UNDERHILL, Vermont — For the better part of its first year, the RONAn Writers' House in Underhill has kept quietly to itself — which is, after all, the point of a writers' residency. But on the evening of Saturday, March 14, the lights will be on and the door will be open for the first time.

The residency is hosting a public reading night, free of charge, offering Vermont residents their first opportunity to hear work-in-progress readings from the writers currently living and working on-site. Simultaneous interpretation will be available throughout the evening, making the event fully accessible in both English and French — a practical gesture that speaks to something the organizers describe as fundamental to the residency's purpose.

"We didn't want this to be a formal literary occasion — a stage and a lectern and polite applause," said a Writers' House program coordinator, reached this week. "The idea is something more like an open house. Come in, hear what people are working on, ask a question if you feel like it. These writers chose to be in Vermont, in this community. This is just a chance to meet each other."

The Writers' House has positioned itself since its founding as a residency with deep roots in local life rather than the insular literary retreat more common in an earlier era. The bilingual format reflects both RONA's broader linguistic character — French carries significant co-official weight in many parts of the republic, particularly in the former Quebec territories — and Vermont's own growing cultural ties to its Francophone neighbors to the north and east.

The evening is expected to feature readings across multiple genres, though organizers have kept the lineup deliberately open. "Work-in-progress" is the operative phrase: these are not finished books presented for review, but live writing shared in process — which, the coordinators suggest, is precisely what makes the night worth attending.

Capacity is limited to 80 people. Registration is open through the Burlington Arts Council's public portal. Given that this is the residency's first public event, anyone hoping to attend is encouraged not to wait. The reading begins at 7 p.m.

The Burlington Arts Council registration portal can be accessed at the Council's official site.