First Time Applicants:

We accept applications year-round and only through Submittable. A non-refundable $15.00 application fee applies to all first-time applicants who are applying for a residency. Filling out the application completely and in detail is extremely important. Acceptance as a writer-in-residence at RWC is not guaranteed. We highly suggest you take the time to familiarize yourself with the purpose of RWC by reading our website, especially "What is a Writers' Colony" https://rockvalewriterscolony.org/about/what-is-a-writers-colony/

Residency weeks will be offered for the weeks stated in the application form. It may be possible to extend residencies outside the stated dates. This will be at the discretion of the director. Please ask if you have questions. 

Food and travel are the responsibility of the writer. 

The following fees apply to all accepted writers:

Weekly Residency Fee (6 nights, Monday to Sunday)- $550 ($91.66 per night) for Farmhouse Rooms, $600 ($100 per night) for Granary and Cabin

Mini-Residency Fee (1-3 nights)- $125 per night for Farmhouse Rooms, $150 per night for Granary and Cabin 

Cleaning Fee - $50

Sales Tax of 9.75% and Occupancy Tax of 4%

We do not accept room requests for Farmhouse Rooms. Writers may request to stay in the Cabin and Granary (additional fees apply) and when possible, we'll do our best to fulfill these requests.

Previously Accepted Writers,

Residency weeks will be offered for the weeks stated in the application form. It may be possible to extend residencies outside the stated dates. This will be at the discretion of the director. Please ask if you have questions. 

Food and travel are the responsibility of the writer. 

The following fees apply to all accepted writers:

Weekly Residency Fee (6 nights, Monday to Sunday)- $550 ($91.66 per night) for Farmhouse Rooms, $600 ($100 per night) for Granary and Cabin

Mini-Residency Fee (1-3 nights)- $125 per night for Farmhouse Rooms, $150 per night for Granary and Cabin 

Cleaning Fee - $50

Sales Tax of 9.75% and Occupancy Tax of 4%

We do not accept room requests for Farmhouse Rooms. Writers may request to stay in the Cabin and Granary (additional fees apply) and when possible, we'll do our best to fulfill these requests.

Information: 

Who is caring for the Caregiver?

When does the Caregiver get to breathe?

Maybe you know the word Caregiver firsthand. Maybe you've walked through the fire of disease or death with a family member or significant person in your life. Maybe you know that offering the gift of care comes at a cost. Though you're willing to pay the price, you're willing to sacrifice and give up a portion of your life's direction for the sake of another, maybe you've found that in the middle of it, or at the end, you've given so much you can't find the edges of yourself anymore. You've merged into the care. And in the merging, you've forgotten how to breathe.

Caring for another human being in times of their greatest distress is one of the holiest callings a person can heed. Tia Walker, author of The Inspired Caregiver: Finding Joy While Caring for Those You Love, says, “Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn't know possible.” That is true, but what is equally true is that caregiving without proper care for the caregiver is exhausting. This is a weekend for those people who have put their own life's agenda on hold as they care for someone else - perhaps an elderly parent suffering with dementia, perhaps a spouse with cancer, perhaps a child with physical or learning disabilities, perhaps a neighbor or friend struggling alone. Caregiving is a blessing with a side of hardship strapped on top as the caregiver balances not just their own lives but also the life of the one who needs them.

This weekend is a different sort of retreat weekend. We're going to teach each other what caregiving means and how best to move through the stress and struggle in order to make the best difference in the lives of others. The retreat is specially priced at $275. You're basically paying for food and supplies for two nights and three days. We'll cook together, talk together, write together, brainstorm together, and take home a wealth of knowledge and support from the people who've been in the same sort of trenches. We will share. We will support. We will learn. We might even cry a little bit. We will build a community from folks who might live across the country but know the same life as caregivers. Details: Place: Rockvale Writers' Colony, 7020 Giles Hill Road, College Grove, TN 37046 Time and Date: 3:00 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2026 to 11:00 am Sunday, June 7, 2026 Cost: $275.00 PLUS TAX for a total of $312.81. Full Payment is due upon acceptance. A 50% refund will be given to retreaters who cancel more than 4 weeks before retreat. There is no refund for cancellation by retreater 4 weeks or less before retreat. Includes: 2 nights in a private bedroom/bathroom suite, access to RWC common areas, gardens, and hiking trails, 5 meals, 3 workshops, community with other retreaters. Limited to 8 retreaters who have experienced giving care to another human being.

More Details:

• Limited to 8 retreaters who have experienced giving care to another human being.
• We will share in the preparation of meals (don't worry, we'll talk and learn as we work to create healthy, nourishing food for the group. It won't be difficult.)
• We're building a community of diverse experiences. We're looking to share personal stories (both the good and the bad) so that we can learn from each other. We're looking for current caregivers and past caregivers as well. 
• We will create group writing pieces that embody both the general experience of caregivers and the specifics, too.
• We will have lots of time to rest, relax, talk, share, walk outside, be in nature, and get to know each other.
• We will learn how to breathe again, how to balance the stress and the holy work of caregiving in the best way possible.