Literary Homesteading

A new initiative is trying to draw writers to the bankrupt city of Detroit:

In a contemporary, literary twist on old homesteading incentives, a new nonprofit organization called Write a House is refurbishing three two-bedroom houses in Detroit and accepting applications this spring for writers to move in, rent free. Poets, journalists, novelists, and anyone who falls somewhere in between are encouraged to apply. If the writers stay for the required two years and fulfill other obligations, such as engaging with the city’s literary community and contributing to the program’s blog, they’ll even get the deed to the place. As the group’s mission puts it, “It’s like a writer-in-residence program, only in this case we’re actually giving the writer the residence, forever.” …

For a renter feeling boxed in or left out in her current location, moving to Detroit might provide a creative spark. Write a House, however, is looking to draw people from not only America’s expensive coastal hubs but also from big or small towns all over the world. (They’ve already been contacted by several writers in Europe.) “Some communities are pricing people out, and other communities just aren’t that interesting,” [project co-founder Toby] Barlow said. “Detroit is affordable and fascinating, and that seems like a good combination for writers.”

Carolyn Kellogg notes that “24 hours after launch, more than 200 interested writers asked to learn more.”