"I attended Renaissance House a few weeks before I embarked on the most challenging creative project of my life. Without the encouragement, camaraderie, and the self-definition that came out of the many, many conversations with the creative artists I met while I was there, I would have never made it through that period. My stay at the Renaissance House infused me with confidence. It is something for which I will be forever grateful.

    What was extraordinarily unique about Renaissance House were the dinner conversations. Each night we were given a topic to discuss. I talked incessantly. I had never felt so safe, free and assured. I honestly dissected issues as a writer and as a writer of color. I didn't have to sacrifice one for the other; I could be both addressing thoughts that were often in opposition. I could say whatever I thought then listen to others who had the freedom to do the same. Then we would sit at the table and form some kind of synthesis. The discussions were quite probing and done over some of the best food I have eaten in my life!"
    LeVan Hawkins


    "I would love to be able to tell you that I have become a masterpainter with watercolors especially portraits since my time at Renaissance House in July and August of 1996..."
    "As you know, I greatly enjoyed my stay last year."
    "Renaissance House provided an ideal mix of quiet time, good company and inspiration."
    "Oak Bluffs recast the magic spell I had first experienced as a child when I first visited with my family. Although I wasn't sure exactly what to expect, all of my expectations were exceeded. I wrote and wrote and wrote and my heart still stores all I can't express..."
    Janet Shartle


    "Being at the Renaissance House was incredible!"
    "I just turned 55 on November 30 and I mark my time in your program as one of my most memorable life experiences."
    Fern Gillespie


    "Renaissance House is a place of renewal. I arrive at Renaissance House in need of a setting where the creative in me will be reawakened and affirmed. There, I share meals and space with poets, painters, novelists, playwrights, essayists-- colleagues who also dare to imagine. We share our stories, reflections, hopes and mostly our works in progress. With guests, both around a meal table, and in living room salons, we engage in conversation which cultivate our minds and move our hearts. Each time I leave on the ferry returning home, a tear treks down my cheek. There's something magical about the Renaissance House. Always, the experiences of my stay rekindle my dreams and refresh my Spirit. I finally finished my screen play on the life of Howard Thurman and I am now at Harvard Divinity School."
    Arleigh Prelow


    "My time at Renaissance House was one of the most inspirational times of my creative life. The support and camaraderie of the other "campers," who have become lifetime friends, along with Abby's boundless encouragement and fabulous cooking, made it an experience I'd recommend to any writer or artist."
    Carole Ita White

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Accepting applications for 2023!

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