Wilderness Writing Residency

The Wilderness Writing Residency is a ten-day, in-person residency in Port Renfrew, British Columbia, for non-fiction writers working on a magazine feature or book project on a theme related to the natural world.

Surrounded by inspiring jagged coastline and old-growth forest, writers will use the solitude for uninterrupted time to work on their project, connect and collaborate with fellow writers, and receive mentorship from faculty editors.

  • Space

    Accommodation will be provided by the residency in the form of a self-contained, one-bedroom forest cabin within the Wild Coast Cottage development in Port Renfrew.

  • Time

    Residents will have ample time to focus on writing and shaping their manuscript in several intimate and spectacular settings.

  • Support

    Faculty editors will be available for mentorship and editorial feedback through one-on-one meetings and manuscript consultations.

Write the wild

Writers will critique and challenge ideas of “wilderness” and our place and role in the natural world, and examine our complicated relationships within these complex, prickly terms.

faculty editors

Photograph of Harley Rustad by Michelle Proctor

  • Harley Rustad is the bestselling and award-winning author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees, both of which were nominated for and won several awards. He has written for numerous publications including Outside, the Guardian, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, and Geographical. As a senior editor at The Walrus magazine, he was awarded Editor Grand Prix Gold at the 2024 National Magazine Awards. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Harley is originally from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, and lives in Toronto with his family.

Photograph of Kate Harris by Piia Kortsalo

  • Kate Harris is the author of Lands of Lost Borders, which won the RBC Taylor Prize, the Boardman Tasker Prize, the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction, and the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, among others, and was translated into several languages. Her writing has also appeared in Granta, Outside, The Walrus, and The Georgia Review, with notable mentions in The Best American Essays and The Best American Travel Writing. Her second book, Falling to Earth, will be published in the summer of 2027. A former Rhodes scholar with a background in biology, geology, and the history and philosophy of science, Kate lives off the grid in northernmost British Columbia.

Residency details

  • The Wilderness Writing Residency 2027 will run from April 5 (arrival) to April 16 (departure).

  • Accommodation will be provided by the residency at no cost to the writer in the form of a self-contained, one-bedroom cottage within the Wild Coast development in Port Renfrew.

  • Residents will need to cover most of their own food costs but some group meals will be provided by the residency. More details will be provided upon acceptance.

  • Residents will be reimbursed up to $500 (CAD) of travel expenses to and from Port Renfrew. This can be used for flights, ferries, car rental, gas, electric charging, etc.

    This support can also be used for childcare expenses to help writers with young children take the time to attend the residency.

    Receipts are required for reimbursement. More information will be provided upon acceptance.

  • Two faculty editors will be available for project feedback, manuscript editing and consultation, and other forms of feedback and mentorship.

  • The group will embark on several guided excursions to some of the most storied forests, trees, and destinations in the area.

  • The Wilderness Writing Residency is open to applications from writers of all levels and backgrounds, but preference will be given to emerging writers.

  • International applications are welcome but we are unable to assist with visas. Residents must be 18+ at the time of the program start date. 

  • $200 (CAD), due upon acceptance into the residency.

  • If a resident needs to cancel within 20 days of the start of the program, the program fee will be non-refundable.

 

Apply for 2027

The Wilderness Writing Residency 2027 will run from April 5 (arrival) to April 16 (departure).

Applications are due Monday, November 30, at midnight Pacific Time.

Use the form to submit your application, which must include both a short bio as well as a one-page overview of your project.