1) What is a Writers’ Room Fellowship and how do I apply? Each year, the Writers’ Room of Boston selects Fellows through a competitive selection process. A Fellowship provides the applicant with no-cost access to our workspace along with full membership in the Room for a year (usually July – June) and reduced-cost membership for the following year. The Fellowship application window in 2025 is March 1 – April 1. If you would like information regarding future competitions add your name to our mailing list here.
2) How many Fellowships are given out each year? The Writers’ Room of Boston annually awards four Fellowships in various genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and other). Applicants can submit in more than one genre.
3) Do I have to live in the Boston area to be eligible? Absolutely. We want our Fellows to enjoy the full benefits of this opportunity, by making extensive use of the workspace and engaging in the Writers’ Room community. As a Fellow you will be asked to help out – staffing our Boston Book Fair booth, hosting a reading, etc. If you do not live locally, please include in your application a note about how you plan to make use of the workspace. Using the workspace and participating in the Writers’ Room community is a key component of the fellowship commitment.
4) What is the page limit for the writing sample? Fiction and nonfiction samples should be no more than 10 pages. Poetry samples should not exceed 5 poems.
5) Is there an application fee or other fees? No. In 2018 we eliminated our application fee, as part of our effort to keep our fellowships and the Room itself as inclusive as possible. We will ask you to pay our $75 “key fee” which provides keyed access to the workspace. Sixty-five dollars of this fee is returned when you turn in your key.
5) Can I email my application? No (please).
6) How long does the fellowship last? The Writers’ Room of Boston Fellowship is a 12-month residency that runs from July 1 through the end of June in the following year.
7) When is the application deadline? The application deadline in 2025 is April 1st.
8) When can I expect to hear the results? Results are announced in May or June.
Please email any further questions to fellowship@writersroomofboston.org