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ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIALS
Learn about our residency program from the words of recent residents.
“I spent a perfect
two weeks on this perfectly hatched island among a whole shoal of pine furry
islands. There were seals, raccoons fishing for mussels, lobstermen going by in
the fog, seaweed red and ochre. And then
the sun would come out, every now and again, and the sea would switch blue as a
blueberry. The beauty of this place is
astounding. The strawberries are small and flavorful. The lobster is the best
I’ve ever tasted. The eggs are tiny and in several shades of white and brown. I
miss it terribly as I write this, miss the bonfires and hiking through the
mossy interior of the island, miss chatting with my fellow artists. It was a happy mixture of camping and writing
colony. I worked very well with a clear
brain and intense concentration, edited an entire manuscript of 450 pages,
departed swigging a last bottle and single pirate ditties. This has been the most generous writers’
center I have visited and I’m grateful to Steve for his kindness and for the
fact that he keeps this place wild and devoid of that sanitary, academic,
uptight atmosphere of so many of these centers.”
–Kiran Desai,
novelist, The Inheritance of Loss, winner
of the Man Booker Prize.
“Norton Island
gave me a priceless gift—the chance to work with rigor in a setting of
unexpected natural beauty.”
–D. Nurkse, poet, The Border Kingdom, Burnt Island
“There is no place or
time on Earth like the weeks of quiet isolation on Norton Island.
The island is your silent partner in creating: enough company to keep from
going crazy, but no interruptions in work or inspiration.”
–Joe Haldeman,
novelist, The Forever War, winner of the Hugo and Nebula
awards
“The landscape has
enchanted me, and so has Jonesport. I
would love to return to do more work on Norton, Crumple and Hardwood islands.”
–Jane Culp, landscape
artist
“Writers and painters
scurrying to their studios in the thick woods summoned by the terrors of their
creative work, like deer threatened by the bears—awesome experience continues
to inspire me even a month later, on the mainland, to scurry into my studio
humbly. And the seals, lounging on the
other end of the island, on the rocks, like bald fat men, they seem like an
assembly of saints, without Cuban cigars, summoning me to improve my testimony,
story.”
–Josip Novakovich, writer, April Fool’s Day, Salvation
and Other Disasters
“I can’t imagine a
more creative environment than Norton
Island. Every day poses a fresh and authentic
encounter with nature, fellow artists, and one’s self. Long stretches of solitude are balanced with
moments of raucous camaraderie. It is a
place for clear thinking, and dreamy starry nights. The kind of experience I live for, and as a
theatre artist, the kind of experience I hope to create.”
–Phil Atlakson, playwright and filmmaker, Leapfrog Through Time & Space, The Catch
“Truly amazing! I got so much writing done, over 32,000 words
of the novel I’m working on, and quite a bit on the nonfiction book as
well. It’s really the perfect place to
work.”
–Maggie Dubris, novelist, poet, musician, Skels, Weep Not, My Wanton
“I
first arrived in Jonesport at 2 a.m., but Steve insisted on meeting me.
He collected me from the docks and ferried me through the fog, and
through a minefield of lobster traps, in his chugging S.S. Minnow-style
cruiser. From the moment we touched ground on his forested island,
where silence is threaded by the constant humming of a windmill, and
where a hot meal awaited me in the lodge, I entered a cozy and
otherworldly time warp of rugged solitude, warm camaraderie, intense
natural beauty, and wonderful productivity. Early each day, in the
serenity of my cabin, accompanied only by the whistling pines and the
patient mosquitoes that had gathered on my screen, I would begin my
deep wanderings into the draft of my second novel—ultimately, to my
surprise, at the end of three weeks, having created and revised fifty
pages. Late afternoons, to refill my tank, I would follow the downy
"buoy path" to the ocean-side of the island, often accompanied by one
or two of the uniformly fascinating and accomplished other residents.
When I was feeling more daring I would venture out in the rowboat—once getting so wildly lost in the fog that two passing lobster
fishermen, steaming along, informed me in some forgotten, briny dialect
that I had drifted several islands away! Evenings, however, is when it
all came together: ten or so committed artists and writers, gathering
around a long teak table (and then around a campfire), shared from
their work, cracked each other up, and enjoyed the most marvelous food
and wine. Anything I accomplished in the solitude of my cabin owed to
the gestalt of Norton Island—its devoted community, its pervasive
calm, the youthfully spirited and defiant way it juts its rocky face
into the ocean.”
–John Beckman, novelist, The Winter Zoo
“Usually when I come
home from a residency, the magic dissipates right away, but this time I am
still getting up at 6:00 AM and drawing all morning. I’m still back there on the rocks in the fog,
still wandering through the embracing trees, still scaring up bald eagles and
feeling like I’m really alive. As I hope
you could tell from the drawings I made there, the intensity of the whole
place, the savage parts of the island, the other artists’ company and work, the
expanding time, and the psychological effects of being physically sequestered
and bound by water, all made for an immersion in my own work that I loved.”
–Katherine Meyer,
artist
“Since
coming back from Norton Island, not a day has passed that I haven’t
consciously felt grateful for the opportunity and the experience.
Without the slightest exaggeration, it was a godsend. As you know, I’d
“never done that kind of thing before,” for a number of reasons, but
one of the strongest reasons was that I feared, judging from what I’d
heard of other writers residencies, that it might be a nightmare of
pecking orders and inflated egos—and God, was Norton Island anything
but that. The camaraderie was inspiring, and the work I accomplished
was nothing short of astounding, at least to me: 120 pages of good new
manuscript in three weeks. Lord love a duck. It was heaven, no kidding,
and I’ll be eternally thankful. Stupidly, I packed shorts and t-shirts
(it gets chilly in July, doesn’t it?) and ended up buying sweatshirts
and jeans at that thrift shop in town—but even that was cool:
50-cents a pop? I’m still wearing that junk, my lucky clothes.” –Tom DeHaven, novelist, It's Superman!, Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies
“Nearly a month has
passed since the boat carrying me away from Norton Island
left the dock, and I still return to the place every day in my mind. [W]hen the quotidian threatens to pull me
under and the shores of the Free Republic of Norton Island
seem unbearably distant, the small vase of sea heather on my desk reminds me of
how fortunate I am to have been a citizen of that happy place, and it is
gratitude that buoys my soul. Now, surely, is the time to say it: thank you,
thank you, thank you.”
–Christina Askounis,
novelist, The Dream of the Stone
“Norton Island
gave me the time and space to completely devote myself to my artwork, which is
almost impossible to do during my busy and hectic like in NYC. I left the island refreshed, rejuvenated and
ready to tackle the challenges of my life.
I also left with a group of new friends, all talented and accomplished
individuals who are supportive of me and my work.”
–Bonnie Lucas, artist
“Thank you, thank
you, for such a fine occasion…very productive for me, and as you may see,
hugely enjoyed.”
–Stephen Grey, poet
“It was a
spectacular, life-changing, magnificent and magical summer on Norton Island. I shall never forget it, and I thank you for
the opportunity to stay and work and meet such amazing inspirational people.”
–Jamie Callan,
novelist, Just Too Cool
“I have
had such a grand, important time in your community and I am deeply in
your debt. I intend to donate regularly to the cause for years to come.
You do good work, sir, and it is greatly appreciated.” –Brian Bouldrey, author, Honorable Bandit, The Genius of Desire, Monster
“My time on the
island allowed me to do a phenomenal amount of work: cutting 80 pages from a
novel and writing 12,000 words (some of them pretty good) of nonfiction. But what makes Norton Island
special is the supportive atmosphere, the generosity of the staff, fellow
writers and artists, [and] the beauty of the island.”
–Rob Jacklosky,
writer, playwright, actor
“Life
at a writers’/artists’ colony is surely always good. Freedom from the
chores of normal life, interesting company, immersion in the work:
don’t these pay off for almost anyone? But my time on Norton Island was
beyond good. The head-slapping beauty of the place, the small
challenges of life there, the genuine isolation, the richly human
atmosphere established by Steve Dunn and the staff, the kinds of people
who would choose a stay in this kind of place: these all lifted the
experience into a higher level of intensity. I walked, gawked, I did
dishes, I laughed a lot, I learned things from the other residents and
from the island’s silence, and yes, I wrote my brains out. I say go
there if you get the chance. Take wool socks. And expect great things.” –Jeanne Larsen, novelist, critic, Manchu Palaces, Silk Road
“I loved the mixture
of privacy and collegiality. In less
than three weeks, I wrote a complete treatment of a novel and enjoyed the
non-competitive interaction with the other writers.”
–Carl Wootan, writer
“[W]hen a group of
writers and thinkers stands with you and says, ‘You are welcome here. We believe in your work. Pay us back by doing what you were born to
do,” there is no limit to what is possible.
By the session’s end I reached a level of productivity I had hitherto
only tasted. And when my furnace
overheated I could tread softly into the mossy, creaking woods, toward the
island’s edge, where crashing surf, horizon lines and harbor seals greeted my
senses. Thank you, Norton Island. I hope one day we meet again.”
–Aaron Birk, writer
and artist
“The
Norton Island experience proved an adventure and an opportunity to
appreciate nature, accomplish a sizable amount of work, and make new
friends. In two weeks, I wrote one hundred, inspired pages of my novel Betrayal,
participated in many stimulating conversations at wonderful dinners. I
hiked, rode in boats, explored other islands, marveled at early morning
mists and evening sunsets, saw seals, ate lobsters, drank wine around
the bonfire, shared stories with other writers and artists. For two
weeks, I lost my weariness, my artistic frustrations, mundane
responsibilities, and most importantly, my cynicism. I came back to
“civilization” renewed.” –Frances Sherwood, author, Night Sorrows, The Book of Splendor
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