Palm Desert Residency Part II: Poetry Energy Magic, What Makes a Great Residency? and Valentine’s Day

Selfie with pool on the last day of the residency

Palm Desert Residency Part II: Poetry Energy Magic

So, this is a continuation of last week’s post about the Desert Rat Residency, Palm Springs and Palm Desert. I’ve had a week of recovery time by now, plus Valentine’s Day, so I’m capping with a bit about what makes for a great residency.

The last few days of the residency were mostly spent working on my second book manuscript, as well as standing out by the lemon tree watching hummingbirds. We left feeling like the residency wasn’t long enough, which is a good feeling. And definitely a little bit of sunshine—albeit chilly for southern California—was good for both my and Glenn’s mood.

Some of these pictures are from a strange side trip to the Living Desert Zoo, almost walking distance from the Desert Rat Residency, which has amazing botanical gardens to walk through, is set up the mountains, and has a kid-friendly gigantic train set exhibit, but the animals are mostly older and kind of sad, because it lacks a breeding certification, so the animals are for the most part (barring rescued animals, like the juvenile fennec foxes, and meerkats, because they breed whether you want them to or not) retirees from other zoos. The animal exhibits vary in goodness, from pretty good for the animals (spacious! airy! full of natural environmental things and enrichment) to not as modern (and a little claustrophobic). It also includes a carousel for endangered species (good!), and I got to talk for a while with a retired Santa Barbara zookeeper who used to take care of this tiny California island fox, which is smaller than a house cat and climbs trees—he’s ten and still pretty spry! My favorite animal—the fennec fox—was “off exhibit,” but the talking to the retired zookeeper about California island foxes almost made up for it. Tiny tree climbing foxes that live only on certain California islands? I thought the San Juan Islands and Japan’s island of foxes were where the coolest island foxes lived, but now I’ve learned of a whole new breed of tiny, adorable foxy things!

But here’s the poetry magic part. January was a tough slog for me poetry-wise. I didn’t write much, I sent out a bunch but received a bunch of rejections, and I had some discouraging information on the life front and was kind of at-odds about how to make a living (or at least cover my own bills) as a disabled, chronically ill poet (along with recovering from a three-month long respiratory mystery illness).

But when I got back home, strange positive things began to happen. I was invited to give a tutorial (for pay)! I was solicited to send work! I got two acceptances and got asked to do a podcast. Is this because of the residency? Did some energy thing shift in the universe? I do not know. Mysterious, but I hope it continues for a while!

Valentine’s Day…

was kind of a non-event in our house, except Glenn sent me pink tulips from Skagit Valley (local flowers!) and chocolates from Fran’s Chocolates (local chocolate!) and he made a delicious duck and cherry dinner and heart-shaped cookies to share with neighbors and a few friends.

Charlotte as the Valentine’s cat

We were still so tired out from travel (and still doing laundry from travel—how was that possible?) that we made it a chill-out night, but it still felt pretty good. After all, we were home with our cute cats (see Charlotte at left) and in our own bed and after dinner we watched a romantic movie (well, a romantic thriller—Hitchcock’s Rebecca, which is really more a cautionary tale, come to think of it, than a love story, but a darn good movie).

What Makes a Great Residency?

This part might be useful to writers seeking out residencies to apply to finish a book project…or start one.

Seven must-haves for a good writer’s residency

For those of you who have applied and/or gone to a writer’s residency, you know they are not all the same. Some are better than others. Some (like Yaddo and Macdowell) have famous writer histories. Some have more natural beauty—some have better food delivery systems. A lot of them have ghosts, and ghosts are perfectly acceptable for a writer’s residency, as I outline below. The “must haves” are:

Desert Rat bedside cocktails, tea, and book station

1. A comfortable bed with extra blankets. If you’re not sleeping well, you’re probably cranky, achy, and unable to write well. Facts!
2. Either a pretty well-set-up kitchenette or food delivery that can feed even those of us with food allergies and/or intolerances. If you’re hungry, you’re not writing well, because you’ll be thinking about where to get your next food. So, not just food, but good food. Same with coffee shops and/or a coffee source.
3. Natural beauty is very high up there for me. Mountains, an ocean, a fantastic garden, as many birds as possible (ideally birds unknown to the writer). Dolphins, whales, deer, foxes and other magic animal visits are encouraged. Outdoor space—a porch, a garden, an overlook—must be available, because occasionally writers need sunlight and fresh air, even if they don’t want to change their clothes.
4. Reading material and visual art to help inspire you. Music is also useful. Maybe art materials? I often start art projects on residencies.
   

   Me with hallway art wall, Desert Rat Residency

5. A comfortable (for me, ergonomic) chair and writing desk.
6. Something unexpected—a sequin tiara, a special cocktail setup, a soaking tub, a fancy robe or a fancy pen—the little extras that surprise and delight.
7. Cleanliness, security, privacy and safety. You don’t want to worry about safety on a residency. No weird windows you can’t close, sketchy bathrooms or too many spiders, or as happened to me once, either a cicada-eating wasp or a murder hornet (Yup, welcome to the Pacific Northwest!) Ghosts are optional but acceptable in this section.

Other “haves:” for a disabled person, the ability to bring a friend or partner (which Glenn terms a “residency valet”) might be crucial. For single mothers, the ability to bring a child might be a must-have. You may have your own specific needs (for me, no stairs to climb, a walk-in shower, and the ability to make some of my own allergy-specific food come to mind), so ask lots of questions before you apply.

Seek out inspiration

Inspiration may come from unexpected places, so take a side trip (for date shakes…to a special lighthouse, an art gallery, or a coffee shop) and maybe also try to move around a bit (hunching over a notebook or computer for multiple days straight has bad results for the human spine) during the day, get that fresh air and sunlight I talked about earlier. Do something you might not usually do—if the residency has a piano or guitar, try playing it, or try photography or sketching. I find that also inspires new ideas and new ways of looking at things. Jot down notes when you’re out and about. I’m sure California island foxes are going to show up sometime in my writing!

I hope this was useful for you. The Desert Rat Residency (thanks, Jeff Walt!) met all of these needs and was quite nearly perfect for me. I’ve also really loved some other off-the-beaten track residencies I’ve done, so don’t just think about Yaddo and Macdowell— do some research near your home, or in a place you’ve always wanted to visit, for unexpected opportunities. And good writing!