But first: how did this beautiful reverie come to fruition? It seems we have Twitter to thank. After reading Alexander Chee’s interview in Pen America, in which he said “I still like a train best for [writing]. I wish Amtrak had residencies for writers,” Gross tweeted her mutual wish for an Amtrak-sponsored writing experience.
And though such lofty fantasies often die unrealized, by the grace of some transportation-and-prose-loving god, Amtrak actually responded to Gross on Twitter, and liked the idea.
So Gross emailed the social media team at Amtrak to set the trip up, picked dates and a route (Amtrak recommended the Lake Shore Limited, because, you know, there tends to be room on a train headed to Chicago in mid-Winter), and booked her ticket. She rode the rails from NYC to Chicago to NYC again, writing the whole time. No one else on the train knew about her residency, Gross said, or if they did, they "definitely didn't act like it."
Now, perhaps the most important point: The residency was free. According to Gross, all Amtrak asked was that she send out a few tweets while she was traveling, and do an interview for the company's blog at the end of her trip.
http://www.thewire.com/culture/2014/02/inside-amtraks-absolutely-awesome-plan-give-free-rides-writers/358332/
If 'in you learn to right really good............
What brief example of your literary talent would you submit for a free ticket to ride and write?
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