Alaska Pacific University
MFA Program
Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Anchorage, AK
Application Deadline:
Wed, 04/01/2026
Application Fee:
$35
Genre: Poetry
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat
The O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat was held on November 29 and November 30 at a historic vacation property in the town of Waialua, on the North Shore of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i. The retreat featured generative writing workshops, critiques, and arts and crafts breaks for poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The faculty included poet Tamara Leiokanoe Moan, fiction writer Tom Gammarino, and creative nonfiction writer Constance Hale. Tuition was $120 for one day and $200 for both days; lodging was not included, but lunch was.
Type:
CONFERENCE
Ignore Event Date Field?:
yes
Event Date:
January 5, 2026
Rolling Admissions:
ignore
Application Deadline:
January 5, 2026
Financial Aid?:
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline:
January 5, 2026
Free Admission:
no
Contact Information:
O‘ahu Writers Mini-Retreat, 1040 56th Street, Oakland, CA 94608. (617) 909-1439. Constance Hale, Director.
Constance Hale
Director
Contact City:
Waialua
Contact State:
HI
Country:
US
Banned Books Week From the Big Chair
Caption:
In this video from the Sage-sponsored “Banned Books From the Big Chair” booth at the American Library Association’s 2025 annual conference, authors and attendees respond to the dangers of book banning and the importance of supporting public libraries and the freedom to read.
Alta California Chapbook Prize
Gunpowder Press
Entry Fee:
$15
Deadline:
November 17, 2025
A prize of $1,000, bilingual publication in English and Spanish by Gunpowder Press, and 10 author copies will be given annually for a poetry chapbook by a Latinx poet who is a c
Elizabeth Bradfield: SOFAR
Caption:
In this Alaska Quarterly Review virtual event, poet and naturalist Elizabeth Bradfield reads from her collection SOFAR (Persea Books, 2025) and discusses the relationship of her poetics to ocean ecologies, memories of queer love, and both human and natural histories.
Genre:
Effort
For the Poetry Society of America’s “In Their Own Words” series, Suzanne Buffam writes about her poem “Trying,” which circles around the effort to conceive a child. “The poem became, in a sense, a meditation on effort, in which the suspension of effort was the aim of my efforts,” writes Buffam. “I gave myself one constraint. Each paragraph I wrote would have to contain some form of the verb ‘to try.’” Taking inspiration from Buffam’s constraint for her piece, compose a poem that explores your process trying to reach a goal, whether big or small, tangible or more abstract. Play around with different forms of the verb “to try,” or another verb that gestures at effort, paying careful consideration to how the word conveys a sensation of persistence over the course of time and through various obstacles and setbacks.
George Takei for Banned Books Week
Caption:
In this video, George Takei, honorary chair of Banned Books Week 2025, talks about how “access to books and knowledge is essential to democracy” and how reading provides a way to see ourselves reflected in stories and to discover the stories of others. To learn more, visit the Banned Books Week website.
Amity Literary Prize
Anamcara Press
Entry Fee:
$25
Deadline:
December 31, 2025
A prize of $1,000, publication by Anamcara Press, and 50 author copies will be given annually for a poetry collection, story collection, essay collection, novel, or memoir. Using only the online submission system, submit a poetry manuscript of 60 to 120 pages, a fiction manuscript of at least 70,000 words, or a nonfiction manuscript of 80,000 to 100,000 words (plus a summary of 500 to 750 words) with a $25 entry fee by December 31. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Canadian First Book Prize
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
December 19, 2025
A prize of $10,000 Canadian (approximately $7,239) is awarded for a debut poetry collection by a living Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada published during the current year. Publishers may submit four copies of a book published between July 1 and December 31 by December 19. The deadline for books published during the first half of the year was June 20. Self-published books are not eligible. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
Four Quartets Prize
Poetry Society of America
Entry Fee:
$0
Deadline:
December 15, 2025
A prize of $20,000 is given annually for a unified and complete sequence of poems published in the United States in a print or online journal, a chapbook, or a book during the current year. Three finalists, including the winner, will receive $1,000 each. Submit four copies of at least 14 pages of poetry or a book-length sequence of poems published in 2025 and unified by subject, form, and style by December 15. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
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