About US
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to inspire and engage writers and readers of all ages, at all stages.
We do this through events and workshops at our Writing Center and within the community, through our residency program, and by offering support to our writers.
OUR HISTORY
Write On, Door County started in the spring of 2012 as a way to encourage people of all ages to share their stories. In the spring of 2013, an anonymous gift of property provided the organization a place to call home, and to create a home for writers. The first staff person began in the fall of 2013 and in January 2014, the organization received its nonprofit status. The first writers-in-residence came in April of 2014.
Since then, we have hosted hundreds of writers from around the world through our residency program. Classes and workshops have been offered to all ages in every part of the county. Readings and talks have been given by celebrated authors such as United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, New York Times best-selling humorist Michael Perry, and internationally-acclaimed writer Naomi Shihab Nye.
Over the years, programming expanded throughout the community. The first Write On, Door County conference, focusing on poetry, was an enormous success. Subsequent conferences included Children's Literature and Paths to Publication. Annual programs like Kids WOW and the Washington Island Literary Festival became traditions and hallmarks of Write On. Write On was growing and the vision for the future became clear.
In July of 2019, Write On broke ground on the northern Juddville property to begin building the vision of creating a Writing Center for the Door County community. Designed by the Kubalo Washatko Architects of Mequon, WI and built by Carlson Erickson Builders of Sister Bay, WI, the Writing Center took shape over winter 2019-2020, and in October of 2020, the Write On offices were moved across the street. The Writing Center became the new home and heart of Write On, Door County.
The Writer’s Walk: In 2022, we acquired an additional 20 acres, expanding our property to 59 acres featuring marked trails and custom-made benches carefully placed within a beautiful woods and meadow, all to create a place for mindfulness, quiet, and contemplation. Trails include a view of famed Door County author Norbert Blei’s Coop. In 2024, we christened our campus The Writer’s Walk.
In 2024 the Olson Family Memorial Council Ring becomes the centerpiece of The Writer’s Walk.
Over the years, programming expanded throughout the community. The first Write On, Door County conference in 2017 was a Poetry Conference featuring Naomi Shihab Nye. Annual programs like the Kids WOW! Creative Camp, the Washington Island Literary Festival, and The Writing On The Door Conference have become hallmarks of Write On’s offerings.
Write On also continues to offer programs in the community, at schools, senior centers and other locations, as well as online. Free community programs such as Memoir Mondays and Art Speaks are among our most popular programs.
Visit Our Writing Center
The Writing Center is located at 4210 Juddville Road, Fish Creek, WI.
A home for writers and readers, the Writing Center invites you to find sanctuary,
community, and peace in our Atrium, Classroom, or on the 59 acres of beautiful trails.
Come to write but also to wander the beaches, visit neighboring islands, hike a wooded
trail, bike, sail, kayak, or snowshoe. Summer and fall are peak times for visitors, but the
"off-season" is spectacular too.
OUR VALUES
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Write On, Door County is a diverse, inclusive, and equitable place where all participants, resident writers, employees, and volunteers - whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability - feel valued and respected. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are heard. To that end, we uphold a commitment to a diverse community by nurturing an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming environment.
DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Write On, Door County is dedicated to the creation and nurturing of an environment in which everyone feels welcomed as a dignified member of our community, regardless of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, age, national origin, citizenship status, veteran status, disability, or genetic information. This applies to employment, our residency program, and all of our programming.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Write On, Door County is committed to providing a supportive and nurturing space for all residents, program participants, staff members, and volunteers. We expect participants to treat each other with respect in all interactions.
Expectations of Program Participants, whether online or in-person:
- Listen carefully
- Respond thoughtfully
- Act respectfully
- Avoid harassment in both actions and words
Harassment takes many forms and may include:
- Deliberate intimidation
- Repeated disruption of classes or programs
- Unwelcome physical contact
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Verbal comments or displayed images that harmfully reinforce structures of oppression
- Written contact, such as sexually suggestive or obscene letters, notes, invitations
- Verbal contact, such as sexually suggestive or obscene comments, threats, slurs, jokes about identity-specific traits, such as gender, race, or national origin
- Visual contact, such as leering or staring at another's body, gesturing, displaying sexually suggestive pictures or objects
- Continuing to express sexual or social interest after being informed directly that the interest is unwelcome
- Using sexual behavior to control, influence or affect the career, salary, or work environment of another
Harassment does not include respectful disagreement or critique in good faith. By their nature, reading and writing include exposure to controversial, challenging, and sometimes offensive language.
At the core of Write On's mission is the belief that reading and writing create a deep understanding of ourselves and others, thereby encouraging empathy and compassion in our society.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Write On acknowledges that the 59 acres we are committed to preserving are part of the ancestral and present-day homelands of the Odawa, Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi), Oma͞eqnomenew-ahkew (Menominee), Myaamia, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ peoples. As we walk these trails and share its stories, may our work to steward this place honor the deep relationships these nations have always held with these forests, the waters of Green Bay, and all living beings here. May these hikes become not just about sharing history, but about listening to the land and fostering respect for its original caretakers.
