Following a hiatus due to COVID-19, the role of Writer-in-Residence (WIR) on the interisland ferry will resume again in January 2024. Lopez Island resident Iris Graville (right) developed the residency and served as the first WIR in 2018 (visit her blog posts from her term at www.writingtheinterisland.org.). The second WIR, from 2019-2020, was San Juan Island writer Liz Smith (left).
San Juan County writers interested in this unpaid position need to apply by December 1, 2023.
As Writer-in-Residence on the interisland ferry, you’ll find benefits for your creativity and productivity as you ride and write (at no cost) among four Washington State islands in the Salish Sea—San Juan, Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez. You’ll feel freed from timelines and expectations with the gentle movement of the ferry and the ever-changing scenery outside your window. Look up from your keyboard or writing pad to catch glimpses of cormorants, bald eagles, harbor seals, gulls, Madrones, firs, cedars, rocky shorelines, and occasionally, whales.
Your “office” will be one of the Washington State Ferry vessels that carries passengers and vehicles. The ferry leaves its home berth in Friday Harbor each morning around 6:00 and makes five circles until it returns to Friday Harbor around 8:30 pm. You can walk onto the ferry for free at the time convenient for you and remain on board until the final stop at your destination.
Your residency companions might include commuters to a variety of jobs in the San Juans, students, and people making deliveries of fresh produce, sand and gravel, lumber, beer and other beverages, and livestock. You might also be accompanied by Mahjong players; ukulele musicians; school sports teams; and other writers. While you might find pleasant “interruptions,” including chats with the crew and other passengers, wildlife sightings, and fire drills (comforting to know the crews keep emergency practices current), the absence of consistent cell service and free Wi-Fi will help you remain focused on your writing.
This is an ideal residency for writers who live in the San Juan Islands, as it doesn’t require relocating or spending hundreds to thousands of dollars to cover lodging, housing, and transportation. If you enjoy writing and can commit to doing so on the interisland ferry once or twice a week (for up to a year; shorter terms are possible), please apply.
To be considered for the residency: email iris@irisgraville.com with a brief description of why you’d like to be the next writer-in-residence, goals for your term, and how you envision filling the term (i.e. expected frequency of riding the ferry, any writing projects you plan to work on while riding and writing, and length of term—up to one year). It would be helpful to know if you currently blog or if you intend to blog about the WIR experience. You may be asked to submit a writing sample.
Application deadline is December 1, 2023.
Here’s some information about the first two WIRs.
Liz Smith is a writer and documentary producer. She co-produced the award-winning feature film about youth climate activists, YOUTH v GOV, which is available on NETFLIX. Liz also produces and writes for the PBS ocean science television series, CHANGING SEAS, and has a new PBS health channel show in development, LIVING LONGER, LIVING WELL.
An environmental activist and a retired nurse, Iris Graville is the author of four books, including personal essays, memoir, and profiles. Her term as Writer-in-Residence resulted in Writer in a Life Vest: Essays from the Salish Sea, published by Homebound Publications in 2022.
Will YOU be the next Writer-in-Residence?
San Juan County writers interested in this unpaid position apply by email to iris@irisgraville.com by Dec. 1, 2023.
Writing the Interisland 