The Writer In Residence program aims to spark accurate, diverse and positive portraits of science and scientists within mass media entertainment.

Objectives:

• Connect Industry Professionals with Researchers in the Lab
• Innovate unique STEM narratives
• Increase Diverse Representations of STEM Characters in Media
• Engage cutting edge research into the creative arts
• Support STEM accuracy in entertainment

The Writer in Residence program is located at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery within the Discovery Building. Residency appointments timelines and lengths vary depending on writer needs, project scope and scientist availability. The Writer in Residence program supports writers crafting works featuring science within their field (scriptwriting, poetry, playwright, spoken word, music, etc.) The writer residency may be renewable based on previous semester participation and progress.

As the Writer in Residence, writers may have:

• access to UW scientists
• opportunities to shadow labs
• ability to host science inquiries in the Discovery Building and utilize ID hub spaces for writing
• access to volunteer student and community actors for closed readings

Expectations for the Writer in Residence:

• complete a science-inspired work during the residency
• recognition of the Science to Script Writer in Residence program at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery in publications or as otherwise appropriate
• write a one-page description of their Writer in Residency experience
• write one page about a science concept they are now fascinated with due to the residency
• attend all Speed Science-ing events
• implement one science writing outreach event at the Discovery Building (optional; may be in collaboration with Speed Science-ing)
• participate in media highlights or inquiries about their residency

To be considered for the Writer in Residence appointment, writers must:

• be working on a science work to be published within their field
• be a working professional within a storytelling field
• have experience leading, hosting or teaching storytelling outreach events or classes within their field

Interested in becoming our next Writer in Residence? Contact ahanus2@wisc.edu

Michelle Wildgen is the author of the novels Wine People (August 2023, Zibby Books), You’re Not You, But Not For Long, and Bread and Butter, and the editor of the food writing anthology Food & Booze. A former executive editor with the award-winning literary journal Tin House, she is a freelance editor and creative writing teacher in Madison, Wis. Since 2013 she and novelist Susanna Daniel have run the Madison Writers’ Studio, offering a variety of creative writing workshops and classes.