By Nick Fonda – “I was praying for snow,” enthused award-winning writer Mbali Bloom. “It’s something I had never experienced in my life. When I woke up and saw snow on the ground, I was in a state of wonder, like a child.” A widely-travelled poet and playwright from South Africa, Mbali finished a 40-day writing residency at Beechmore, the home of Louis-Philippe Hébert and Léo Gaudet, in late November.
“It’s our production company, Conquistador, that offered the residency,” Louis-Philippe explained. Originally founded to facilitate his own artistic projects almost 20 years ago, Conquistador has been offering residencies for the last several years. Many of these have gone to musicians, solo artists, but also groups, who were given room and board as well as a use of an equipped music studio to advance specific artistic projects. See full story in the Friday, Dec. 28 edition of The Outlet.