Welcome to the application page for the Juniper Summer Writing Institute Independent Writing Residency, June 21–27, 2026. More information about the Residency can be found here. Please review the information on this page carefully before submitting your application.
The Juniper Summer Writing Institute is an inclusive literary space that welcomes adult poets and writers at all stages of their careers. Acceptance to the Institute is based upon the strength and promise of the writing sample and the content of the writer’s statement.
Residents will be offered 30-minute mentoring meetings with Visiting Poets/Writers on four mornings during the week, which will aim to guide residents in making progress on their writing projects. Meetings on Monday and Tuesday will focus on devising a work plan for the week, while the meetings on Thursday and Friday will help writers take stock of what they’ve accomplished, and establish a plan for their project’s next phases.
Please note: Juniper will share the Resident’s writing sample and statement of purpose from their application with the two Visiting Poets/Writers assigned to meet with them. Visiting Poets/Writers will not be expected to give feedback or edits on manuscripts in these meetings. They will offer general guidance and writerly advice to assist the residents in making the most of their independent residency.
The deadline to be considered for a scholarship is January 5, 2026.
*Note, we only have one scholarship to offer for the independent writing residency, which Juniper Alumni who have previously participated in a workshop are eligible for.
The deadline to be considered for self-pay admission is February 5, 2026.
Please be sure to hit “Submit” at the bottom of this application before the deadline. You should receive a confirmation notification from Submittable via email.
For more information about our application process, please visit our website.
Eligibility
- All Juniper Institute participants must be 21 years of age or older by the start of the program, June 21, 2026.
- International writers are welcome to apply. However, due to the nature of the Institute, we are unable to issue supporting documentation for visas.
- Your application’s writing sample should align with with the project you plan to work on during the residency.
Application materials include:
- Writing sample
- Indication of the genre of your project
- Writer’s Statement
Writing Sample
The strength and promise of your writing sample is the most important component of your application. Send your best work; it needn’t be published, though published work is acceptable. Your application’s writing sample should align with with the project you plan to work on during the residency. Samples should be saved in one document (doc, docx, pdf, rtf, or txt). Please include your name & email address as a header or footer in each page of the writing sample.
- 5 pages of poetry (one poem per page) if applying for a poetry workshop or residency
- up to 10 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction (double-spaced) if applying to a fiction or nonfiction workshop or residency
Writer’s Statement
Juniper is an opportunity to practice living with your art at the center of your life; it is a week to imagine with wild invention as you mingle, experiment, and take chances; it is a chance to connect with writers, poets and artists from around the country who value what prose, poetry, word, image, fiction, essay, memoir and autobiography can do.
Please provide a statement of around 300-500 words addressing these questions:
- What do you hope to work on during Juniper; what excites you about that project?
- What (if any) identities or experiences inform your work?
- Please discuss your goals for the residency and reasons for applying for Juniper’s independent residency.
Notification
Admissions decisions will begin to be issued in waves after the final application deadline, in late February. Your admission decision will come by Submittable message, which should send an email notification to the email address associated with your Submittable account. Please ensure your Submittable notification settings are correctly configured and check your email’s junk/spam; the email notification should come from notifications@email.submittable.com. If you are offered acceptance to the Institute, you must register with the $200 non-refundable enrollment deposit at the provided link or contact us within one week of notification. After one week, we will accept our next wave of applicants, and your preferred genre may fill to capacity after that point in time. We are unable to hold your spot in your given genre without the enrollment deposit. If you are planning to enroll but need time to gather the deposit funds or make other arrangements (e.g. child care) before making the deposit, please be in touch with us as soon as possible so that we can best assist you.
Scholarship offers come by phone and email. If you are offered a scholarship, you must contact us (by phone or email) within 1 week with your decision to accept or decline the scholarship.