Hedgebrook

ABOUT

Hedgebrook is a women-only writers' retreat on Whidbey Island, Washington, founded in 1988 by philanthropist Nancy Nordhoff. It became one of the best-known residency programs in the U.S. literary world for its model of solitary cottages set in a working farm landscape, with residents gathering for communal dinners prepared by an in-house cook — a structure many alumnae describe as formative. Over nearly four decades it has hosted a wide range of poets, novelists, playwrights, and nonfiction writers, and it operates as a nonprofit with a broader mission of convening and amplifying work by women writers, not a magazine or press.

The flagship offering is now called the Mother Tree Residency; the site's current cycle shows applications opening May 5 and closing August 31, on an annual schedule, so poets should plan around that spring-to-late-summer window rather than a rolling deadline. Hedgebrook's core residencies are fully funded — housing, meals, and workspace are provided at no cost to accepted writers — though the site does not specify an application fee, a stipend paid to residents, or exact acceptance rates, so applicants should check the current call for specifics before assuming any of these. Hedgebrook also lists "paid stays" at the retreat as a separate option, distinct from the competitive juried residency, and runs periodic convenings (e.g., its "Great Minds" event and an annual Open House) rather than functioning as a submission-based publisher.