Tree Dwellers Writing Residency
The language of trees is one of reaching into new possibilities.
The Treehouse nourishes writers, thinkers, and dreamers who create windows into the imaginary.
Windows into the Imaginary
Vision
When I imagine how to push the bounds of possibility, I think of birds alighting on a tree, the way dreams land, that moment where imagination meets its reality. The Treehouse was designed and built in this spirit. The food was designed in this spirit. Our community gathers in this spirit.
The Refuges
“You feel like you are sitting on the branch of a tree among the trees and the birds.” – Tsitsi Nomsa Ngwenya
Residents have access to The Treehouse, where they can hang out, suspend themselves in the net on the veranda, or sway from the swings and hammocks below. You can go on long walks through the forest, rest in the quiet presence of others, or find a cosy nook to read or soak in the sun. There is a small library that includes books by some of the writers who have stayed here, and you can read their poetry on the windows, where you can add your own. You may be visited by bush babies, monkeys, paradise flycatchers, helmetshrikes, and other tree dwellers. There is always tea.
Wi-Fi is available in the common spaces and at the cottage. We also have two tented rooms with comfortable beds, chairs, and desks, large verandas, and gorgeous views.
“You’re not very far away from Harare but at the same time you get lost like you’re at Sango Border Post.” – Pauline Mukondiwa
Care and Community
To inspire means, literally, to breathe in. We create a space where writers can do this, can stop driving everything, and then the words come. Nourishment is always on hand. A vase is on the table to pick flowers. A cookie jar gets filled when empty, no questions asked. Residents are encouraged to spend their days in solitude, and take time to resurrect, to walk, to wonder. In the evening they gather with four or five writers to laugh, lament, and support each others’ work.
Menu
We offer gourmet Zimbabwean cuisine with original recipes designed by Tomas Brickhill. Tomas was Director of Cook Off, the first Zimbabwean film to feature on Netflix, and former Manager of Book Cafe, Harare’s beloved arts venue. From chocolate berries to sadza chips, Tom’s food surprises and stimulates the imagination.
Residency Dates
Residencies are 1 – 2 weeks long and run through the months below. Outside of residency times, The Treehouse hosts shorter workshop weekends and other events.
August – September
December – January
March – April
Who Can Apply?
Residencies are selected through a combination of application, inquiry and invitation. We also host events for creative organizations and groups of artists, and these charged weeks also help us provide funded places for our writing residencies. Creative retreats have included arts therapy weekends, shadow puppetry, and musical ceremony, as well as academic work that is being reshaped for a broader public.
We welcome both local and international writers because we understand how valuable it is to share strengths of place and perspective. We host poets, screenwriters and playwrights as well as writers of fiction and literary nonfiction. We do not sponsor work that is academic or journalistic if it does not have literary flair.
Not a “writer”?
We’ve come across many people in different fields – doctors, psychologists, musicians – who have important works to share. Some also consider themselves writers. Some do not. Our residency program includes periods where we provide more support for people who would like a more structured approach to tackle their projects. Please indicate this in the application form.
Ways to Stay
- Tree Dwellers Writing Residency Program
We have a few subsidized and scholarship places available and currently rely mostly on paid residency places.
- Workshops and events
- Individual writer/group application
Email treehousedwellers@gmail.com
If you’d like a better sense of the space, watch this video, and meet some of the beings around the treehouse.
