Summary: Today, Jason Braun and I talk about writing on trains. The Amtrak Residency is a selective writers’ residency that offers a free, round-trip ticket on an Amtrak train. But is this program worthwhile? We debate the pros and cons of the writer residency 2.0. Read more about the Amtrak Residency’s roots in this article in The New Yorker: “Writing Powered by Amtrak” In the show, we discuss David Foster Wallace and Frank Conroy’s essays on selling out for free cruise trips: DFW: “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” (In the book of the same name, available on Amazon) or read the original from Harper’s: “Shipping Out”. (Unfortunately I could not find Conroy’s essay.) We also discuss the Detroit “Write A House” program: WriteAHouse.org as an alternative to the Amtrak Residency program and Victoria Strauss’s article on Writer Beware: “Rights Concerns: Amtrak Residency Program” You can now subscribe to the show on iTunes and Stitcher. We’d love your ratings if you enjoy the show! And please leave a comment below, like us on Facebook or follow us on twitter. And don’t forget: Check your boxes!
