Five writers from all along the West Coast will come to Orcas this spring. Drop Out, a refuge for creatives, will bring writers and artists to Orcas to generate new work. All writers will give public readings and interact with the local community at readings and open mics. All readings will be held at Mia’s Cafe in Eastsound.

“A ‘drop out’ is a three-day stay at a cottage on the Eastside of the island. Artists have the whole place—twenty-five acres and a really nice little house—to themselves just to concentrate on their work. There is no internet or cell service there, thus the name ‘drop out,’’” director Jennifer Brennock said.

Writers coming this spring will be traveling from Seattle, Portland, and southern California. There is no application process for Drop Out, but artists agree to contribute to the community in some way.

“One Drop Out artist finished her novel on Orcas the last time she was here. Now Rebecca is on tour with that book, ‘The Amazing Adventures of Selma Caldron.’ I think it’s kind-of poignant to be returning here, to a place where she was so inspired in her work before,”  Brennock said.

The first reading and open mic on Sunday, Feb 28 at 6 p.m. will feature poet and carpenter Rose Swartz. She will be reading from her most recent letterpress chapbook, “Panhandle.” Swartz is a writer and visual artist originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Swartz will be joined by a Chelsea Werner-Jatzke of Seattle. She is the author of two chapbooks, Thunder Lizard (2016) and the forthcoming “Adventures in Property Management.” Werner-Jatzke is managing fiction editor at Pacifica Literary Review and editorial director at Conium Review.

Drew Dillhunt will read Sunday, March 20. He is the author of “Leaf is All” (2015), winner of the 2015 Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize, and finalist for the National Poetry Series. His writing has appeared in VOLT, Mudlark, Eclectica,Tarpaulin Sky, andJacket2. Dillhunt serves as the Associate Editor of Hummingbird Press.

Also reading March 20 will be dramatist and filmmaker Donte Felder. Diagnosed with disgraphia (a writing-related learning disability) as a child, Felder won the W.E.A. Humanitarian Award for his play dealing with race relations and school integration, “First Day.” Born and raised in Seattle, Felder now teaches dramatic writing to middle school children.

On Sunday, April 10, the final reading of the spring series will feature Rebecca Villarreal, author of “The Amazing Adventures of Selma Caldron.” Amazon describes Villarreal’s debut novel as “a globetrotting magical mystery of courage, food, and friendship.” The novel is based in Chicago, but the main character and her friend, Hurley, travel to Orcas Island as well as Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Paris, and Granada.

Featured Drop Out artists will be followed by a “five-minute mic.” Anyone may read original creative writing with a five-minute courtesy limit. Mia’s will be open for business and the event is free. More information call Brennock at 317-8464 or visit www.dropoutonorcas.com.