Four Writing Residencies in the U.S.
Looking for a writing residency in the U.S.? Here’s a list of four residencies for writers with low—or no!—application fees.
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum Writer in Residence
The barn Hemingway converted into a writing studio; image from the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum website
This month-long residency includes lodging at a loft apartment above a coffee shop and a $1,000 stipend for travel and food. The writer-in-residence will be expected to serve as a mentor during a week-long retreat for 8-10 writers and hold additional readings of their work, but the remainder of the month will be free time in which the writer may focus on their own work. As a fun historical note, you’ll also get to work in the same studio where Ernest Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms.
Application fee: no
Length: 1 month
Residency Dates: June 1 - 30th
Location: Piggott, Arkansas
Lodging: apartment above a coffee shop
Stipend: $1,000 for food and travel
Restrictions: applicants with MA or MFAs preferred
Application deadline: late February
Jentel Arts Residencies
Image of one of the studio spaces from the Jentel website
I adore Wyoming, so a stay on a working cattle ranch in the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains is right up my alley. Jentel offers Winter/Spring and Summer/Fall sessions for both writers and visual artists. Residents enjoy private studios; meals are prepared in a shared kitchen. Common spaces include a library, recreation area, and a great room. Streamlined applications offered for Wyoming residents.
Application fee: no
Length: 3 weeks
Residency Dates: winter/spring and summer/fall dates available
Location: Wyoming
Lodging: private living and workspace for each artist
Stipend: $300 weekly
Restrictions: Must be over 25 and currently residing in the United States, or a U.S. citizen living abroad. Those enrolled in an academic institution are ineligible to apply.
Application deadline: September 15th for Winter/Spring; January 15th for Summer/Fall
A Studio in the Woods
If you love NOLA, this one’s for you! A Studio in the Woods is just that—a private retreat located in a hardwood forest on the banks of the Mississippi River. Artists of any discipline may apply, but your work must engage with environmental and cultural issues. Residents can attend a single 6-week session or two, three-week sessions.
Application fee: no
Length: residents can attend for six consecutive weeks or for two, three-week sessions
Residency Dates: multiples residencies, September - May
Location: a 5,000 acre hardwood forest on the Mississippi River, within the city of New Orleans
Lodging: full room and board
Stipend: yes. See individual residencies for more info
Restrictions: students enrolled in degree-granting institutions are not eligible.
Application deadline: rolling deadlines
Telling Stories True Fellowship – The Writer’s Colony
Image of the historic Dairy Hollow building from the Writers’ Colony website
Submit a true, compelling, historically accurate story for a chance at winning two weeks at The Writers’ Colony, a historic arts village in Eureka Springs. Memoir, autobiography, history, journalism, drama, and poetry accepted.
Application fee: $35
Length: 2 weeks
Residency dates: variable
Location: Dairy Hollow, a historic arts village in Eureka Springs, AK
Lodging: loft apartment above a coffee shop
Stipend: $1,000 for food and travel
Restrictions: true, historically accurate stories
Application deadline: mid-April
If you choose to apply to any of the opportunities listed above, I wish you the best of luck!
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