Writers' Colony

About Us

The mission of The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) is to provide uninterrupted residency time for writers of all genres, including culinary, composers, and artists without discrimination. The WCDH will foster an environment that allows writers to work, interact with the wider community, stimulate new thinking, and energize creative expression.

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is located in the historic arts village of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in the Northwest corner of the Ozark Mountains. Our town is tiny – population 2,079 – but we are host to thousands of tourists who come for a slice of our unusual lifestyle. We are distinctly different from anywhere else in the world.

Our history is spiced with the likes of John Phillip Sousa, Cora Pinkley-Call, Otto Rayburn, Frank Stanford, and Crescent Dragonwagon. In modern times, Eureka Springs has welcomed Charlaine Harris of the Southern Vampire Mystery series and Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean, which was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club in 1996. Of course, we haven’t even begun to brag. (Remember - buy from your local bookstore. If they don't have it, they can order it for you. Shop local.)

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow started out as the second Bed & Breakfast to open its doors in Arkansas, a project of love by cookbook author Crescent Dragonwagon and late husband, Ned Shank, a preservationist and writer himself. During its 18 years in business, the Inn was named an ''Inn of the Year'' by both Conde Nast Traveler and USA Today, and later, Dairy Hollow House Restaurant was c