Citing a need for greater diversity within outdoors-focused writing, online outdoor recreation community Outbound Collective has announced a new residency for outdoors writers from underrepresented communities.
“There is no shortage of white male, cisgender, enabled, ultra-fit mountain domination,” the organization said in an announcement posted to its website. “Our goal is to build a better, more inclusive home for the modern outdoors, where everyone is welcome and feels represented. And we want to get there sooner rather than later. This is another step in that direction.”
The Outbound Collective is a virtual community for outdoor recreation, with recommendations for trips and gear as well as an Airbnb-like feature that allows community members to locate and rent lodging for their travels.
The residency will fund two outdoors writers over a three-month period with $2,000 in cash and a gear package that includes a $1,500 gear stipend from Eddie Bauer. The writers in residence and their work will be featured on the Outbound’s website and social media channels.
“Our goal is to build a better, more inclusive home for the outdoors — where everyone feels welcome and finds belonging,” the Outbound’s Brian Heifferon said in an email. “There’s obviously a lot of work that goes into pursuing that goal, and we believe that a critical component of that effort is to start centering more of our storytelling (and doing so consistently) on the communities and individuals who have historically been kept at the margins of the mainstream outdoor narrative.”
The residency is geared toward “talented writers from traditionally marginalized communities,” he said. “We welcome anyone who fits that description and who is passionate about the outdoors and adventure travel.
The application period began Sept. 29 and will close on Oct. 9; writers in residence will be chosen and made public by Oct. 14. The application and more information are available on Outbound’s website.