Writing residency in Burgundy, 1h15 from Paris
Foray's writing residency is for authors, screenwriters, playwrights, translators and illustrators who need quiet and time. You stay in a house between river and forest, two train stops from Paris, in a private room with a desk overlooking the garden or the Yonne valley.
There's a library and reading nooks, fast fibre internet and a printer, ten acres to walk in, and dinner cooked for you at the shared table. Come for a few days to finish a draft, or stay for months.
Who it's for
- Novelists and authors
- Screenwriters and scriptwriters
- Playwrights
- Translators
- Illustrators
- Poets, essayists, songwriters with a notebook
A place to write
Close never felt so far. Just two stops from Paris, you'll find a quiet space to think, write and create.
Every bedroom is also a writing room, with a desk and a view over vast fields and forest. The Stories bedroom is made for it: pick a book from the library or open a fresh page on your desk and begin your own story, with space to read, write and imagine day and night.
When the page needs a break: reading nooks, a fire in the Grand Hall, paths down to the river and into the forest, a sauna with a view, and a table of other creative people at dinner.
What writers use most
- A private room with a desk overlooking the garden or the valley
- The Stories bedroom, with its library and writing desk
- Fibre internet and a printer
- Reading nooks, a library and an open fire
- Quiet corners in the house and ten acres outdoors
- Breakfast included, dinner at the shared table
Multidisciplinary residency — every creative medium welcome.
Apply for these datesMultidisciplinary residency — every creative medium welcome.
Apply for these datesAt a glance
- Where
- Domaine Foray, 40 Rue de Paris, 89300 Villecien, Burgundy, France
- From Paris
- 1h15 by train, two stops (Sens, then Joigny). 10 minutes from the A6, exit 18, by car
- Length
- Micro-residencies all year, from a few days to several months. Come and go as you need
- Studios
- 230 m²: a recording studio, a painting studio and a wood & metal workshop
- Room & meals
- A private room with its own bathroom, breakfast, and dinner at the shared table
- Who
- Every discipline, existing or invented, at research or creation stage
- Apply
- Email stay@domaineforay.com with a short project description, a bio and links
Every residency includes
- A large private room with a double bed, wardrobe, desk and private bathroom with a bath, overlooking the garden or the Yonne valley
- Access to all 230 m² of studios and to every space in the house
- Breakfast, local and mostly plant-based
- Dinner at the shared vegetarian table, pay what you can
- The spacious communal kitchen, for self-catered lunches
- Fibre internet, a printer and a laundry
- Ten acres of garden between the river and the forest, and six electric bikes
Fees & funding
Most residencies at Foray are not grant-funded, so the artist covers the logistics of their stay. Since 2025, the guesthouse side of Foray has part-funded the residencies, which keeps those costs greatly reduced.
The cost depends on the programme and the length of your stay: the longer you stay, the lower the daily cost. It also depends on how much care you need, for example if you'd like lunches cooked for you.
We're happy to help you apply for a grant or other third-party funding, with advice and documentation, and we're open to organising a workshop, show or event on site to help finance your stay.
How to apply
- 1
Write to us
Email stay@domaineforay.com with a short description of your project, your bio, and links to anything that helps us step into your work.
- 2
Pick your dates
Join one of the dated sessions below, or propose your own: micro-residencies run all year.
- 3
We talk it through
We'll reply to plan the studio time, the equipment you'll need and the cost of your stay.
- 4
Come and make things
Take the train from Paris, and we'll take it from there. A residency implies an active commitment to our values of appreciation, acceptance and transparency.
Questions artists ask
Do I need to be published to apply?
No. We welcome writers at research or creation stage. Send a short description of your project, a bio and links to stay@domaineforay.com.
Is it quiet enough to write?
Yes. Foray sits between the Yonne river and the forest in a small village; your room has its own desk, and the house has quiet corners and a library. Evenings are shared at the table if you want company.
Is there good internet?
Fibre internet throughout, and a printer for drafts.
Can I stay for a whole month or longer?
Yes, residencies run from a few days to several months, and the daily cost goes down the longer you stay.
Other residencies at Foray
Music & recording residency
A residential recording studio: UAD Apollo 8 control room, drum room, vocal booth and acoustic piano, 1h15 from Paris.
Visual arts residency
A painting studio and a large wood & metal workshop, tools, raw materials and room to work big, inside and out.
Film & photography residency
Hone a script, edit, score with a composer in the studio, shoot in the house and grounds. With a private cinema.