Self-Directed Residency
For an email notification when new Self-Directed Residency week become available, enter your details and add communications@writers.ns.ca to your email address book.
Self-Directed Residencies (one or two weeks in length) are open to Nova Scotian, Canadian, and international writers. Applicants may apply as solo writers or in creative groups of up to three (for separate bedrooms) or five (with shared bedrooms). Successful applicants are provided with at-cost residence: $500 per week + $100 per week for each additional resident.
Group applications for Self-Directed Residencies are open to groups of writers working on separate projects; to groups that include some non-literary artists; and to groups working on collaborative projects that include literary elements. Organizing a group residency can significantly reduce the cost for each resident—from $500/week for a solo writer down to $180/week each for five creative residents. There is no additional charge for personal attendants, service animals, or dependants or domestic pets who require care.
Self-Directed Residency applications are assessed by WFNS staff, with results returned within two weeks of application. Upon confirming dates for a Self-Directed Residency, the resident(s) must pay a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total residency cost, with the balance due 30 days before the residency start date. All application and residency fees support the continued operation of the Jampolis Cottage Residency Program.
All residencies begin on Sunday afternoon (at 2 pm) and end on Saturday afternoon (at 2 pm). A one-week residency runs 7 days and 6 nights, while a two-week residency runs 14 days and 13 nights.
To be considered for a Self-directed Residency, the applying writer(s) must meet the following criteria.
- You must be 19 years of age of older by the current application deadline.
- You must not have already accepted / undertaken a Self-Directed Residency during the same calendar year as the week(s) for which you are applying. This criterion applies to both individual and group Self-Directed Residencies. (I.e., if you’ve accepted / undertaken an individual Self-Directed Residency at Jampolis Cottage during this calendar year, you are not an eligible to apply as part of a group Self-Directed Residency—and vice versa.)
Eligible group applications receive scheduling priority. If applying as a group (of two to five) for a Self-Directed Residency, familiarize yourself with Jampolis Cottage’s accommodation capacity, restrictions on mixed-use and collaborative residencies, and group application specifications, as described below.
Jampolis Cottage has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. In a resident group of five, two residents would need to share the upstairs Blomidon Room (sharing its queen bed or sleeping in the queen bed and on the provided rollaway cot) and two residents would need to share the upstairs Cowslip Room (sleeping in the queen bed and on the single daybed). The ground-floor Thomas Raddall Room is single-occupancy and (upon the completion of accessibility renovations) will be the only physically accessible bedroom for users of wheelchairs, scooters, and most other mobility aids. This accommodation capacity is an important consideration should any residents be accompanied by personal attendants, service animals, or dependants or domestic pets who require care.
A group application may include non-literary artists. More specifically, a group may include artists who will be working on non-literary artistic projects, but the group must include at least one writer who will be working on a literary project during the proposed Self-Directed Residency. If the group will be working collaboratively on a single project, that project must include literary elements. Regardless of project, all materials used must be low-impact, suitable for use within a shared domestic space and for clean-up by the writer(s)/artist(s) without damage to Jampolis Cottage, its fixtures, or its furniture.
A group application must be submitted by a single member of the group, who must compile one CV/resume and one letter of intent per applicant into a single document (see “2. Application Package” below for details) and must submit the document using a single application form and paying a single application fee. When possible, this group member should be a writer working on a literary project.
Self-Directed Residency application packages must contain all components listed below. Each application package must be submitted as a single digital document (in .doc or .pdf format) with a file name as follows: FirstName LastName – Self-Directed Residency (where “FirstName” is your given name and “LastName” is your family name or chosen surname). Incomplete, late, non-digital, or misnamed application packages are ineligible.
A. Literary CV/resume up to 2 pages in length (single-spaced; in 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font).
- All applicants should include relevant education (degrees, literary workshops, mentorships, etc.); publications & accomplishments (awards, previous residencies, etc.); public presentation experience (readings, performances, panels, exhibitions, etc.); and teaching/instruction experience.
- Emerging writer applicants may supplement a 1-page CV with a 1-page letter of support from an established writer or professional author, such as a past mentor.
B. Letter of intent up to 2 pages in length (single-spaced; in 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font).
- All applicants should describe the project(s) to be worked on; the goals to be accomplished; and a detailed work plan for the residency period.
- All applicants are invited to identify any barriers to literary creation they have faced (personal, social, political, financial, etc.) and/or to explain the unique benefits a Jampolis Cottage residency would provide for them.
If you require assistance in completing or submitting a Sponsored Residency application (whether technical, accessibility-related, or otherwise), please contact communications@writers.ns.ca as early as possible in your application process. Such assistance may extend up to one week after the application deadline has passed, but the initial request for assistance must be received by the application deadline.
When new available weeks are announced, Self-Directed Residency applications will open for a period of one week. All applicants will be notified of results within two weeks of the application deadline.
Application packages are assessed by Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia staff to ensure that applicants will use Jampolis Cottage for its intended purpose. Applications are deemed ‘successful’ or ‘unsuccessful’; they are not ranked.
Due to the high volume of interest in Self-Directed Residencies, scheduling is determined by lottery. First, group applications are drawn at random from the pool of successful applications; if any of the group’s selected weeks are still available, the group is offered a residency. Second, individual applications are drawn at random from the pool of successful applications; if any of the individual’s preferred weeks are still available, the individual is offered a residency. Selected applicants have one week to confirm residency dates.
Upon confirming dates for a Self-Directed Residency, the resident(s) must pay a non-refundable deposit of 25% of the total residency cost, with the balance due 30 days before the residency begins.
| Number of residents * | One-week residency deposit | One-week residency balance | Two-week residency deposit | Two-week residency balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125 | $375 | $250 | $750 |
| 2 | $150 | $225/writer | $300 | $450/writer |
| 3 | $175 | $175/writer | $350 | $350/writer |
| 4 | $200 | $150/writer | $400 | $300/writer |
| 5 | $225 | $135/writer | $450 | $270/writer |
Applications are accepted only through the form at the bottom of this page. Please note that completing the application form is the final step in our recommended application checklist:
☐ Ensure your eligibility.
☐ Ensure your application package is complete and correct. In the event of an error, please contact our office to explain the issue before submitting a revised application package.
☐ Pay the $20 Self-Directed Residency application fee. This fee cannot be refunded in cases of incomplete, ineligible, or unsuccessful applications. However, your application fee will be refunded if your application is successful but your selected week(s) are offered to another successful applicant. Self-directed Residency applications are free for WFNS members; if you are a member in good standing (even if applying on behalf of a group that includes non-members), please skip payment altogether. WFNS General Membership is open to anyone who writes, regardless of writing experience or place of residence.
To fee pay by phone, call us between 9am and 4pm on weekdays at 902 423 8116 with your credit card details.
To fee pay by mail, send a cheque (payable to “Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia”) post-dated for no later than the application deadline.
☐ Complete and submit the online application form, visible at the bottom of this page when applications are being accepted. After clicking the “Submit application” button, please wait until the green confirmation message appears (confirming that your form has been successfully submitted) before exiting this page.
If the application fee presents a barrier, please contact communications@writers.ns.ca before applying. Funds are available to help underwaged writers with application fees.
Applications are Currently Closed
All 2023 dates have been filled. Self-Directed Residency weeks in 2024 will open for application in September, 2023.
Applications are currently being accepted for the following weeks:
June 4 – June 10, 2023
June 11 – June 17, 2023
Aug 13 – Aug 19, 2023
Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2023
Dec 3 – Dec 9, 2023
There is no application deadline, but scheduling priority will reflect the order in which applications are received.
