solitude to pursue writing projects of individual design.
Frank Boyden and Bradley Boyden, owners of the homestead at the time, initially contacted novelist David James Duncan to help flesh out the concept. In 1994 they formed a partnership with PEN Northwest, a regional branch of the writers organization PEN America, to administer the recruitment of residents and provide a stipend for each selectee. Author and residency alum John Daniel, then chair of PEN Northwest, handled the application process from 1995 to 2025. The current administrator is author Langdon Cook, second in the thirty-three-year lineage of Dutch Henry residents to date.
The writing residency was named to honor Margery Davis Boyden, mother of Frank and Bradley, for her vision and energy in developing the homestead, and also for her love of the place. Bradley Boyden and his two adult children are the current owners of the homestead. The three of them work together to manage the property. The residency program disassociated itself from PEN Northwest several years ago and is now funded by support from generous donors and alumni of the program. For information about making a donation, please contact Bradley Boyden at dutchenry.dhit@gmail.com or Langdon Cook at langdoncook@yahoo.com .
From inception, the motive has been to establish a unique opportunity for selected writers to develop their work in an environment of natural solitude. We know of no other long-term wilderness writing residency of this sort. Through the program's history, residents have been chosen by varied committees of Pacific Northwest writers on the basis of two criteria: literary promise or accomplishment, as evidenced by a writing sample; and suitability to the backcountry living situation, as evidenced by a letter of intent and resume. The residency is open to poets and writers of all kinds, advanced in their careers or just setting out. Publication credits are not mandatory. Applicants may be individuals, couples (with or without children), or partnerships of two. Recipients of the annual residency may live at Dutch Henry for up to a full year. Most stay for six to seven months, from April (when snow has melted from the access roads) through October.
Founders Statement
Bradley and Frank Boyden
The original concept was simple, and this highly successful residency program has flourished as a result of that simplicity. We find people who want to write, give them total freedom and a substantial block of time to live, work, and play on and around the homestead. We provide a comfortable dwelling and full use of all equipment. We find people who have a desire to live in wilderness solitude, and who are willing to provide minimal maintenance work in exchange for the opportunity. We provide the resident(s) an opportunity to partake in ownership and stewardship. The concept is rooted in stewardship whereby roles become reversed when the land owners become stewards of the arts (literature), and the artists (writers) become stewards of the land.
Our work in facilitating the residency requires significant energy and time. When residents begin their stay in early spring, we must properly orient them to the property and its workings, the area around the homestead, and wilderness living in general. Similarly, in those years when the resident chooses to end residency in late fall, we must facilitate vacating the property in preparation for winter. Inevitably, problems arise which require visits for collaborative repair of equipment, appliances and buildings. We greatly enjoy working in this capacity as facilitators.
Since its inception, this residency program has provided benefits for us that far surpass the menial maintenance and presence aspects of simple caretaking. We meet and come to know wonderful people. We share in their eventual love of the place and the experiences and adventures they have there. We collaborate with residents in work projects on the property. We are invited to read their work, not only that which is written during the residencies, but that which precedes and follows. We get to teach and tell stories. We acquire new friends and fishing partners. We find joy in knowing that the opportunities we are making available are inspirational and life-changing.
We regard the establishment and apparent success of this writing residency as a significant achievement. The program has enriched us immeasurably through the intangible and wonderful effects the program has wrought on the individuals who have partaken of it.
