Aldo & Estella Leopold Writing Residency
The goal of the Aldo and Estella Leopold Residency at “Mi Casita” is to provide an inspiring retreat for distinguished and emerging writers, thinkers, and artists to reflect on and write about the relevance of Aldo Leopold’s ideas to 21st century cultural and environmental issues.
The location for the residency, Mi Casita, was Aldo and his wife Estella’s former (and very first) home in northern New Mexico. Surrounded by the Carson National Forest, the cabin offers a place to pursue creative efforts in a physical setting of great significance to the couple and where Leopold began the intellectual and emotional journey that led to his idea of a land ethic.
Started in 2012, the residency program is sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service.
Residency Details
Residents are invited to stay for up to one month during the months of May to October. Each year, the residency’s steering committee invites at least one writer selected from a pool of applicants. Each resident receives a stipend to help defray travel and living expenses. In exchange, residents commit to giving a public presentation of their work in nearby Taos sometime during or immediately after their Mi Casita stay.