Writer's Resource Center 

My ideal community would be a place where my friends and I could live, work, play and celebrate life together. There would be a community building with open office space, computers, printers, and all the office equipment you might possibly need or want. This building would also have a TV/radio/movie/sound studio for producing multimedia materials and short movies. I see it having two stories, wings, an indoor swimming pool and basketball court, showers, restrooms, sauna, jacuzzi, performance stage, cafe and grill, library, courtyard and lounging area with a grand piano and comfortable sofas and tables and chairs.

The community would have gers/yurts or other kinds of alternate housing or huts for people to sleep in and have a place to call their own. These would be fairly cheap to build (under $5000) and only take 2-3 days to build. They probably wouldn’t have electricity or plumbing.

There would also be several community gardens to grow food and flowers in that everyone who lived in the community spent some hours every week tending. A commitment of two hours a day to running the community would be required to be a resident. This would involve shopping, cooking and clean up after meals, the usual housekeeping of community spaces, caring for animals and shared vehicles, some office work, etc.

As this would be primarily a productive community, residents would also be required to work on projects to benefit the community for 3-4 hours every day. Other time could be spent on a balance of teaching and studying. The ideal would be for people to choose their own schedules, activities and pace for a flexible daily schedule that could be adjusted as needed or desired.

A raised running track would encircle the perimeter of the community. There would be some dorm-style housing available also around the edges of the community. Ideally, the property would be located on a creek and a lake or by the sea, and there would be kayaks, rowboats, sailboats, speed boats, pontoons, etc. for different kinds of boating. It would be nice to have an apple orchard or orange grove nearby (depending on climate), stables, corrals and fields for horses, goats and cows. Of course, there would be dogs and cats, and probably chickens and rabbits, too.

It would be good to keep bees, grow different kinds of berries and melons, as well as vegetables and many kinds of fruit and nut trees. The community could operate a conference and retreat center, a cafe for residents and neighbors, and perhaps a hostel. There would be arrangements for guests.

And there could be shared celebrations and spiritual gatherings according to the desire of the people. I’d like to have drumming and dancing circles, singing, and performances by people who were talented and could play various instruments. I’d like to include musicians, artists, performers, dancers, healers, techies, teachers, writers, and other well-balanced people with a varied mix of skills, experience, and abilities.

It’d be more interesting if there could be a lot of diversity among the people in the community and an international group of people. Personally, I’d like to see several ESL teachers who could develop materials together in team projects.