WRITEABILITY® Fellows Program 2027–2028: Fully Funded Writing Residency and Year-Long Mentorship for Black and Native American Writers
Overview
The WRITEABILITY Fellows Program 2027–2028 supports developing writers seeking to build a sustainable creative practice through dedicated time, community accountability, and structured mentorship. Designed by the nonprofit WRITEABILITY, this inaugural fellowship selects up to five participants for a year of engagement beginning with an in-person retreat and continuing through virtual group sessions.
Who can apply
Applicants must identify as African American, African, Black, or Native American/Alaska Native. The opportunity is targeted at developing prose writers who maintain a regular writing routine and seek to weave writing into their personal and professional commitments.
Candidates must never have participated in a writing residency, never published a book (including self-published works), and never completed a graduate degree in any creative writing genre. Current recipients of a 2026–2027 WRITEABILITY scholarship are ineligible, though past recipients may apply. Participants must be willing to engage in self-guided reflection, mentorship, and community accountability, and they must respond to program communications generally within three business days.
What you get
Selected fellows attend the WRITEABILITY Residency at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The fellowship provides up to $1,500 to cover residency registration, lodging, meals, and programming, alongside an optional travel reimbursement of approximately $600 for travel to Gatlinburg.
Fellows also receive a complimentary annual membership to WRITEABILITY's Sustaining Circle, valued at $804, granting access to weekly online sessions. Participants can request up to four individual meetings per year with a mentor from the organization's Guild or Board. In addition, fellows gain platforms to present work in progress during an in-person reading at the residency and a virtual reading at the end of the fellowship year.
Requirements
Fellows must attend the complete in-person residency from 3–9 May 2027. Following the residency, fellows must commit to weekly online Zoom meetings held on Thursdays from noon to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time between 6 May 2027 and 13 April 2028, maintaining at least an 80 percent attendance rate. Sessions pause during December and July. Fellows are also required to participate in one in-person reading and one virtual reading.
How to apply
Applicants must complete the narrative application and submit a writing sample through the official WRITEABILITY application route. Applications require clear explanations of the writer's commitment to prose and daily creative practice. Submissions open on 1 October 2026 and close once 30 submissions are received or on 30 October 2026, whichever comes first.
Key dates
Applications open on 1 October 2026 and close on 30 October 2026, or earlier if the 30-application cap is reached. The in-person residency runs from 3–9 May 2027, and the full fellowship period extends from May 2027 through April 2028.