HONESDALE, PA — The Renée Watson Cottage is open now on the Highlights Foundation campus. The cottage was designed by Watson, author of “Maya’s Song,” “Piecing Me Together” and other books. She has won the Newbery Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King Award.

The cottage will serve as a space where children’s writers and illustrators will “feel inspired to reflect and create,” said a Highlights spokesperson.

“It’s important for writers to have uninterrupted time to think, process, and generate work—and I hope this space feels calming and nurturing,” said Watson. 

“The inclusion of artwork that honors Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Lucille Clifton, Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde is meant to remind guests of the perseverance, boldness, and grace it takes to make art,” she continued. 

“These creatives made work during perilous times. They understood the power of storytelling and not only documented their world as it was, but they imagined what the world could be.”

The dedication of the cottage is a continuation of Watson’s work and ongoing partnership with the Highlights Foundation, the spokesperson said. Watson first established a scholarship for Black women writers to attend a Highlights Foundation workshop via the I, Too Arts Collective, an organization she founded in 2016 to nurture voices from underrepresented communities in the creative arts.

In 2022, she established the Renée Watson Scholarship, which annually supports a week-long independent writing retreat for a Black woman writer. 

“I hope the scholarship helps to relieve some of the financial pressure many writers face when trying to carve out quality time to write and produce work,” said Watson.

Author Monique Fields was the first scholarship recipient. She is the author of “Honeysmoke: A Story of Finding Your Color.” She took a retreat last year and said had a transformative experience.

“Without the scholarship, there is no way that I would have been able to take time off work and dedicate so much time to my writing. I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. Would I be able to write? Would I feel inspired? Would I meet other writers? I did all three. The change of scenery reset my creativity, and I wrote more words for longer periods of time than I’ve ever written before,” said Fields.