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Are you inspired by taste? Do you relish in crafting your narrative to satiate a reader's appetite for your word craft in expressing all of the features of a particular experience - possibly around food?
You don't need to travel internationally to have a unique food, farm, or festival experience that may be different than what is in your own region. Schedule your writing retreat to experience this lovely area of mid-south Tennessee - geologically known as the *Western Highland Rim*.
During your writer retreat at Camp Wonder Wander, you can transport yourself to *Provence* with a short 10 minute drive to our friends at a lavender farm or imagine yourself in *Tuscany* with a visit to one of the various wineries in the area. The visual landscape can transport you in time to a distant untamed past or an imaginary future. Take a day trip on the historic Natchez Trace Parkway which is a 440 mile federal park with a 50mph speed limit between Nashville and the Mississippi Delta to imagine your historical characters, your plot in the woods by a waterfall, or to experience what it feels like to be on a virtually empty roadway with maybe a long distance bicyclist or the turkeys and deers romping into the woods.
Most participants have found that they actually accomplish more in a shorter amount of time than they thought something might take primarily because you eliminate your distractions and you are in a place that is fully supportive of your writing endeavor including a host who cares deeply about our human experience in particular writing stories or poetry.
Career Stage
Geographic Eligibility
Disciplines
Overview
No artist stipend. Farm Stay Scholarship ($150-300) available based on application interview and ~6 hours/week of physical farm work.
Detailed Breakdown
Artist Stipend: $0. Travel Stipend/Material Stipends: $0. Farm Stay Scholarship ($150-300) is based on application interest and an interview to discuss your skills, if any. This funding deducts from the final fees and requires about 6 hours a week of participation in physical activities on the land - some of these hours are guided and working with the host. Depending on the season and the urgency of current projects, work could be in gardening/weeding, shoveling/digging, transporting manure for compost pile or garden beds, chopping down bamboo to use in creative fencing projects, breaking/trimming limbs and wood pieces into kindling and firewood size chunks, helping carry or install various items like t-post fencing, picking up or transporting rocks or sticks, helping to clear trails or rake leaves in the winter transporting to the garden. There's usually always a small art project like a mural or organizing the upcycle pile to create something fun for the garden as well.
What's Provided
Housing Provided
Rolling applications reviewed upon receipt. Selection based on application interest and fit for the program.
Deadline
July 31, 2026
Applicant Type
Individual artists and collectives
Additional Requirements
Open application. All financial details available on website with sliding scale rates based on length of stay and room choice.
Note
Applicants with nature as their muse, inspiration, or collaborator will receive priority. Individuals must be able to let the normal world and lifestyle go during stay and it is encouraged that you utilize the time and access to the benefits of being away from contemporary society. Program is suited to those ready to embrace natural immersion, a different sense of time, and a generally nurturing space. This is a rural location about 20 minutes drive to the closest small town. Preference of arrival dates is Saturday or Sunday. Month-long or longer stays that have been approved after an additional interview may coordinate a calendar month arrival/departure. Rules include: no shoes inside the houses, limited use of alcohol or use this time to be dry, no drugs, no weapons, safe place for all walks of life with no bullying/harassment/fraternization acceptable, help maintain a clean/healthy space by not leaving out food, washing dishes by the end of the day, and cleaning as you go on counters or other surfaces.
Private bedroom in a shared housing facility on campus
Travel Support
Transportation from and to the Nashville airport is an add-on option.
Studio Access
Private Studios. Shared Studios. Wifi signal reaches the 5 acres so you can sit outside to use a laptop.
Accessibility
Inaccessible housing. Studios/Facilities accessibility: Partially Accessible (50% or more) and Inaccessible.
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