The McLoughlin Gardens are the site of a Creative Residency on Vancouver Island. In addition to a studio residency program for local writers and visual artists, we also host one or more Canadian authors as writers-in-residence for a four-week period during the summer months.  Writers receive an honorarium of $3000 and full use of the cottage and adjacent studio. Travel costs are the writer's responsibility.

The residency takes place at McLoughlin Gardens, a regional park in the Comox Valley. The seaside cottage is fully equipped and surrounded by gardens and a seashore, where an abundance of wildlife can be seen daily. 

Past writers-in-residence include poets Anne Simpson, Don McKay, Maleea Acker, and Arleen Paré. Playwright Marcus Youssef, novelist Jennifer Manuel, and non-fiction writer Darrel McLeod have also been in residence. In 2023, children’s author Sara Cassidy was at the Gardens as well as former Victoria poet laureate Yvonne Blomer.

The mission of the McLoughlin Gardens is to nurture the transformative power of art, nature, and story in creating a more just, sustainable, and equitable world. The seaside cottage and studio at the McLoughlin Gardens are ideally situated to offer a writer seclusion and proximity to nature as they advance their creative work.

Visit our website to learn more about the McLoughlin Gardens – mcloughlingardens.org.

Learn more about the residency and the application process: 

https://www.mcloughlingardens.org/call-for-applications-writer-in-residence