The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow

Don’t Miss Poetluck Eureka Springs – October 16, 2025 | Writers’ Colony
2025-10-16 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
Poetluck Eureka Springs returns on October 16, 2025, featuring acclaimed poet Alicia Swain. Join us at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow for an evening of food, fellowship, and the written word.
Swain’s work has appeared in Vast Chasm, The Vehicle, and more. Her poetry is sharp, feminist, and fierce, weaving nature and the human experience with unapologetic fire. She will share selections from her collection Steel Slides and Yellow Walls, praised for its bold and unflinching voice.
About Poetluck
Poetluck is the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow’s monthly community open mic—an inclusive space for writers of all levels and genres. Bring a poem, story, or essay to share, or simply come to listen and enjoy.
The evening begins with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM (bring a dish if you can—there’s always plenty to go around). Readings begin at 6:30 PM.
Why Attend Poetluck Eureka Springs?
Poetluck connects residents, alumni, and community members through food and storytelling. It’s a welcoming tradition that reflects the Writers’ Colony’s mission: supporting writers and fostering a vibrant literary culture in Eureka Springs.
Each Poetluck celebrates creativity, friendship, and the shared power of words.
Final Poetluck of the 2025 Season
Don’t miss October Poetluck in Eureka Springs—the final gathering of the year! Celebrate community, creativity, and connection at the Writers’ Colony, where every voice matters and every story has a place.

September Poetluck – Featuring Wendy Carlisle
2025-09-18 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
We are proud to feature Ozark poet Wendy Taylor Carlisle at our September Poetluck. Carlile is the author of four books and five chapbooks and is the 2020 winner of the Phillip H. McMath Poetry Award for the fourth book, The Mercy of Traffic. Her most recent work appears in Wild Muse: Ozarks Nature Poetry(Cornerpost Press, 2023.) Find more about her at www.wendytaylorcarlisle.com.
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry reading event that takes place at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH). Poetluck provides a supportive and inclusive space for writers to share their work and connect with fellow literary enthusiasts in the community. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels to join us and share their poems, stories, and essays with our audience. The evening starts with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM, bring a dish to share or not, there is always enough. The open mic style readings start at 6:30 PM.
Dori Thomas says of WCDH, “What a blessing to have this organization in our little town!”
For more information and registration details, please visit the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow website at www.writerscolony.org/events or call (479)253-7444.

August Poetluck - Featuring Jim Dudley
2025-08-21 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
We’re excited to welcome featured guest Jim, a local songwriter whose tunes are rooted in the people and history of the Ozarks. Jim picked up a guitar around age 40 and—without knowing exactly why—started writing songs that honor forgotten voices, working folks, and stories that don’t always make the headlines. Love songs? Not many. The last one may have ended in a divorce, so he’s stuck mostly to anthems for the underdog.
A longtime member of the Fayetteville songwriters circle, Jim has released five albums, attended a few camps, and somehow even found his way to Lincoln Center (with a little help from the house band at Mountain View). No big accolades—just a genuine love for storytelling, shared in song. And yes, he might just give you a CD in exchange for a good story.
Jim will be accompanied by musician, David Geneson.
Bring a dish, bring a poem, bring a friend. As always, an open mic follows our featured guest—so come ready to share your own words, songs, or musings.

J Wagner Songwriting Camp "Trailing the Muse"
2025-08-20 15:00 - 2025-08-24 11:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
Unlocking the Magical Language of Songwriting
Join acclaimed Austin-based singer-songwriter J Wagner for a transformative songwriting retreat nestled in the wooded hills of Eureka Springs, Arkansas at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow.
In this immersive workshop, you’ll explore the mystery and magic of songwriting through sessions on symbolism, object writing, cut-up theory, poetic language, slang, and co-writing. Whether you’re just beginning your songwriting journey or looking to deepen your craft, this retreat offers creative fuel and inspiration in abundance.
Workshop Fee: $350
Lodging at The Writers’ Colony
There are seven suites available on-site at WCDH, each offering a private writing space and full access to the tranquil grounds.

$95/night + 3% credit card fee
One-time $30 cleaning fee
All meals included (chef-prepared dinners, plus breakfast and lunch)

To reserve your suite, call the WCDH office at 479-253-7444
Off-Site Lodging & Meals
For those staying off-campus, meals are included for all workshop participants regardless of whether they’re staying at the colony (it’s included in the workshop price).
Additional nearby lodging options:

The Piedmont House – 16-minute flat walk. Discounted rooms around $95/night with code WRITERSCOLONY
Sparky’s Guesthouse – 17-minute walk (downhill to WCDH)Group lodging with five rooms at $80/night.All rooms must be booked to secure this rate. Text 479-244-0123 to reserve.
Private Airbnb-style Lodging. A generous supporter of WCDH is offering cozy rooms (most within walking distance) at $95/night. Text Chou Chou at 479-981-1245 to book.
Matterhorn Towers Motel – 35-minute walk or quick drive. Rooms available for $79.99/night. Mention Writers’ Colony to receive the discounted rate. Call 479-253-9602.

About J Wagner
Raised in the New Mexico desert and a former park ranger at Joshua Tree National Park, J Wagner brings the landscapes of the Southwest into his songwriting. Based in Austin, TX, he’s been dubbed “A number one best bet” by the Austin American-Statesman and “a Texas folk music staple” by The Dallas Morning News.
Wagner’s song “If I Go, I’m Goin’” (co-written with Gregory Alan Isakov and Ron Scott) has been featured in Californication, Teen Wolf, and The Haunting of Hill House, and his collaborative track “Suitcase Full of Sparks” appeared on NBC’s The Blacklist.
The Austin Chronicle gave his album The Runaway Kid a perfect four stars and called him “a commander of words and ideation.”
Learn more: timeaston.com
Purchase Tickets

Bookmarked: A Jazz Age Jubilee - Celebrating 25 years
2025-08-03 15:00 - 18:00 | The Crescent Hotel, 75 Prospect Ave, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
This is our first annual fundraiser, Bookmarked! Join us to celebrate the past, the present and the future of The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. A Roaring Celebration of 25 Years of Words & Wonder.
The Gatsby All Access Pass Tickets – $50.00
Includes event entry, food, auction preview & bidding, and access to all festivities!
Purchase Tickets

July PoetLuck - Featuring Doug "Riverman" Allen
2025-07-17 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
WCDH is proud to bring Doug Allen to WCDH for for the first time to read at our July Poetluck!
Doug Allen, aka: The Riverman, the author of the book: ‘The Riverman’s Guide to the Kings River’. Doug was born and raised in the hills of Northwest Arkansas. His home on Onyx Cave Road was just a couple of dirt road miles away from the beautiful Kings River just outside the quaint little tourist town of Eureka Springs. He grew up with a family of Arkansas fishermen and biologists who had a huge passion for anything related to bodies of water and fish. In his lifetime he has fished creeks, farm ponds, lakes, and especially rivers. His summers were spent swimming, canoeing, and fishing most stretches of the Kings River that meanders slowly and peacefully through the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Over the many years he has gotten to know the Kings River like the back of his hand. Doug says “I feel its pulse. I long for it when I’m away. It’s a huge part of who I am. Although I now live in Fayetteville Arkansas with my family of river rats, I can often be found kayaking, guiding or wade fishing on the beautiful Kings River in the spring, summer and fall.”
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry reading event at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH). Poetluck provides a supportive and inclusive space for writers to share their work and connect with fellow literary enthusiasts in the community. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels to join us and share their poems, stories, and essays with our audience. The evening starts with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM, bring a dish to share or not, there is always enough. The open mic style readings start at 6:30 PM.
This Poetluck is sponsored by Adventure Art

June Poetluck - Featuring Author, Patricia Evans
2025-06-19 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
Patricia Evans, (Evans, They/Them,) is the author of ten bestselling novels in the Travel Romance genre, all with an emphasis on modern queer culture and strong characterization.
Evans is currently working in television and is contracted as the Lead Dialogist for the House of the Dragon series, HBO’s biggest show.
Before they started their career in creative writing, they worked for Esteé Lauder as a fragrance scientist, which shows in the raw sensuality of their writing. Evans weaves scent and memory into each story and focuses on each character’s experience to draw the reader into what they create together as the story unfolds.
Evans has a notoriously loyal fan base that refers to themselves as the “Inkslingers,” a nod to Evans’ nickname as the Tomboy Inkslinger and their unique focus on creating not for the reader but with them.
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry…

April Poetluck - Featuring Traci Brimhall
2025-04-17 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
WCDH is proud to bring Traci Brimhall to WCDH for our April Poetluck. Traci Brimhall is an accomplished writer with numerous awards and National recognition. She holds degrees from Florida State University (BA), Sarah Lawrence College (MFA), and Western Michigan University (PhD). She works as a Professor at Kansas State University, where she directs the creative writing program and holds the Donnelly Faculty Award in English. She also serves as the Poet Laureate for the state of Kansas (2023-2026). Her next collection, Love Prodigal, will be published by Copper Canyon Press in 2024. She is the author of four other collections of poetry.
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry reading event at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH). Poetluck provides a supportive and inclusive space for writers to share their work and connect with fellow literary enthusiasts in the community. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels to join us and share their poems, stories, and essays with our audience. The evening starts with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM, bring a dish to share or not, there is always enough. The open mic style readings start at 6:30 PM.

Writing Horror Screenplays
2025-03-22 14:30 - 18:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
Join Independent Filmmaker, Jason Pitts to learn the basics of writing a successful Horror Film.
In this two-hour workshop we will explore how choosing and weaving themes into your screenplay adds depth, meaning, and helps the audience relate to your story. We will talk about the themes of The Forest Through The Trees. At its core, The Forest Through the Trees delves into the profound themes of love and sacrifice. Attendees will first develop story ideas, and then come up with themes to weave into their stories. The 2:30 workshop will be followed by a dinner at 5:00 with screenwriter Jason Pitts at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow with the screenwriter and then a showing of his film at the City Auditorium at 7:00.
Synopsis of the film: The Forest Through the Trees In the eerie depths of The Forest Through the Trees, audiences are plunged into a world where love and sacrifice blur the lines between life and death. The film follows Chloe and her stepfather Ken as they grapple with the haunting disappearance of Kathy, Chloe’s mother and Ken’s wife. A year of anguish passes until aided by Chloe’s friend Ava, they embark on a desperate quest fueled by a cryptic clue that unravels a sinister secret – a dangerous demonic cult lurking in the shadows.
Tickets for the workshop and/or dinner can be purchased at writerscolony.org
Tickets for Jason Pitts’s Film “ The Forest Through the Trees “ at the city auditorium can be purchased for $10 at https://www.ozarkstix.com/events/horror-film-night-the-forest-through-the-trees
Jason Pitts is an independent filmmaker with a degree in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of North Texas. Growing up on horror films in the 80s, Jason knew at a young age that his passion was to make movies, specifically horror movies. Jason is known for writing the script for Manje (2006), writing and directing his acclaimed short films, ALONE, Masquerade, and When The Stairs Creak, as well as his Friday the 13th fan film, Voorhees: Night of the Beast, which racked up over 600,000 views on YouTube in less than a year.
Learn more about Jason & his filmography through IMDB

March Poetluck - Featuring Charles Templeton
2025-03-20 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
WCDH is proud to bring Charles Templeton to WCDH for our March Poetluck. Charles is the author of the award-winning, best-selling novel Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam. He has also edited The Miracle in the Woods, an anthology celebrating Clear Spring School. Most recently, he collaborated with poet Bill McCloud to publish a collection of poetry, The Error of the Stars.
After a distinguished career in coaching and teaching in Texas, Charles Templeton retired to the enchanting town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with his wife and creative inspiration, Sandra. A dedicated advocate for the literary arts, Charles served on the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow board for a decade. During his tenure, he founded eMerge Magazine, an online publication that showcases the work of both emerging and established writers.
To commemorate the Writers’ Colony’s twentieth anniversary, Charles compiled and edited The Dairy Hollow Echo, an anthology featuring some of the finest works published in eMerge. Upon stepping down from the board, he was honored with the title of Editor Emeritus for his exceptional contributions.
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry reading event at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH). Poetluck provides a supportive and inclusive space for writers to share their work and connect with fellow literary enthusiasts in the community. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels to join us and share their poems, stories, and essays with our audience. The evening starts with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM, bring a dish to share or not, there is always enough. The open mic style readings start at 6:30 PM.

May Poetluck - Featuring Bill McCloud
2025-03-15 18:00 - 20:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
WCDH is proud to bring Bill McCloud back to WCDH for our May Poetluck. Bill McCloud is a poetry editor for the Right Hand Pointing literary journal and is the poetry reviewer for Vietnam Veterans of America. His poetry book, The Smell of the Light, published by Balkan Press, reached #1 on The Oklahoman’s “Oklahoma Bestsellers” list. His poems have appeared in Oklahoma Today and the Oklahoma English Journal, and dozens of them are taught at the University School of Milwaukee, WI. They are also discussed in a Creative Writing course at the University of Tulsa and an English class at the Air Force Academy. He has presented sessions on writing and publishing poetry at William Bernhardt’s WriterCon.
We are delighted to invite you to attend Poetluck, an open mic style poetry reading event at The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH). Poetluck provides a supportive and inclusive space for writers to share their work and connect with fellow literary enthusiasts in the community. We welcome writers of all genres and experience levels to join us and share their poems, stories, and essays with our audience. The evening starts with a potluck meal at 6:00 PM, bring a dish to share or not, there is always enough. The open mic style readings start at 6:30 PM.

Sharing the Shadow Self: Generative and Exploratory Therapeutic Writing
2025-02-22 13:00 - 14:00 | The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, The Writers' Colony at Dairy Hollow, Eureka Springs, AR, 72632, United States
The purpose of the workshop is to allow suppressed aspects of writers’ authorial voice to take up space, explore narrative voices and perspectives, and learn new ways to listen to the narrators within.
This is a generative workshop in which participants will explore and experiment with different narrative voices through self-analysis, memory, and sensory exercises.
A’Ja Lyons is a Creative Nonfiction PhD student at Oklahoma State University. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University. A’Ja founded the summer creative writing workshop for Black graduate students, Griot Gang. A’Ja has taught creative writing workshops in the community as well as an Intro to Creative Writing course at Iowa State University.
