Eligibility

The residency is designed to cater to any new writer of poetry interested in mentorship, public reading opportunities, and feedback from faculty and fellow participants. The residency will provide participants with tailored opportunities for professional development and creative growth and is open to writers with: no publications a few publications, or a first book of poetry. Participants will benefit most if they are comfortable working autonomously in an unstructured environment. The program suits those focused on: working on a specific project. creating new works. This program is run in English and only accepts projects that are being written in English. English is the language of Banff Centre correspondence.

Number of Participants

19

Deadline

May 27, 2026 06:00 UTC

Selection Results (Announcement Dates)

July 15, 2026 06:00 UTC

Duration

November 23, 2026 - December 04, 2026

Costs

• CA$65.00 application fee
• CA$3,602.00 program fee (one-time)

Facilities

Individual Studio, Library

Housing

Hotel

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch

Public Programs

Mentors, Readings, Self-Directed, Visiting Professionals

Disciplines

Poetry

Languages

English

Program Description

This 12-day writing residency supports new writers of poetry at varying levels of accomplishment — from not-yet-published writers to those with one published book. In this self-directed residency, authors will work closely with faculty Dr. Tyler Mills, Dr. Vik Shirley, and Joyelle McSweeney, and professional guest rob mclennan (above/ground press), to expand your practice and focus on improving writing skills. This residency is an energizing, transformative experience, designed to help you take your writing to a new level. This residency offers early career writers the opportunity to work directly with faculty and peers. With one-on-one mentorship sessions, faculty talks, and public events, this residency will help you build both your critical vocabulary and artistic community, making you better critics of your own and others’ work. This flexible, self-directed program allows you to choose the amount of support and programming you are looking for. Scholarships are available.