Island retreat for writers helped inspire ‘Whidbey’ novel

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, March 10, 2026

A ferry ride to Clinton across the gray, choppy Salish Sea once carried a writer toward an island that seemed to promise, if only briefly, the possibility of starting over.

In her new novel “Whidbey,” released on March 10, Native Hawaiian author T Kira Madden illustrates the stories of three women, connected through the violent actions of one man, in the immediate aftermath of his murder.

The 38-year-old assistant professor of Creative Writing and Indigenous Literatures at Hamilton College and two-time author spent eight and a half years writing “Whidbey.” The novel received accolades from the New York Times, Vogue, USA Today, People, Kirkus Reviews and more.

“Epic in its scope, intimate in its evocation, Whidbey reads like a thriller, compels like a mystery, and regarding the human condition, converses with the classics. This is the book everyone will be talking about,” reviewed Adam Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author.

“Whidbey” was partly inspired by the author’s visits to the island in 2017 after receiving a residency at the renowned “Hedgebrook” writing center in Langley. Hedgebrook offers writing residencies, conventions and paid stays at its retreat on Whidbey for “visionary” woman writers, according to Program and Communications Manager Jennifer Will-Thapa. Its programs connect writers with readers and audiences around the world, she added.

At the time, Madden was dealing with a difficult legal situation that had turned into a federal investigation tied to the abuse she experienced as a child. That tension — between the desire to begin again and the fantasy of taking revenge — became the emotional seed of the novel.

“There was this feeling that once I arrived on shore, maybe I could start over. Maybe I could leave my past behind,” she said. “That’s actually what the kernel was for this book, that experience of trying to start over, but then feeling kind of drawn between two shorelines.”

Hedgebrook itself played a major role in the book’s creation. Madden started and completed her novel at the writing center. During the retreat, writers learn to let go of the many responsibilities that often create obstacles for writers.

“At Hedgebrook, women writers experience radical hospitality and are held in a way that allows them to show up and create,” Will-Thapa explained. “Hedgebrook is not only a place, but a feeling and a community. The land inspires discovery, calm and creativity. The ‘magic’ that most writers speak of who visit Hedgebrook is the way in which they are held by our chefs, staff and other writers.”

Writers live alone in small forest cabins, spending their days working before gathering for shared dinners in the evening, a rhythm designed to balance solitude and community, Madden explained.

“You go and get your own wood splits. You come back, you build your own fire and heat your own cabin,” Madden said. “You take a basket full of ingredients from the chef’s kitchen at night to make your own food during the day.”

For Madden, who has lived through stalking and court proceedings, learning to rely on herself in solitude was part of the experience. On the island, she learned to live alone and trust that she would be safe in the woods.

The author herself has led workshops for Hedgebrook, taught at its writers conference and played a vital role in the writing community, Will-Thapa noted.

“Her courage and the way she shows up so fully in her writing and otherwise is admirable. I believe it shows others a blueprint of how to do the same. She’s a walking love letter,” Will-Thapa said. “It was such a delight to see how Hedgebrook shows up in the book and the many details that T Kira incorporated. What an honor to be an influence and an integral part of T Kira’s wild journey.”

The wildlife on the island has seeped into the pages of “Whidbey.” But the title of the book itself carries a larger idea beyond the island’s geography, Madden explained.

“Everyone has a Whidbey,” she wrote in an author’s note. “By this, I mean the fantasy of an escape, a reprieve, the island upon which we might literally or metaphorically drift on shore and forget who we are for a moment in time.”

Telling the women’s stories through a polyphonic narrative and multiple narrators enabled Madden to showcase how an act of violence can affect more than just a victim, but also their loved ones, she said. Survivors’ stories aren’t always perfect or likable, she added, a common belief that she attempted to investigate with her novel.

“My hope is that it feels like a real experience and sometimes a challenging experience for that reader; that you might make some judgements, you might believe certain stories to be true or false, and by the end of the book, when we get this broader view, a reader might feel like ‘Oh, was I complicit in that?’ ‘Did I believe that because this character was likeable or unlikable to me. ‘”

Madden will host an author talk at 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Kingfisher Bookstore in Coupeville. RSVP or sign up to join the wait list at kingfisherbookstore.com/events.