http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/federally-subsidized-amtrak-offers-24-writers-free-trips-amtrakresidency-program_784368.html
Consider the source.
I'd contact Amtrak and find out if this is true or some type of scam. It sounds too good to be true, and probably is.
Each resident will be given a private sleeper car? From where? A private car owner will lend his car to Amtrak for this?
I doubt that any writer who truly understands Amtrak's current situation, no matter how much he enjoys travel by rail, would respond to this--unless he responded with questions about the actual possibility of the offer.
Could this be an attempt to harass people at Amtrak with applications to take advantage of the offer?
Johnny
It's real:
Here's the details: http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/03/amtrak-residency-for-writers/
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Train Fall Down, Go Boom
Chapter 1 - Somewhere In Iowa
It was a dark and stormy night....
Thanks for the link. Of course, there is a little difference between providing each writer with a sleeping car and providing each writer with a room in a sleeping car. When will these non-railroad-oriented people learn to report what they are told, and not what they imagine they are told? I do wonder if a real desk will be provided, or if the little chess/checkerboard is what is meant?
I don't think that I will apply; I have trouble composing a half-page letter at Christmas time, and I prefer to relax and enjoy the travel when I am riding. My worst experience at writing came when I was in graduate school, and had a paper due the next day; I stayed up half the night and composed it on my typewriter. I don't remember what grade I was given; I did pass.
mudchicken Train Fall Down, Go Boom Chapter 1 - Somewhere In Iowa It was a dark and stormy night....
Suddenly, the HEP cuts out and the lounge car goes dark....
oltmannd Suddenly, the HEP cuts out and the lounge car goes dark....
Reminds me of a thread on another forum entitled "write three words," which should, of course, somehow coalesce into a story of some sort.
A crowd-sourced novel!
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
My can of coke falls to the floor, but I am not brave enough to reach under the table for fear of what lies beneath. I will briefly mourn its short existence as I grope around for my microwaved burger.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
The Drama alone may make a good read. How long does Amtrak go , in days, OUT of the newswire?
"As we sped along westward, the lurch of Emergency brakes put us all in the back of the cars we were in, IF we were sitting. The "Boulder" on the track made a huge mess of the engine..I guess this IS a Sleeper car "
Sarcasm aside... It a cheap way to find out if it works, and its a good idea... Given the writers have the correct demographic which includes age and economy, to help drive ATK sales.
If you keep writing like that, Zugmann, you'll qualify for a free Amtrak ticket.
John
Alas, my burger has also succumbed to the dismal blackness that was the amcafe floor. Fearing of what may happen if I am left alone with my thoughts in the dark for more than a few minutes I decide to find greener pastures (or in this case, a brighter car). I stumble up the aisle, using the wall as my guide, and open the end door to the vestibule. Stepping over the shuttering and moving plates on the floor, I open another door and find myself in a coach.
But as I enter the coach car, approximately twenty-four riders staring at me, mouths gaping. Feeling like the prime suspect in a murder trial, I want to defiantly proclaim my innocence. But from what, I wonder?
Eight hours late into Denver.
The train went downhill from there.
Connection missed in Chicago.
Make a cab dash out to O' Hare.
Oh God what excessive fare.
Beg and plead at the counters
My daughter gets married tomorrow.
Please, somebody help get me there.
A man hears my pleas and agrees.
A later flight now his seat to me.
Unshaven and tired force a smile.
Walk your daughter down the aisle.
You thought plenty of time to take Amtrak
Won't ever do that again.
Somehow these people starting up at me all seemed familiar. Like a remnant of a dream that awakens you in a cold sweat. You can almost remember what it was, but the details are just out of your grasp. That is when I noticed my attire. Even though I was a lowly manager of a tire store, I was wearing a conductor's uniform for some reason. This was odd as my only railroad experience was running a Lionel at Christmas time when I was a kid.
Yet somehow this felt right. Like it had to be as commanded by a higher power.
Sounds like it's time to bring out "Cinderdick." There are still a few of us who will be able to identify the characters...
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