It seems like a lot of work: don’t you have to apply for competitive grants, jump through hoops of bureaucratic red tape to abide by international visa short-stay protocols and then deal with the pressure of creating in a foreign land? And what about the possible language barriers to overcome as well? And yet the authors ArtsHub approached about their time spent in overseas literary residences all agree it was a worthwhile experience – and one that ultimately helped their writing practices.
‘The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is on a beautiful estate, overlooking a lake and forests. The main writing centre is the original 18th century mansion of the former theatre director, Tyrone Guthrie. He left it to the Irish State. At the back, there are more modern apartments you can rent for the week or more, but no catering is provided. The rates are very reasonable,’ Smith tells ArtsHub.
