From Los Angeles to Arnarfjörður: The Novelist Behind the Artists’ Residency Near Dynjandi

In early July, my wife and I traveled around the Westfjords. One of our favorite stops was Laugaból, also known as The Guesthouse at Dynjandi Falls, in Arnarfjörður. This is where we got to know Leslie Schwartz and Greg Littlewood. They bought the farm in 2021 and have made it their home.

Leslie is an American author and creative writing teacher. She has published two novels — Angels Crest was made into a film in 2011 — and a widely praised memoir, The Lost Chapters. She has taught creative writing for years, including at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program and the University of Iowa’s summer writing festival.

At Laugaból, Leslie and Greg run List og Land, an international multidisciplinary arts residency. The name is Icelandic for “Art and Land.” They invite artists and writers of all disciplines to develop their work in the solitude of the Westfjords. They host full-group residencies of up to ten artists in March and November. Smaller residencies for individual artists and couples from April through October.

The setting speaks for itself: one of the most powerful and beautiful waterfalls in Iceland is 10 kilometers away. Drive slowly from the waterfall along an unpaved road, marvel at the stunning fjord, and you are at Laugaból. Take a short walk from the guesthouse to the beach, and you will find seals lounging on rocks or swimming towards you, their curiosity overpowering any other instinct. Across the fjord is Hrafnseyri, the birthplace of Jón Sigurðsson, the man who kickstarted the Icelandic independence movement.

Very often throughout the summer, the humpbacks and minke whales feed and swim in the fjord, and every year during the month of November, sightings of Humpback Whales are almost daily.

If you are looking for a place to disconnect and get some real work done — or simply a memorable place to stay on your Westfjords road trip — read on. Leslie was kind enough to answer my questions.

You went from Los Angeles to a remote farm in Arnarfjörður. What made you and Greg choose Laugaból, and what was the moment you knew this was the place?

Greg and I looked for the right place for a long time before we found Laugaból. No other place had all the things we were looking for. We wanted silence, space for people to think and create uninterrupted by the noise of modern life, and unparalleled beauty. Wildlife was important too, and we have so much of that: birds (including raptors), seals, whales, foxes, minks.

Sometimes you can spot puffins in the water near the lighthouse. It was important to us that the artists and writers be able to enjoy plenty of space to roam, think, and find the kind of solitude needed to marinate in their work and develop their creative voices, whether through art, photography, writing, and music. Uninterrupted time and space were important for us to offer our residents and guests.

List og Land means “Art and Land.” How does the landscape of the Westfjords — the isolation, the light, Dynjandi thundering nearby — actually change the work that artists produce during a residency?

It usually takes the artists several days, even a week, to absorb and adjust to the magnificent beauty of Arnarfjörður. The silence, the drama of the weather and nature is a lot to absorb when you come from fast-moving cities and towns. But soon enough the body, soul and mind begin to find a place here, and at that point it’s impossible not to be inspired.

Every artist who has come here has spoken about the spiritual and emotional space this land provides. The camaraderie of being with other artists and writers is also inspiring; friendships are made, and work is shared in a way that the artists find stimulating. It’s a very rarified place devoted entirely to creation because the place itself embodies the notions of creation…the natural world and all the life and form that comes from the sea, the land, the mountains, and the waterfalls.

What does a typical day look like for a resident at Laugaból? Walk our readers through it, from morning coffee to the evening.

Many of the artists start with a hike to the valley or a long meandering walk along the shore. Usually they share coffee, tea, and breakfast, but some artists prefer solitude and take their breakfasts or meals alone. The day is spent exploring and working on their projects. The artists have a deep respect for one another; they all know what it takes to find the space and time to do their best work and how rare a gift that can be, so they find their own rhythms.

There are gallery walks, and sometimes poetry readings in the evenings after dinner. Often they eat together, and depending on when they come, there might be northern lights or the midnight sun. We have a geothermal hot pot, a pool, and a sauna, which are all very popular, and endless miles of hiking and trips to town. There are so many options in a day. Most importantly, they have the freedom to decide how they want to spend their time, how much solitude or socializing they want to do, and how much time they want to devote to their work, which usually does take precedence.

As a writer yourself, has living at Laugaból changed your own writing? What are you working on now?

Oh my goodness, yes! I am working on a novel now with a deadline to my agent by the end of August. But for once the words have come easily and gently and softly. I am astonished at how this land has spoken to me and how it has sunk into my spirit to be reflected back. This place is unique and so otherworldly in its beauty, so I’ve had to strive to find the language to capture it the way I see it.

This has been a challenge; it’s almost as if I have discovered a different voice in my writing and a new language. The Icelandic language is also very inspiring, and the culture has changed the way I see the world, so this too has seeped into my work in surprising ways. I am still writing from the point of view of American characters, but they are more complex, more dynamic in a way because, I suppose, the land is also complex and dynamic and poetic in itself and has seeped into my storytelling. It has been an unsurpassed gift to have such solitude and beauty to inspire me.

For readers planning a Westfjords trip who aren’t artists — what should they not miss in your corner of Arnarfjörður, and what do you wish more travelers knew about the region?

I think my heart stopped at Selárdalur and the extraordinary beauty of the Ketildalir. That feels like a spiritual home to me. But I also wouldn’t miss the old road to Þingeyri, Svalvogavegur. There’s the low tide rule, which means it’s not passable in some places unless you are there at low tide. Of course Dynjandi is not to be missed, and in the summer you can see the puffins at Látrabjarg. I think for food, if you don’t eat at Tjöruhúsið in Ísafjörður, you’ve made a terrible mistake! I also happen to love the fish and chips at Vegamót in the village of Bíldudalur. The Sea Monster museum there is great fun. I couldn’t possibly list all the spots, secret or otherwise, in the Westfjords, which is by far (in my humble opinion) the most beautiful region in Iceland.

Editor’s note: Leslie is right about everything about the Westfjords!