On Saturday, Amtrak began accepting applications for "writers' residencies," an idea that germinated last fall from a remark made by Alexander Chee in a PEN America interview and grew quickly after Jessica Gross tweeted her support for the concept and was granted the initial "test-run."
Now Amtrak Residency is an official program, and over the weekend #AmtrakResidency lit up social media sites as writers seemed to be applying en masse, occasionally overwhelming Amtrak's site. The program "will allow for up to 24 writers to take long-distance trains to work on their projects. Each writer's round-trip journey will include accommodations on board a sleeper car equipped with a bed, a desk and outlets. We hope this experience will inspire creativity and most importantly fuel your sense of adventure!" Amtrak noted.
In contrast to the widespread enthusiasm about the Amtrak Residency, some writers expressed reservations regarding the fine print in the program's terms of service. For example, Jon Clinch tweeted: "Sure, #AmtrakResidency. I'd give all this for a shot at a free train ride. pic.twitter.com/UnvCXbb0oY." And: "Beware: #AmtrakResidency Term 6 grants rights to your writing, along with your name and likeness. http://bit.ly/1h3CZCM #BuyATicket."
In a Reddit AMA Saturday, Julia Quinn, director of social media for Amtrak, fielded a lengthy question specifically addressing the rights issues and responded: "We have forwarded your feedback on internally. To clarify, we would plan to contact and have a conversation with an applicant before potentially using their submission for promotional purposes."
Yesterday, Alexander Chee was actively involved in communicating with those who had questions about the rights issues. A sampling from his Tweets:
"I wrote to @Amtrak about the issues with clause 6 in the application and they responded that they are working to address our concerns."
"I began advocating for changing the clauses by email with them as of yesterday afternoon following the announcement."
"I have no authority over the set up. I'm simply advocating for changes to the clauses."
"It would disappoint me greatly if something that began with an interview about writers and freedom became anything less."
