Art as Resistance

Writing can be an act of resistance. Hedgebrook’s diverse and indomitable alumnae have brought forth some of the most poignant banned books, fierce plays, and iconic texts in the contemporary modern era. It’s no coincidence that gutsy transformative work comes out of Hedgebrook; our alumnae are the women who courageously applied to our Writers in Residence program knowing both the enchanted lore of the land - and that the acceptance rate hovers between just 3 to 5%. 

From Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, and Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina to Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, writers of resistance have made pilgrimage to Hedgebrook to be in community with other powerful women identified writers and rebels on 48 acres of forested land across from the Salish Sea. Hedgebrook feels like a sanctuary for the nervous system, inviting deep calm, deep exhales, and renewal. There’s an unassailable polyvagal reset that happens here under the sonic canopy of raptors, gentle wind, and streams. A reset that invites creativity to gush forth.

I enjoyed the fruits of such creativity recently at my first Great Minds event that Hedgebrook held in partnership with the Bushwick Book Club Seattle, Hugo House, and Seattle Arts and Lectures. Distinguished writers Julia Phillips, Mira Jacob, and Kirstin Chen were in warm, effortless conversation with each other and Program Director, Amber Flame, about how to write when the world is on fire.  Each author was serenaded by a singer-songwriter who was inspired by a reading of their most recent book, then translated into a heartfelt response to the story through the medium of song. Bushwick’s inventive musicians took the private experience of reading a book and elevated it into a public expression of heartrending original music for everyone to savor. 

"I've never been to an event quite like this. To see and hear musical artists interpret the authors' written art as song was moving. You could feel the energy and emotions swell in the room. During such challenging times getting the opportunity to be our whole selves and feel deeply amongst each other is rare." 

- Shannon Small, Senior Program Officer, Seattle Foundation

Experiencing the Great Minds event reminded us that we need embodied experiences to envision, feast, play, co-create, and microdose joy together - and experience a vignette of the beloved community we’re trying to fortify. If you weren’t able to attend, please join us at our next public event and experience for yourself the offerings of Hedgebrook’s brilliant writers, chefs, and partners.

Stories are more than entertainment — they are maps of resistance, resources for survival, and seeds of cultural change. 

We are all asking ourselves these days, what more can I do? 

Consider supporting the great minds of Hedgebrook 

and the future writers of resistance with a contribution today.