Sandy Coomer at the Rockvale Writers Colony
Rockvale Writers’ Colony, just outside of the town of College Grove, is a picturesque spot with its rolling landscape and distinct rooms, where writers have solitude to write and the company of fellow writers in the evenings.
The writers’ colony is a not-for-profit organization designed to support, promote and educate writers of all genres. The writers who stay at the colony are “writers in residence” working on writing projects.
“Our location is secluded and in the country, but still [only] 45 minutes into Nashville,” said Sandy Coomer, who owns the property with her husband, Tim. “It’s the perfect location. We lucked out.”
Writers can stay in The Farmhouse, which has an original reading room, library and hall from 1853. Some of the cedar beams, wood floors and front windows are original as well. In 1993, The Farmhouse was expanded to create a country inn, with care taken to preserve the original parts of the house and create a subtle transition to the modern rooms and bathrooms.
Now, it contains rooms for five writers.
There is also a writing porch, which is really nice in the mornings, Coomer said.
Also unique are The Rockvale Cabin and The Ogilvie Granary. The cabin is 150 years old and was originally a smokehouse. It has been converted into two floors with a bedroom, bathroom and reading/writing room. It has the feel and the smell of a classic log cabin. The Granary was a storehouse for grain when the property was used as a cattle and dairy farm. It is now an apartment with a bedroom, bathroom, sitting area and kitchen. It is a good place for musicians to stay when they are writing music because they can also play their music.
“Writers come to work on a project, usually,” Coomer said. “One is working on a translation of a French novel; a musician is writing music in the Granary right now. So for anybody who writes creatively in any form, we provide a place for them to come out of their normal life that has all the interruptions, distractions and responsibilities.”
“At the writers’ colony you just write—the only responsibility is to write. So the amount of work that is done is amazing. That day-to-day focus through the weeks is rare and important.”
Novelist Jennie Fields finished her fifth novel, Atomic Love, at the colony.
“With a new novel in hand, I had just signed on with a new agent,” she said. “My agent requested a reasonable, but daunting, rewrite and wanted me to complete it before the London Book Fair in just six weeks! With that sort of pressure, I needed to get away from all distractions and ‘live’ in the world of my book. So Rockvale was the perfect place to escape. Though it was only 45 minutes from Nashville, it felt a world away: rural, peaceful, focused. Rockvale’s rooms are incredibly comfortable, with enchanting views of the hills and fields from every window.”
During the evenings, after a day of work, the writers tend to gather together to socialize and talk about their work.
“Everybody brings their own food and people can eat at different times, but usually by the end of the day they’ve worked so hard that they get together for down time and conversation and a bottle of wine or big salad,” Coomer said.
At the end of three hardworking weeks, Fields completed her novel.
“When I wasn’t writing, I appreciated the company of other writers equally immersed in their work,” she said. “I also enjoyed long contemplative walks past cows and horses, streams and farmhouses.”
During the day, Coomer and assistant director Heather Meek are usually in the office at the writers’ colony or doing something around the property.
“We are always accessible if the writers need anything,” said Coomer, who writes poetry herself and has recently released her first full-length collection of poetry, Available Light.
Writers apply to stay at Rockvale Writers’ Colony, and if accepted, most visits last for one to four weeks. The application fee is $35 and the cost for a six-night, seven-day stay is $350, plus taxes and cleaning fee. The colony prefers writers stay for at least a week, but because not everyone can, they offer mini-residencies.
The colony also offers workshops and retreats. In July, they will have two full-week workshop retreats called Residency Experience, with one week for poets and another for fiction writers.
“We have a lot of things that we are thinking about, too,” Coomer said. “Like a womens’ writing retreat, a veterans’ retreat and one for bookmaking.”
They are also looking at how to build a hiking trail around the perimeter of the 65-acre property, which already includes a swimming pool, whirlpool spa, tennis courts and horse stables.
There are no televisions and there is poor phone reception. A landline is available for local calls, there is Wi-Fi and writers can listen to music through earphones.
“I like the peace and quiet there,” said board member, creative writing professor and MTSU Write Director Jennifer Kates.
“It’s important for writers to get a place away that puts them at rest,” she said. “We used to have a place like that at Sewanee, but it’s not there anymore. This came along at the right place and time.”
For more information, visit rockvalewriterscolony.org.
