The James Merrill Writer-in-Residence Program seeks to preserve the Merrill apartment in Stonington, as a tribute to Mr. Merrill and as a cultural asset to the local community. It provides living and working space to a writer who will interact with the local community in the course of pursuing a stated project.

History

Upon his death in 1995, the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poet James Merrill bequeathed the building at 107 Water Street to the Stonington Village Improvement Association. His personal apartment is located on the third and fourth floors of the building and has sweeping views of Stonington Harbor and Fishers Island Sound. The unique furnishings of the apartment reflect the taste and wit of the iconoclastic poet, who made Stonington his home for many years as well as the setting for a significant number of his poems.

Interior view.

In recognition of Mr. Merrill's longstanding generosity towards fellow writers, the SVIA has made Mr. Merrill's apartment available for an academic year to a writer or scholar in search of a quiet setting in which to complete a project of literary or academic merit. The writer-in-residence contributes to community life in Stonington by sharing some of his or her scholarship or professional experience with Stonington residents by, for example, an occasional talk at the local library or in local schools.

To learn more about the program, including selection and application information, upcoming community events, and making a contribution, please visit www.jamesmerrillhouse.org.

The Writer-in-Residence Program
in the News

A House, A Home, A Muse: The James Merrill House Cultivates The Next Generation Of Writers. By Ben Johnson, Day Staff Writer, Arts/Music Reporter. Published by The Day on 9/27/2005

A Yearlong Residence on Water Street: Merrill home opens to a published poet. By Elizabeth Yerkes, Shore Publishing Staff Writer. Published by The Stonington Times on 9/30/2005

Merrill Writers-in-Residence