Edith Wharton Writing Residency — Fellowship

The Edith Wharton Writing Residency is an annual program hosted by The Mount in partnership with Straw Dog Writers Guild. It brings nine emerging poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers to The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts, for one week in March.

Residents receive dedicated writing space at Edith Wharton’s former home and lodge at a nearby Berkshires inn. The 2027 cohort is divided among three residency weeks from March 7 to March 27.

Benefits & funding

Each resident receives a $500 stipend.
Travel expenses are reimbursed up to $250.
Lodging is provided at a neighboring inn in the Berkshires.
Each resident receives a dedicated workspace at The Mount.

Eligibility

Applicants must be emerging writers working in creative nonfiction, fiction, or poetry.
By the start of the residency, an applicant may have published no more than one book or chapbook in any genre; self-published works do not count toward this limit.
Writers with books in another field or discipline may explain why they consider themselves emerging writers in the application.
The official eligibility page publishes no degree, age, nationality, residence, or gender requirement.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

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Application process

1
Confirm that you meet the program’s emerging-writer and genre requirements.
2
Prepare a double-spaced proposal in a standard 12-point font containing a one-page biography, a one-page statement of purpose, and a writing sample of up to ten pages.
3
If applying in poetry, submit no more than five poems within the ten-page sample limit.
4
Submit through the official program webpage after applications open and before the deadline or the 300-application cap.
5
Pay the $25 application fee unless you qualify for the membership or financial-hardship waiver.

Program timeline

Applications open.
September 1, 2026, 9:00 a.m.
Application deadline.
October 1, 2026, 5:00 p.m., or upon receipt of 300 applications
Residents and finalists announced.
December 15, 2026
Residency Week 1.
March 7–13, 2027
Residency Week 2.
March 14–20, 2027
Residency Week 3.
March 21–27, 2027