Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts offers residencies of varying lengths (up to six weeks) year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on the historic grounds of Mt. San Angelo in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Residents are provided with private lodging and studio space, meals, and access to the facilities of nearby Sweet Briar College. The residency fee is $75 per day; full fellowships and need-based financial aid are available.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
yes
Event Date: 
May 1, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
no
Application Deadline: 
May 15, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
yes
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 15, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 154 San Angelo Drive, Amherst, VA 24521. (434) 946-7236.

Contact City: 
Amherst
Contact State: 
VA
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
24521
Country: 
US

Calabash International Literary Festival

The Calabash International Literary Festival will be held from May 23 to May 25 at the Jack Sprat restaurant and bar in the fishing village of Treasure Beach, Jamaica. Programming includes author readings, panels, and live music events.

Type: 
FESTIVAL
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
May 23, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
yes
Contact Information: 

Calabash International Literary Festival, 2A Bamboo Avenue #4, Kingston 6, Jamaica. Justine Henzell, Cofounder and Festival Producer.

Justine Henzell
Cofounder and Festival Producer
Contact City: 
Treasure Beach
Country: 
JM
Add Image: 

Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers

The 38th annual Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers will be held from July 7 to July 13 at Wallowa Lake Lodge on the shores of Wallowa Lake, Oregon. The weeklong conference features generative writing workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as panel discussions, craft talks, open mics, and readings. The faculty includes poets Charles Goodrich and Anis Mojgani, fiction writers Nina McConigley and Joe Wilkins, and creative nonfiction writers Erica Berry and Stephanie Elizondo Griest. Fiction and nonfiction writer Beth Piatote will deliver the keynote address.

Type: 
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
July 7, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
no
Application Deadline: 
July 7, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers, P.O. Box 38, Enterprise, OR 97828. (541) 426-3623. Shannon McNerney, Executive Director.

Shannon McNerney
Executive Director
Contact City: 
Wallowa Lake
Contact State: 
OR
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
97846
Country: 
US

Biographers International Organization Conference

The 2025 Biographers International Organization (BIO) Conference will be held on June 5 and June 6 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.; select events will also be streamed online. The conference theme will be “Potomac Fever.” Programming includes panels on craft and current issues in biography, including archival research; presidents and first ladies; sports; Black music; the use and misuse of artificial intelligence; audio platforms; and navigating problems with sourcing, scandals, and elusive subjects.

Type: 
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
June 5, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
no
Application Deadline: 
June 5, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Biographers International Organization Conference, Biographers International Organization, P.O. Box 33020, Santa Fe, NM 87594. Michael Gately, Executive Director.

Michael Gately
Executive Director
Contact City: 
Washington D.C.
Contact State: 
DC
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
20045
Country: 
US

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference

The 30th annual Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) Postgraduate Writers’ Conference will be held from August 2 to August 8 on the Champlain College campus in Burlington, Vermont. Designed for writers with graduate degrees or equivalent experience, the conference features workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as readings, craft talks, and one-on-one consultations with faculty members. Each workshop is limited to five or six participants. The faculty includes poets Kathleen Graber, Tomás Q.

Type: 
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
August 2, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
no
Application Deadline: 
June 1, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
yes
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
June 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Vermont College of Fine Arts Postgraduate Writers’ Conference, 36 College Street, Montpelier, VT 05602. Ellen Lesser, Director.

Ellen Lesser
Director
Contact City: 
Burlington
Contact State: 
VT
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
05401
Country: 
US
Add Image: 
A red building with a green roof on the campus of the Vermont College of Fine Art

Buinho Creative Hub Residencies

Buinho Creative Hub offers residencies of two weeks to two months year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in the historic town of Messejana, Portugal. Residents are provided with a single- or double-occupancy room in one of three traditional Portuguese houses, as well as access to private and shared studios. The Buinho residence also features a central studio and backyard workshop. The cost of the residency is €800 to €1,000 (approximately $871 to $1,089) per month, depending on the room; transportation and meals are not included.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
yes
Event Date: 
May 1, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
yes
Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Buinho Creative Hub Residencies, Rua Nova de São Brás 43, 7600-346 Messejana, Portugal. Carlos Alcobia, General Manager.

Carlos Alcobia
General Manager
Contact City: 
Messejana
Country: 
PT
Add Image: 

Chesapeake Writers’ Conference

The twelfth annual Chesapeake Writers’ Conference will be held from June 22 to June 28 on the St. Mary’s College campus in St. Mary’s City, Maryland. The conference features lectures, craft talks, readings, panel discussions, and daily workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The faculty includes poet Heather Green, fiction writer Jerry Gabriel, and creative nonfiction writers Eva Freeman and Angela Pelster. The cost of tuition is $850; the cost of tuition with college course credit is $1,450.

Type: 
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
no
Event Date: 
June 22, 2025
Rolling Admissions: 
ignore
Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
May 1, 2025
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Chesapeake Writers’ Conference, St. Mary’s College, Montgomery Hall, 47645 College Drive, St. Mary’s City, MD 20686. Crystal Oliver, Conference Director.

Crystal Oliver
Conference Director
Contact City: 
St. Mary’s City
Contact State: 
MD
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
20686
Country: 
US
Add Image: 
An aerial shot displaying a small peninsula extending into a large body of water.

James A. Winn Prize

Michigan Quarterly Review
Entry Fee: 
$20
Deadline: 
May 31, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication in Michigan Quarterly Review is given annually for an essay or a work of nonfiction in hybrid form. Using only the online submission system, submit 1,500 to 7,000 words of prose with a $20 entry fee by May 31. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Literary Awards

New Letters
Entry Fee: 
$24
Deadline: 
May 19, 2025
Three prizes of $2,500 each and publication in New Letters are given annually for a poem, a short story, and an essay. Using only the online submission system, submit up to six poems totaling no more than 30 pages or a story or essay of up to 8,000 words with a $24 entry fee, which includes a subscription to New Letters, by May 19. All entries are considered for publication. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

PEN/Bare Life Review Grants

PEN America
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
June 1, 2025
Two grants of $5,000 each are given annually for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction works-in-progress “by immigrant and refugee writers, recognizing that the literature of migration is of inherent and manifest value.” Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of up to 40 pages of poetry or up to 75 pages of prose, a curriculum vitae, and an outline and description of the project by June 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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