Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Kaatsbaan Weekend Retreats

The Kaatsbaan Weekend Retreats offered three-day residencies from October 3 to October 5 and from November 21 to November 23 at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a 153-acre artist sanctuary in Tivoli, New York, to poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and translators. Residents were provided with private motel-style rooms, which included a desk, an en suite bathroom, and views of the surrounding countryside, in the Dancers’ Inn.

Type: 
RESIDENCY
Ignore Event Date Field?: 
yes
Event Date: 
June 6, 2026
Rolling Admissions: 
yes
Application Deadline: 
June 6, 2026
Financial Aid?: 
no
Financial Aid Application Deadline: 
June 6, 2026
Free Admission: 
no
Contact Information: 

Kaatsbaan Weekend Retreats, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, P.O. Box 482, Tivoli, NY 12583. (845) 757-5106, ext. 17. Adam Weinert, Residency and Events Manager.

Adam Weinert
Residency and Events Manager
Contact City: 
Tivoli
Contact State: 
NY
Contact Zip / Postal Code: 
12583
Country: 
US

Switcheroo

8.14.25

The Freaky Friday franchise, including the recently released film Freakier Friday, consists of film and theater productions revolving around the premise of a contentious parent-child relationship and a subsequent body swap, through which each character gains understanding and sympathy for the other as they are forced to live in each other’s shoes, and their relationship is strengthened. This week write a personal essay that considers how you would respond if given the fantastic ability to switch places—and bodies—with someone you are close to in your life. Perhaps begin by thinking about friends and family members whom you wish you understood better. Provide illustrative examples of the specific elements of this person’s life for which you seek clarification and understanding, and ultimately, a closer connection.

Fresh Voices Fellowship

Epiphany
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $2,000 and publication in Epiphany is given annually for a poem or a group of poems, a work of fiction, or a work of creative nonfiction. The winner will also be offered a one-year editorial fellowship at Epiphany. BIPOC writers who do not have an advanced degree in creative writing and are not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit up to five pages of poetry or prose and a cover letter by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Willie Morris Award for Southern Nonfiction

University of Mississippi
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $12,000 is given annually for a book of creative nonfiction published during the current year that asks readers “to engage with or reflect on the complexities of the U.S. South.” The winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Oxford, Mississippi, for the awards ceremony in March 2026. Submit a hard copy of a published book, or an advance reader’s copy of a book to be published in October, November, or December, by September 30. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

John Lewis Writing Grants

Georgia Writers
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 1, 2025
Three grants of $500 each are given annually in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to “elevate, encourage, and inspire the voices of Black writers in Georgia.” Grantees also receive a scholarship to attend and present a reading at the Red Clay Writers Conference, held in March 2026 at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia. Black writers who have been residents of Georgia for at least one year (or who are full-time students at a Georgia college or university at the time of application and on the date of the award) and who have published no more than one book are eligible to apply. Submit a poetry or prose writing sample of up to 10 pages and an artist’s statement of no more than 500 words discussing your work and goals as a writer by October 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for an application and complete guidelines.

Nonfiction Prize

Dzanc Books
Entry Fee: 
$25
Deadline: 
September 30, 2025
A prize of $1,500 and publication by Dzanc Books will be given triannually for a book of nonfiction, including essays, memoir, polemical writing, historical writing, and biography. The editors will judge. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of at least 40,000 words, a synopsis, and a brief bio with a $25 entry fee by September 30. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Writing Fellowships

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
September 16, 2025
Fellowships of approximately $60,000 each are given annually to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers on the basis of “exceptional creative ability.” Citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada who are midcareer professionals and have “already made significant contributions to their field” are eligible. Using only the online submission system, submit a career summary, a list of publications, a three-page project proposal, and contact information for up to four references by September 16. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.
Tags: 

Money Chronicles: A Story Initiative

Principal Foundation
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
October 12, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and publication on the Short Édition website and in Principal Foundation’s Short Story Dispensers (located in six cities across the United States) will be given annually for a short story or essay “on themes related to money and personal finance.” Mateo Askaripour, Paco de Leon, David Drury, Bourree Lam, and Daniel Lefferts will judge. Using only the online submission, submit a manuscript of up to 7,500 characters of prose by October 12. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

John Updike Tucson Casitas Fellowship

John Updike Society
Entry Fee: 
$0
Deadline: 
November 1, 2025
A prize of $1,000 and a two-week residency at the Mission Hill Casitas that John Updike owned and worked out of in Tucson is given annually for a group of poems or a work of fiction or nonfiction. The fellowship selection committee will judge. Submit five pages of poetry or prose (excerpts from a longer work are accepted), a brief bio, and a project description in a single PDF by November 1. There is no entry fee. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

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