Your Questions, Answered

We are in Toronto's east end, nestled between the Danforth and Leslieville. It’s a beautiful, walkable corner of the city with deep character and history. The Danforth is the heart of Toronto's Greek community, one of the largest outside of Greece, and still hums with that warmth. The house itself has been owned by a Greek family for the last 40 years. Just around the corner is Little India and the Gerrard India Bazaar, which is a stretch of Gerrard Street filled with South Asian restaurants, textile shops, colour, and spices. And woven through it all is a radical, open-hearted spirit that we love. The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), just around the corner, has been a beating heart of Toronto's queer community since the 1970s and it was here, on January 14, 2001, that the world's first legally recognized same-sex marriages took place. The minister at the time, Reverend Brent Hawkes, officiated wearing a bulletproof vest. Love won, defiantly and historically, in this neighbourhood.

Two wonderful parks are close by. Withrow Park holds the neighbourhood's farmers market, an open fire pit, dog park, and all seasons of sports and activities. Riverdale Park East is where the whole city comes to watch the sun go down with the Toronto skyline spread wide before you.

It is a good neighbourhood for walking and wandering. The subway is about a ten minute walk away for easy access into central Toronto. We have bikes you can borrow and places like The Beaches, the Lakeshore and the Brickworks are about 20 mins bike ride away.

We will send you our full address and directions when we confirm your visit.

The Writing House is a warm, lived-in home and we want you to feel this the moment you arrive. Your writer's room is in our beautifully painted basement; it’s a private space with a door you can close, a comfortable bed, and a huge desk. The main living spaces - kitchen, dining room, living room - are open plan and yours to use.

Outside we have a backyard with our tiny witch-inspired herb garden and a towering Black Walnut tree (we call it “the condo” - for the squirrels). And out the front, a porch that we love. It’s good for sitting with your notebook, watching the neighbourhood wake up or wind down. Right across the street is the Riverdale Perk, our most local coffee shop.

One thing to know before you come: we are sorry to say the house is not fully accessible. The only bathroom is up a flight of stairs. Please do get in touch if you have any questions about whether the space will work for you and we will be as helpful and honest as we can.

The Writing House is Vanessa and Cassie. We are the hosts, the hearth-tenders, the ones who will welcome you in and hold the space for you and your writing.

As the Writing House grows, we will likely co-host Weekend Studios and Day Salons with other writers, facilitators, and collaborators.

We also know the house itself to have its own character — a warmth and a hum that has been noted by nearly everyone who walks through the door. And there are other helpers here, the ones who come in forms we can't always quite see or name - the Writing Helpers that arrive when conditions are right.

We provide all bedding and towels, so you can travel light. Beyond that, bring what helps you feel like yourself.

Slippers. A water bottle. Your favourite pens and the notebook you can't write without. Clothes that make you feel cozy, or in character. Something meaningful or precious that might anchor a little writing altar in your room.

And depending on the season, Toronto will ask something of you! We will let you know what the weather is doing when your visit approaches.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, in The Serviceberry, imagines an economy rooted in gift rather than extraction where abundance circulates, where what we offer and what we receive are held in relationship rather than transaction. That is the spirit in which the Writing House is offered.

What you bring here is your artistry. Your presence, your practice, the creative energy you carry through the door — that is what you contribute to the life of this place. We believe that matters, and that it is enough.

The kitchen and its everyday provisions of tea, coffee, the basics of a good morning are yours to use freely. For meals, guests bring or buy their own food, and we are happy to point you toward everything the neighbourhood has to offer.

When you arrive we will welcome you in, help you get set up in your space, orient you to the neighbourhood and guide you in to your process, witnessing your intention. We will likely check in with you throughout the week. We can create a bit of structure with you - or let it be extremely spacious and emergent. On your final day we’ll steward you out of your process and offer a space of reflection.

Otherwise the time is yours. We might sometimes be home to cook and to eat together, or to go on a walk and get coffee, but we’ll also be busy in our own things and so will host with a lot of spaciousness.