Genre: Creative Nonfiction

The 2025 Off Topic Writers’ Conference was held online on August 9 and August 10. The conference featured craft talks, panels, and workshops for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers. The faculty included poet, fiction writer, and creative nonfiction writer Murgatroyd Monaghan and fiction and creative nonfiction writers Finnian Burnett and Chanel M. Sutherland. Poet Duncan Mercredi and fiction writer Michelle Butler Hallett delivered the keynote addresses. The cost of the conference was $120 (or could be priced on a sliding scale based on financial need).

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 four traditional Portuguese houses, as well as access to private and shared studios. Residents also have access to a central studio and backyard workshop. The cost of the residency is €800 to €1,200 (approximately $931 to $1,397) per month, depending on the choice of room; transportation and meals are not included.

The Arteles Creative Center’s Silence Awareness Existence Residency Program offers one-month residencies to poets, fiction writers, nonfiction writers, and translators from January to March in the countryside of Hämeenkyrö, Finland. Each resident is provided with a private bedroom and desk as well as access to shared kitchens, bathrooms, and studio spaces in two residency buildings. Residents also have access to a range of facilities, including a library, a meditation space, a sauna, and common areas. Two cars are available for transportation and exploration.