Kasteel Well: James Baldwin Writers' Colony
Program Dates
June 28 through August 3, 2024
*Students should arrange to arrive in The Netherlands on the morning of the program start date.
Program Overview
This 4-week, 8-credit program invites you to write, workshop and revise short works of creative fiction and nonfiction inspired by the literature of African-Americans who lived and worked in Europe. How do terms such as “black,” “African-American,” and “diaspora” function on a planet increasingly connected by technology and globalism? You’ll explore these and similar questions in conversation with classmates from Emerson and historically black colleges and universities.
Program Eligibility & Admission
- Open to rising juniors and seniors.
- Recommended for Writing, Literature, and Publishing students, but open to all students.
- Limited to 12 students.
Course Information
Total of 8 credits. Students will be required to be enrolled by Emerson College in the following two courses:
- WR 311 - Intermediate Fiction Writing (4 credits)
- WR 316 - Intermediate Non-Fiction Writing (4 credits)
Academic Highlights
- Engagements with contemporary black writers and artists will provide first-hand access to Europe’s thriving creative scene.
- Lectures and discussion sessions will incorporate significant periods in African-American literature that affected—and were influenced by—developments in Europe, including the Harlem Renaissance (1920s), the postwar era (late 1940s) and the Black Arts Movement (1960s).
Cultural Highlights
- Let your writing be inspired by beauty and history while staying at Kasteel Well, a restored 14th century castle located in the charming village of Well, the Netherlands.
- Walk in the footsteps of cultural giants such as James Baldwin, Hazel Scott, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes.
- Explore Amsterdam and Paris through the unique and powerful lens of black history.
- Visit the EYE Museum and Anne Frank’s House in Amsterdam and jazz clubs in Paris.
Cost & Inclusions
Program Fee: $10,706
Included in Program Fee
- Tuition (8 credits @ $850/credit)
- Registration Fee
- Housing at Kasteel Well and on excursion
- Some meals
Not Included in Program Fee
- Round-trip airfare to/from the Netherlands (Est. $1,300)
- Most meals and incidental or personal expenses
- Course materials
- Passports (or visas, if required)
- International Health Insurance*
*May be waived by those with alternate comparable insurance.
*Health Insurance Coverage: Participants must have an insurance plan that provides coverage while abroad. If you feel your current insurance is not adequate, please research a plan that is. For information on Supplemental Health Plans, please visit our Health Insurance Requirements page.
