Berkeley, California
May 2016
Greetings from the Guest House
I'm in my final days of my three week writing residency at the Rensing Center. I am grateful for the dedicated time to work on two book projects, one of which I have had in mind for years. That manuscript has been transformed during my stay here in Pickens, SC.
The other manuscript had only a few sample pages to its name when I arrived here, and it now has a full arc. I have appreciated the time to immerse myself in what the two manuscripts have asked of me. The Rensing Center is a place of few distractions (aside from the cockroaches that come on the stage just after dusk), and one gains a different sense of time here. Being able to make all hours of the day about the work was a gift.
I enjoyed looking up from the pages too. A plant walk with John was especially nice. I enjoyed listening and learning about the flora on the property. It was a delight to meet the goats too!
In case future residents might be using this blog the way I did when I was preparing for my visit to Rensing, I want to say a few words that may help with the packing and preparing process:
-A mosquito net is good to have if you are going to be staying in the Guest House; there is a hook already available above the bed for you to hang a net. It took me some time to evict all the moths and mosquitos, even with the place closed up in the evenings, so the net was a good solution. I also found it helpful to plug in an Ultrasonic Pest Repellent device to keep the roaches away.
-You might also want to consider bringing a bright flashlight. There is a flashlight available in the Guest House, but I would recommend bringing something a bit brighter, as you'll be walking on the Center grounds at night after a bonfire or Sunday 7pm dinner.
-The weather can get quite chilly at night, so I was glad to have sweaters available.
-I also packed several blank notebooks and journals as paper is not supplied (though I have left a couple of new notebooks in the bookcase for the next residents).
-I was also thankful to have saved a bunch of website clippings to Evernote in advance of my stay and to have downloaded a range of pdfs to my hard drive so I could have them without WiFi. The internet connection in the Guest House can be weak, depending on a range of factors, and it can be interruptive to walk down to the Library each time you need to look things up.
Best wishes, all.
-Janelle Adsit
The other manuscript had only a few sample pages to its name when I arrived here, and it now has a full arc. I have appreciated the time to immerse myself in what the two manuscripts have asked of me. The Rensing Center is a place of few distractions (aside from the cockroaches that come on the stage just after dusk), and one gains a different sense of time here. Being able to make all hours of the day about the work was a gift.
I enjoyed looking up from the pages too. A plant walk with John was especially nice. I enjoyed listening and learning about the flora on the property. It was a delight to meet the goats too!
In case future residents might be using this blog the way I did when I was preparing for my visit to Rensing, I want to say a few words that may help with the packing and preparing process:
-A mosquito net is good to have if you are going to be staying in the Guest House; there is a hook already available above the bed for you to hang a net. It took me some time to evict all the moths and mosquitos, even with the place closed up in the evenings, so the net was a good solution. I also found it helpful to plug in an Ultrasonic Pest Repellent device to keep the roaches away.
-You might also want to consider bringing a bright flashlight. There is a flashlight available in the Guest House, but I would recommend bringing something a bit brighter, as you'll be walking on the Center grounds at night after a bonfire or Sunday 7pm dinner.
-The weather can get quite chilly at night, so I was glad to have sweaters available.
-I also packed several blank notebooks and journals as paper is not supplied (though I have left a couple of new notebooks in the bookcase for the next residents).
-I was also thankful to have saved a bunch of website clippings to Evernote in advance of my stay and to have downloaded a range of pdfs to my hard drive so I could have them without WiFi. The internet connection in the Guest House can be weak, depending on a range of factors, and it can be interruptive to walk down to the Library each time you need to look things up.
Best wishes, all.
-Janelle Adsit
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