Writers' Workshop
JULY 20-25, 2025
The Premier Literary Gathering of the Mountain South
Make plans to join us for the 48th annual Appalachian Writers’ Workshop. This week-long residency welcomes published and unpublished writers alike, all learning alongside one another in a supportive environment guided by the region’s unique tradition.
The Workshop provides an opportunity to study craft in structured workshops, attend special topic sessions, and enjoy captivating readings by our award-winning faculty. This historic gathering is known for providing rigorous instruction in a family-like atmosphere, where writers of place come together at the banks of Troublesome to meet a year-round community. Beginning, emerging, and established writers are all encouraged to apply.
Jim Wayne Miller/James Still Keynote Lecturer Frank X Walker has written thirteen collections of poetry, including Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers , which was awarded the NAACP Image Award for Poetry and his latest, Load In Nine Times. Walker co-founded the Affrilachian Poets and serves as Professor of Creative Writing and African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky. Walker will be in conversation with Affrilachian poet Ricardo Nazario y Colón, who currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer at the State University of New York.
Offering immersive workshops, including one-on-one feedback session, by renowned faculty for the genres of:
- creative nonfiction (Karen Salyer McElmurray)
- novel (Robert Gipe and Jacinda Townsend)
- short story (Halle Hill)
- poetry (Kari Gunter-Seymour and Denton Loving)
Multiple special topic sessions and panels to enhance your experience:
- After the First Draft: Taking Your Manuscript to the Next Level (Winchester)
- The Right to a Voice (Lyon)
- Dream-Creating (Oberhausen)
- Revision for the Win! (Browne)
- Welcome to Picture Books (Lyon)
- Words in Focus: Writing Inspired by Photography (Sheffel)
- Social Media for Authors (Winchester)
- and other sessions with Actors Theatre and our Musician-In-Residence Doug Van Gundy
Craft lecture with Marianne Worthington, the Workshop’s Senior Writer-In-Residence
Special events including a retro prom, trivia night, and a book signing reception
Evening readings by faculty
MANUSCRIPT REQUIREMENTS
All manuscripts (original, unpublished) should be formatted with one-inch margins, 12-point type with no unusual fonts. Please submit your best work in your chosen genre. You will have an opportunity to submit a different manuscript for faculty feedback, if admitted. Limit your manuscript submission to the following number of pages:
- Novel: (20 or less, double-spaced)
- Nonfiction | Short Story: (10-15, double-spaced)
- Poetry: (10-15, single-spaced; 1 per page)
Please do not include your name or any identifying information on the manuscript. Use the following protocol to name your manuscript file: Genre_Year_FirstName_LastName.doc (or .docx). For example: ShortStory_2025_Josh_Mullins.doc
A $25 non-refundable fee is due at time of application and is not applied towards any balance due, if admitted.
The cost for tuition, which includes all sessions and special events, is $450.
For those opting to utilize shared campus housing in one of our historic cottages, the cost is $200 for the duration of the Workshop. We will strive to honor all housing and roommate requests. Additional lodging may be available in area hotels for those wishing to commute.
Meal plans are also available for the week, beginning with dinner on Sunday and concluding with lunch on Friday. The cost is $250. Our kitchen accommodates vegan (including vegetarian) or gluten-free diets.
Deadline to apply: March 1
For those with financial need, please explore scholarship opportunities available thanks to our generous donors.
SARA HENNING - HUNTINGTON, WV
The Workshop offers participants an opportunity to hone their craft and build a tightly woven network of peers across the Appalachian region.
“It felt meaningful to me to be in a space with writers and artists who care about the artistic journey and human dignity of all conference participants, writers and artists generous enough to provide advice and extend friendship to those at all levels of artistic development.
As someone who has attended many literary conferences and workshops, I find Hindman unique in being able to provide such a democratic, unpretentious, and nurturing atmosphere. “
