Storyknife Awarded Tier II Grant by the Rasmuson Foundation

We are pleased to announce that Storyknife Writers Retreat has been awarded a $400,000.00 Tier II Grant by the Rasmuson Foundation. Storyknife has been fundraising for the past two years to build a women writers’ retreat in Homer, Alaska, and the generosity of the Rasmuson Foundation will allow us to go forward with construction in the spring of 2019. The entire facility will consist of six cabins and a main house that is slated to open for residencies in April of 2020.

Storyknife seeks to create an environment of caring and hospitality that will provide the bedrock upon which women writers can feel secure in exploring difficult, experimental, and engaging work. By providing women writers with a place that is beautiful, thoughtfully constructed, and nurturing, Storyknife fosters a level or respect (cultural and personal) for each woman and her creative process. When completed, Storyknife will host six women each month for seven months each year, expanding to year-around operation by the year 2028.

The vision of author Dana Stabenow, Storyknife seeks to support women writers by providing uninterrupted time for development of their craft. In 1989, Stabenow received a residency at Hedgebrook, a retreat for women writers on Whidbey Island in Washington. The profound impact of that residency, and the fact that Hedgebrook receives many more applications than they have spots to host writers, inspired her to develop a similar opportunity for women writers.

The Rasmuson Foundation was created in May 1955 by Jenny Rasmuson to honor her late husband “E.A.” Rasmuson. Through grantmaking and initiatives, the Foundation aims to promote a better life for all Alaskans. At its biannual meeting this November, the Rasmuson Foundation board of directors approved more than $6.5 million in awards. The investments are aimed at communities from Unalakleet to Sitka.

Please join us in expressing our gratitude to the Rasmuson Foundation for their support of women’s stories and women writers.