Listen and Learn: Poetry Collection as Concept Album
The author of Scream / Queen (Acre Books, 2025) encourages poets to consider world-building in their collections like compiling a concept album.
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The author of Scream / Queen (Acre Books, 2025) encourages poets to consider world-building in their collections like compiling a concept album.
MacDowell offers residencies of up to eight weeks year-round to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators on 450 wooded acres near Mt. Monadnock in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Residents are provided with a private studio and work space, as well as 24/7 access to the James Baldwin Library. Stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available based on financial need.
MacDowell, 100 High Street, Peterborough, NH 03458. (603) 924-3886, ext. 135. Julie Hamel, Scheduling and Fellows Engagement Manager.
The Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference, sponsored by the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University (ASU), was held from October 9 to October 11 at the Memorial Union and Old Main buildings on the university’s campus in Tempe, Arizona. The theme for the 2025 conference was “Iconic Stories: Today and Tomorrow.” Programming included craft talks, classes, generative workshops, panels, readings, and events focused on the business of writing for poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators.
Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference, c/o Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, P.O. Box 875002, Tempe, AZ 85827. (210) 294-3669. Sheila Black, Assistant Director.

The tenth annual Frost Farm Poetry Conference was held from August 15 to August 17 at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire. The conference featured workshops, readings, and one-on-one consultations for poets. The faculty included poets Meredith Bergmann, Elijah Perseus Blumov, Brian Brodeur, and Alfred Nicol. Poet and creative nonfiction writer Angela Alaimo O’Donnell delivered the keynote address. The cost of the conference was $475, which included tuition and meals. Lodging was available at area hotels and inns. Writers registered by August 1.
Frost Farm Poetry Conference, Trustees of the Robert Frost Farm/Hyla Brook Poets, 280 Candia Road, Chester, NH 03036. (603) 845-6931. Robert Crawford, Conference Director.
Storyknife offers two- to four-week residencies from April through October to women poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers on ten acres of wilderness overlooking the Aleutian Range outside of Homer, Alaska. Each resident is provided with meals and a private cabin equipped with a bathroom and a living room that includes a desk and work space. Residents are responsible for their own travel expenses; travel cost stipends may be requested via the application form. To apply, writers submitted up to 10 pages of poetry or prose with a $40 application fee by August 31.
Storyknife Writers Retreat, P.O. Box 75, Homer, Alaska 99603. (907) 302-6032. Erin Coughlin Hollowell, Executive Director.

Willapa Bay AiR offers monthlong residencies from April through October to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on 20 wooded acres near Oysterville, Washington. Residents are provided with a private cottage with living and work space, a bathroom, and all meals. The residency is free to attend. To apply, writers submitted up to 10 pages of poetry or no more than 20 pages of prose with a $30 application fee by August 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Willapa Bay AiR, P.O. Box 209, 32101 Douglas Drive, Oysterville, WA 98641. (360) 665-6782.
The 2025 Cape Cod Writers Center Conference was held from July 31 to August 3 at the Emerald Resort/Cape Cod Irish Village hotel in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The conference featured workshops in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction; an agent panel; and manuscript consultations with faculty. The faculty included poet Sam Cha; fiction writers Tim Horvath and Kayleigh Shoen; fiction and creative nonfiction writers Angie Chatman and Javed Rezayee; and creative nonfiction writer Jennifer Crystal. Radio host Mindy Todd delivered the keynote address.
Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, P.O. Box 408, Osterville, MA 02655. (508) 420-0200. Nancy Rubin Stuart, Executive Director.
The Jan Michalski Foundation offers residencies of two weeks to three months year-round to poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and translators at the foot of the Swiss Jura Mountains in Montricher, Vaud, Switzerland, one hour from Geneva. Residents are provided lodging in private cabins, each with a kitchenette, desk, and full bathroom; breakfasts and communal lunches; and access to a research library. The residency is free; all travel costs are covered, and weekly stipends of CHF 400 (approximately $475) are given for local transportation and groceries.
Jan Michalski Foundation Residency, Jan Michalski Foundation, En Bois Désert 10, 1147 Montricher, Switzerland. Thomas Roberge, Head of Writing Residencies Program.

Yaddo offers two- to eight-week residencies year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Residents are provided with a private bedroom, work space, and meals. To apply for residencies from May 2026 through March 2027, submit up to 10 short poems or an excerpt of a longer poem totaling no more than 10 pages, or up to 20 pages of prose with a $35 application fee by January 5, 2026. A two-page preview of the work sample is also required.
Yaddo, 312 Union Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. (518) 584-0746. Christin Williams, Program Director.
The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts offers two- to eight-week residencies year-round to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers in historic Nebraska City, Nebraska. Residents are provided with lodging in a mid-century home, private studio space, and a $175 weekly stipend. For residencies from July 6 to December 18, submit up to 10 poems totaling no more than 30 pages or up to two stories, essays, or book chapters totaling no more than 7,500 words; a résumé; two artist statements; and contact information for two references with a $35 application fee by March 1.
Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, 801 Third Corso, Nebraska City, NE 68410. (402) 874-9600.
