About Mesa Refuge
"A place for writing on the edge."
The Mesa Refuge is a writers' retreat located in Point Reyes Station, CA. It is one of the few retreats in the United States that supports people writing about nature, economics and social equity. Since 1998, we have granted residencies to over 500 writers.
Mesa Refuge is now on Facebook! Please check it out: Mesa Facebook Page
Mesa Refuge Announces New 2012 Residency Application Deadlines
News:
New Residency Opportunity for writers working on health issues.
Download the 2012 Call for Applications.
Program Information
The Refuge offers two and four-week residencies to writers who need the solitude essential to creative work. Essayists, journalists, economists, naturalists, screenwriters and authors of memoirs -- all are welcome.
The Mesa Refuge invites people to think and write about the intersections between human activity -- capitalism in particular -- and the natural world we are obliged to preserve. A Mesa Refuge residency is an opportunity to develop ideas and projects so that they may be published and transformed into practice.
Residents are offered the gift of time and space. There is a settling in, a letting go, a connecting with nature’s muse, and a finding of creative rhythm.
Location
The Mesa Refuge is located on a bluff overlooking Tomales Bay and pastures that are being restored to wetlands. It sits atop the San Andreas Fault, on the periphery of a great city, at a spot where urban civilization adjoins agriculture and wilderness. It is an ideal place for contemplating many things.
The Refuge is misty bluffs, hummingbirds and herons, winding paths of lavender and sage, daisies and roses, solitude, the company of other writers, and the blissful absence of noise, demands, and daily chores. Residents are encouraged to enjoy the many attractions of the Point Reyes area. Opportunities include hiking, kayaking, beach-combing, bicycling, bird watching and yoga, as well as gardening, tennis and ping-pong. The town of Point Reyes Station is a 10-minute walk away.
Living Arrangements
The Refuge hosts three residents at a time. Each enjoys a private room in a spacious shared house. A printer is available for common use; however, residents need to bring their own computers and writing supplies. A single telephone is available on a limited basis and its use is discouraged. E-mail use is similarly discouraged, but dial-up access is available for a fee.
Room and most dinners are provided at no cost, however donations are welcome. Travel to and from Point Reyes is each resident's responsibility.
Application Information
Complete application information can be found here:
Mesa Refuge Application Information
We are pleased to announce that the Refuge is available for use, when residents are not in session, for alumni, writers and artists wanting a quiet, reflective space to work on specific projects.
For more information on availability and rates, please contact Juliet Kirkham at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Supporting the Mesa Refuge
To help defray operating expenses, the Mesa Refuge invites donations from residents and friends. Donations are tax-deductible, and we appreciate gifts of all sizes.
We are particularly interested in major gifts that can support a residency in perpetuity. Such gifts can be named in honor of loved ones, or writers you admire. Each year the Refuge will choose a writer who is appropriate to your residency, notify you of the choice, and send you a copy of the eventual publication. In this way, your gift will spur creativity and progressive thinking for decades to come.
Click Here for more information on supporting The Mesa Refuge.
Online donations can be made here: Donate Now
Checks can be made payable to Trust for Conservation Innovation. Please put Mesa Refuge in the memo line and mail to:
Trust for Conservation
150 Post Street, #342
San Francisco, CA 94108
For information regarding major gifts please contact Peter Barnes at 415.663.9494, or via email at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Mesa Refuge Advisory Board
Carl Anthony, The Ford Foundation
Alan AtKisson, Balaton Group
Harriet Barlow, Blue Mountain Center
Sue Conley, Tomales Bay Foods
Chris Desser, Writer
Mark Dowie, Writer
Deirdre English, Writer
Ellen Friedman, Tides Foundation
Michael Krasny, KQED-FM, SF State
Hunter Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
Bill McKibben, Writer
Richard Norgaard, UC Berkeley
Jonathan Rowe, Writer
Derek Shearer, Occidental College
Terry Tempest Williams, Writer
Resident Quotes
"These days a blessing
The safety and security of this shed
This chair on the porch looking out
So I could look in
After seven years a book completed.
A leap. Thank you. Thank you."
Terry Tempest Williams,
Naturalist and Author, Refuge
"The landscape of sky, marsh, and bay flowing to the sea helped concentrate my mind. I loved the quiet. I loved the wild garden overlooking the wetlands below and the hundreds of birds circling above. It is rare and wonderful to feel so quietly cared for--so completely supported and encouraged."
Chris Desser
"I wake up to the sound of two red-tailed hawks screaming for joy.
They soar low over the pasture, keen eyes hunting. I shake off a dream
and return to my desk, to a story asking to be told. I am so grateful for
this opportunity to discover, in the midst of a demanding life, the freedom
of poetry, the gift of art."
Phil Klasky - Director and Poet, Bay Area Nuclear Waste Coalition
"I've gotten a tremendous amount of work done here at Mesa, the final 40,000 words of a 60,000 word book. This retreat hasn't been good; it's been vital."
Jim Motavalli, Editor, E Magazine, and Author, Forward Drive: The Race to Build the Next Generation of Clean Cars
"I find the time to contemplate the timeless. That is the gift of this spot."
David Morse - Author, The Iron Bridge
Download "Holding Still", a journal entry graciously shared by Christina Ammon.
Resident Biographies 1999 - 2008
Contact Information
Juliet Kirkham
Program Director, The Mesa Refuge
P. O. Box 3286
Berkeley, CA 94703
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it