ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIALS
 
Learn about our residency program from the words of recent residents.
 
This past summer 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, lobster men 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. Leslie is a cook so splendid you will raise your glass and cheer her each evening. 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 singing pirate ditties. This has been the most generous writer’s 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, author, The Inheritance of Loss, winner of the Man Booker Prize.
 
I really treasured being able to disappear into my head every day as I walked around the island, and that, frequently, the world around us disappeared into the fog. I was amazed by the tides and what they revealed and concealed.
Barbara Cooper, artist
 
I’m a pretty slow writer, a few hundred words every day, so I didn’t write two novels and a symphony while I was there. But I did a good month’s work in two weeks, and produced a couple of decent watercolors besides… If that were all there was to recommend Norton Island, it would be plenty. But there were also the people, and they were marvelous, residents and staff alike. Each night after dinner a couple would give readings or show art or play compositions, enjoyable and broadening, but the less formal gatherings were also valuable… there was a lot of sitting around the bonfire trading stories.
Joe Haldeman, writer
 
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, writer
 
I just wanted to thank you again for the chance to spend time on Norton Island. 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
 
Thank you, thank you, for such a fine occasion… very productive for me, and as you may see, hugely enjoyed.
Stephen Grey, writer
 
I first arrived in Jonesport at 2 am, 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, writer
 
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, writer
 
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, writer
 
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, writer
 
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 -- you, especially.
Jamie Callan, writer
 
I enjoyed the landscape and your hospitality, as well as that of your friends/employees tremendously. The island 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
 
…the place left me with many good memories and stories to tell -- and sent me home with a draft of a novel. All in all a terrific experience.
C.C., writer
 
I found something on Norton Island, which, in the rush of traffic, and the rattle of the day, seems almost impossible to pin down. And then, when my heart leaps at the sound of a child at play, or when it catches a beat at the bright clear run of the full moon above a long dark cloud, I remember exactly what it is.
G.H., writer
 
The month on Norton Island was one of the most enjoyable and productive experiences I’ve had as a writer. There was a wonderful communal aspect to the group, enhanced by the rustic, frontier setting; and the selection process was thoughtfully done:  it was an enormously diverse group of people, ranging in age from early twenties to mid-sixties, The month on Norton Island was one of the most enjoyable and productive experiences with people at different stages of their careers and a rich diversity in genre:  fiction writers, nonfiction writers, an academic; and painters, photographers, and conceptual artists. This diversity contributed to some of the most stimulating and entertaining dinner conversations I’ve had. And the dinners were themselves works of art; in fact the food was, all in all, the best I’ve ever had.
 
And the island -- it feels like another world. The sky, sun, stars, and water look different -- the sky is a deeper blue; on a clear night the stars light up the island; and the morning sun casts brilliant orange rays off the water. Being there gives you a newfound appreciation for Winslow Homer’s Maine sea sketches, for you realize that his coastal colors are far more real than you thought possible. I returned regenerated, relaxed, inspired, and sorry to be back in the world.
J.S., writer 

I had a remarkably successful visit: I wrote 75 pages of a new novel in two weeks, the fastest and best I’ve ever been able to write... the situation just worked for me... it was great, and I think it was a very productive time for nearly everyone…
B.B., writer
 
Four weeks of one of the most productive, inspirational and fun weeks of my life!  Norton Island is a rare and special place. I just wanted to thank you so much for such a pivotal experience.  I am back now but will still be buzzing from up there.
C.F., artist
 
I came to the island with a story half-written, and then wrote myself into another, surprised at having done so.  I don’t want to bang on too long about myself, but the real worth and gift of a residency is tied to one’s idea of worth of the work done there. What I expected and planned to accomplish while there is very different from what I came with, which means, in part, must mean, that the place makes its impression, makes its own demands. It is a powerful place, and its presence in the mind and heart is lasting. N.H., writer
 
It was an excellent experience. I greatly benefited and enjoyed the time I had to focus on my work and explore my creativity. You chose an excellent group of people this year!
H.S., artist
 
I arrived in the pouring rain not knowing what to expect, my luggage -- laptop and printer -- piled under a tarp near the bow. It was already dark, and I huddled behind Mr. Dunn at the helm as the boat plowed across the bay, mixing spindrift with dark rain. I knew we were headed toward an island, but that’s all I knew. Then I saw the steel dock sloping down over muscle-encrusted rocks, and the lights glowing in a log cabin, and Stephen cut the engine and the boat nosed down, and we’d arrived. 
 
Along with my printer I’d packed a few fantasies -- of ocean swims and jogs along the shore; of a cabin with a view of blue horizon and surf, of camaraderie, good food, drink and talk, and a finished second draft of my novel. I got half my wishes. The cabin, deep in the woods, didn’t look out to sea but to mushrooms and pine trees; even in mid-July the sea was far too cold for swimming, and the shore far too jagged for jogging. But the camaraderie was all I could have hoped -- talented and smart, too -- as was the food, the drink, the talk. And though I didn’t finish that draft, I got through three-quarters of it. True, the electricity -- powered by sneaky wind and temperamental generators -- pooped out every now and then: but even Eden had its glitches, and who needs current, alternating or direct, in Paradise?
P.S., writer
 
It was a great and rare experience and I have over 200 color photos from which to do oil paintings in my studio. The lichen-blitzed trees, spankable rocks, engraved water surfaces dotted with lobster markrts and the ballet of clouds fixed Norton Island in my memory forever. I also made new friends… Am I dreaming, or do I still see lobster boats and The Rose?
P.H., artist
 
My experience of Eastern Frontier was so full and wonderful that I thought to myself that I wanted to apply to every residency program there is. But the fact that many of the residents had never wanted to go to another residency program attests to the fact that there are no others like Eastern Frontier. There are literally no distractions besides the people and the beauty of the island. There is nothing else on the island.  A perfect month away from cars, money, and most worries.
D.P., artist
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had the best time ever on your lovely island. I really can’t express how wonderful everything was. The jury picked a great group of people.  Everyone was amazing and the time was really special…
M.S., artist
 
I wanted to thank you again for inviting me to Norton Island. It was such a terrific experience. The group formed a really strong bond with each other. Every evening was hysterical and unpredictable. Ask about some of the dinner conversation. The helper, the cook and the guide were all great.
M.W., artist
 
Eastern Frontier Society is an absolutely glorious place for writers. The ambiance is remarkably inspiring. The pristine beauty of a Maine island, the complete solitude, the tranquil sea breezes, the call of loons at night -- what more could a writer want? In addition to great food and wine, and the perfect solitude in which to work, Eastern Frontier offers camaraderie, the sense of artistic fellowship that develops between writer and artists each evening. I have never been as productive as I have during my stay here.
M.C.W., writer
 
Thank you so much, again, for the whole Eastern Frontier opportunity. For me, it was a tremendous experience, maybe even pivotal, and certainly much needed. I put together an almost complete draft of my book -- 190 pages -- which was exactly what I needed to do during that month. All that’s left is a lot of smoothing out and refining and, of course, an ending. But these things will come now, I’m sure. Norton Island game me the boost I needed and I’m grateful to you for providing such an amazing environment.
C.R., writer
 
It is amazing how much pensive solitude, extended over weeks, in the deep woods can affect a creative project. On Norton Island, I was able to turn years of notes and snipets into a coherent rough draft of a first book. This was not like stealing two or three days at home where you turn off the phone, always feeling guilty or worried that you're not doing something you should. On Norton Island there is nothing you're supposed to do other than creative work, and this has a rather stunning impact on what comes out. The other side of the Eastern Frontier experience is the camaraderie-gathering in the evenings to blow off steam with new friends who understand that a day of deep thought alone in a cabin needs some release at the end. It's this combination of solitude and support that feeds writing and was, for me, akin to stumbling across a waterfall in the desert.
C.R., writer
 
My time at the Eastern Frontier remains special in my memory. Your island has every climby, burrowy, rocky, bosky, sculptural, impenetrable kind of scenery, and each search for a different site, from ghostly trees to the sculpture garden of tawny rocks exhibited on flat sands turned up new painting possibilities. I took many photos of the hidden harbor with its storm-tossed and canyon-like walls reflected in the seaweedy water. Where is there another island with such dramatic variets???
P.H., artist
 
The two weeks I spent at Norton Island were really precious to me. I completed new work, experienced camaraderie both serious and hilarious, was recharged by being in nature. It was bracing to be adrift a little, thrown on my own artistic and social resources. Daily life can be so full of inane errands and rote behaviors. I jumped at the chance to focus on my images.
M.W., artist