Welcome to Hedgebrook’s Much-Anticipated Blog!

Several years ago, Hedgebrook friend, local writer and owner of Whidbey Island’s iconic Clyde Theatre, Lynn Willeford, asked me point blank (in true Lynn fashion), “When is Hedgebrook going to have a blog? I’m interested in knowing what’s on your writer’s minds.”Lynn was, characteristically, ahead of the curve with her vision! But she planted a seed in my mind about how we could begin to communicate the growing impact of Hedgebrook with our community. And not just on the impact on the writers who come here, but on the world-at-large because of those writers and the work they produce here.In short: the idea that what happens at Hedgebrook doesn't stay at Hedgebrook.The writing generated in our 7 cottages–the epiphanies, ah-ha’s, breakthroughs, the finished manuscripts and re-structured plays, and freshly penned poems–begins a tidal wave of ideas and stories that flows out from Whidbey to the farthest reaches of the globe. Provocative ideas. Evocative stories. Juicy, intriguing thoughts to chew on, respond to, share with others.Hedgebrook incites dialogue. By extension, that’s what we want our blog to do.You’ll hear from our staff with news from the retreat (what’s growing in the garden, a popular recipe from the kitchen), from our Board about how they are inspired by volunteering and envisioning Hedgebrook’s future, from our alumnae—writing from wherever they are in the world—about what they are thinking and writing about. You’ll also get to hear periodically from writers-in-residence when they come up for air, and from the Farmhouse Kitchen table conversation that happens each evening when they come together for dinner.So, let the dialogue begin.