This residency will support emerging and established voices of the Native American community in the Western United States, with a focus on prose, poetry and journalism.

“This residency is a simple offering to Native writers without “wanting” something in return. We deeply love this land and seascape at Cascade Head and have seen its powerful influence on the creative process, and we look forward to sharing it with others.”  - Melany and Duncan Berry

The Goal is to create a sanctuary like experience for writing and refreshing, where the author is a “minority in a majority of wildness”, within the beautiful Cascade Head Biosphere Region on Oregon’s wilderness coast.

Residents will be inspired by taking part in a natural system that is raw, beautiful and "other than human". To create meaningful pieces of writing that speak to the most compelling cultural, social and environmental topics of our times as expressed by first peoples, which would then be shared with the public in any way that the writer and residency team deem appropriate.

There are no strict requirements of the writers except to upload and share their writings from the residency on the project’s website. This will form a valuable archive as well as serving to inspire readers and future writers in the residency.

That said, we would like to assist in hosting or promoting public events, social media and publishing exposure for their work should they be interested in doing so.

The Application / Submission Process: 

Applicants may be individuals, couples, or couples with children though the housing for the residency itself is quite limited in size. Each seasonal resident will be chosen on the basis of their literary promise or accomplishment. A call for applicant writers for both residencies will be made at the same time annually and final selections will be made 2 months later.

Applicants must:

• A letter of intent describing their interest in the residency.

• Submit a resume / CV. 

• Samples of their work.

This work will then be vetted by a group of experienced panelists, as well as Melany and Duncan Berry.

Potential themes: The Berry family is keen to see their parent’s vibrant and creative way of living carried on, and this residency is their way of providing space and time for the current generation of native writers to thrive and express themselves freely.

In keeping with Don and Wyn’s own exploration as artists, they are especially interested in participating writers exploring one or more of the following. (Though not a requirement)

• Lifeways and current native culture.

• The re-matriation movement.

• The intersection of traditional ecological knowledge and leading-edge science. (Two eyed seeing)

• The link between human rights and nature’s rights.

• How art can illuminate science.

• Climate change and its impacts, insights and solutions.

• Social and environmental “frontiers”.

• Pushing the boundaries of convention, just as the first peoples and mountain men did in their own way in the early days of contact.