The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College is pleased to announce the availability in January 2020 of the Holden Residency Scholarship.

The Holden Residency Scholarship, funded by Friends of Writers, Inc., covers tuition and room/board/facilities fees for a writer of color in either fiction or poetry who is contemplating entering an MFA program in creative writing and wishes a fuller introduction to what our program offers and entails before applying. The student will be responsible for any other residency-related expenses, including travel and books. Writers who have already earned an MFA in creative writing are ineligible.

The Holden Residency Scholar will participate fully in all events of the MFA Program for Writers’ ten-day residency, attending lectures and classes, workshop and bookshop sessions, and readings. They will also have a one-on-one conference with a faculty member. Please note that no graduate credit is earned, independently or toward a subsequent degree, during this residency-only engagement.

Application forms and instructions are available through Submittable:

https://warrenwilson.submittable.com/submit/144511/holden-residency-scholarship

The application deadline is the same for program admission: September 1 for the January residency and March 1 for the July residency. (Residency dates will be posted on the program website, but always occur in the first two weeks of January and July.) Holden Residency Scholar applicants will be evaluated by the same criteria and standards used for full-program applicants. The program reserves the right not to award the scholarship if candidates do not meet the criteria.

Subsequent application to the MFA program: A Holden Residency Scholar who subsequently applies for full program admission must undergo the same process as other applicants, with a new or revised manuscript and essays, but the admission fee will be waived.