Who We Are

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.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Write On, Door County is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy place for all participants, staff, and volunteers. To that end, we will follow the recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control, the Wisconsin Department of Health, and the Door County Health Department. 

Before coming to a Write On program, please answer the following questions to ensure you are protecting the health of other participants, teaching artists, and staff: 

• Have you been notified by the Department of Health that you have been exposed to COVID-19?
• Are you or anyone in your household experiencing the following symptoms:
  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath

If your answer to either question is yes, please stay home. If you have paid for a Write On program, your registration fee will be refunded.

At Write On, our programs for the most part are limited in size and will be further limited to no more than ten participants, including teaching artist or presenter. To ensure the health and safety of all involved in our programs, Write On staff will:

• Wear face masks during all public interactions
• Maintain six feet distance from all program participants
• Create a environment that inspires and encourages creativity while still maintaining best social distancing programs
• Clean all surfaces and seating with CDC recommended disinfectants
• Provide hands-free hand sanitizing stations

To ensure the health and safety of all involved in our programs, we ask participants to follow these guidelines:

• Wear a face mask for the duration of the program
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds
• Do not share pens, pencils, or other utensils with other participants
• Do not bring in outside food to consume during programs
  • Water bottles, travel mugs, etc., are permitted
  • Participants are welcome to consume food on the terrace
  • For many programs, Write On will provide coffee, tea, and water. Some programs may include light refreshments, safely prepared and served.
• Maintain social distancing
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately

Participants not abiding by the guidelines will be asked to leave the program. If you have paid a registration fee for the program and fail to abide by the guidelines, your fee will not be refunded.

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.

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.

Write On, Door County mourns with our community for lives lost to violence and racism, and stands with all people striving for a just society.

There is a place for everyone in anti-racism work. No one person or organization can do it all, but together, our collective power is transformative.

Please stand with us as we say, unequivocally: black lives matter. Black lives matter in every city, in every neighborhood, in every rural town and every village in Wisconsin. We invite you to work in partnership with us to make this statement a reality.

As a member organization of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, Write On’s board of directors approved this statement on immigrants and affirms it as one of our core values:

The rise in angry rhetoric against immigrants, particularly immigrants of color, the policy of child separation, and the treatment of children in detention camps in the Southern Border of the United States point to a climate of xenophobia, in the United States, that is as dehumanizing as it is inhumane. Because we understand that the role of the arts involves education and because we affirm its responsible function in working for justice, with this statement, the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission stands with immigrant communities and asserts that immigrants are vital contributors to the social fabric and promise of the United States of America. 

We at Write On cannot stand idly by while the violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community continues. The tragic murders March 16, 2021, of eight people—all but one of them women—in their workplace were horrific and unimaginable. We offer our condolences to their families, and we extend our support to those facing discrimination and living in fear of similar acts every day. We strongly believe every person deserves to feel safe and live peacefully, and we are committed to being an ally for those fighting racial and social injustice.

We’d like to share some resources to help all of us bring about real change. To report an incident of harassment or violence against members of the AAPI community, please visit www.stopaapihate.org and learn ways you can show your support. We also recommend:

• Time magazine’s “Donating, Volunteering, Reporting Hate Incidents: Here's How to Help Combat Anti-Asian Violence”
• Cathy Park Hong’s recent article in the New York Times “The Slur I Never Expected to Hear in 2020”
• Texas Book Festival’s “Recommended reading about racism against Asian Americans”

We encourage you to visit Kundiman’s list of “Literary Organizations that Serve Writers of Color” and consider donating to some of the arts organizations on the list working to support Asian American communities and voices.

Please join us in raising awareness and standing against the hate however you can. If you see something, please say or do something. Together we are stronger.