Guidelines
In association with the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at UMass Amherst, Juniper offers writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the writer’s life, to get inspired, and to become a part of a community of acclaimed and emerging writers from all walks of life.
All of us—Juniper staff, instructors, and participants—bring our varied identities to the Institute. We are a diverse group in terms of our personal, cultural, and social identities, as well as our experiences and background with creative writing. Juniper strives to provide the accountable and accessible digital spaces necessary for everyone to be able to participate fully in the week’s events. This means we are committed to supporting the following community guidelines:
- Treat one another with dignity, respect, and fairness
- Share, act, and communicate honestly, truthfully, and with integrity
- Be responsible, transparent, and accountable for our actions
- Expect to learn something new about yourself and others
- Recognize your communication style
- Challenge your thinking, engagement, and comfort
- Explore your emotional reactions, perceptions, and assumptions
- Take care of yourself and support others in caring for themselves.
We ask that all members of the Juniper community follow these guidelines, and practice every opportunity to establish a more inclusive space.
If you become concerned about a violation of community norms or you feel uncomfortable with a community member’s actions, please reach out to us using the contact information below. We are all invested in making sure that everyone feels respected and welcome at all times. You are what makes Juniper meaningful and memorable. We hope you’ll take every opportunity to write and to delight in wild invention.
Contact information
Betsy Wheeler, Director
413-545-8988
juninst@umass.edu
The Juniper Community
The Juniper Summer Writing Institute welcomes poets and writers across a range of experience, and we encourage all to apply, whether Juniper would be your first, fifth, or fiftieth literary conference or writing workshop!
In the past two years:
- Ages of our participants have ranged from 21 to 77, and the average age was 34.
- 44% of our participants let us know that Juniper was the first literary arts conference they’ve attended.
- 39.7% of our participants reported that they were affiliated with a university.
COVID-19 Precaution and Protocol
At Juniper, we aim to cultivate a community of care, including centering the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members to the greatest extent possible. In 2024, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute experienced a COVID-19 outbreak that put our community at risk and significantly disrupted our programming. We at Juniper have reviewed our protocols regarding COVID-19 exposure and infection, and we are making masks and rapid tests more accessible to our participants and guest writers.
However, because Juniper is housed within UMass Amherst, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute is required to follow UMass Amherst policy and guidance with regard to COVID-19 prevention and safety, and we are unable to mandate precautions above and beyond UMass policy. This means that we cannot require masking, testing, or vaccination, and we’ll elaborate more on all three of those points below. While UMass Amherst no longer maintains a COVID-19 website, UMass Amherst does follow Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) guidance for its COVID-19-related protocols. In the case someone tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to someone who tested positive, we will follow MA DPH isolation and exposure guidance during the week of the institute.
With the change in mandates, the onus of responsibility now rests with the individual to practice care for the health and safety of the community. The contagious nature of COVID-19 puts everyone at risk of illness and a disrupted or truncated institute experience. In order to do everything we can to keep our community safer and hold our programming as intended, we strongly encourage all participants and guest writers to mask during their travel to Juniper and for the first 24 hours of your time here.
In July 2023, UMass Amherst lifted its COVID-19 vaccination requirement. From a public health perspective, we know vaccines are the most important tool we have against COVID-19 and perhaps the best way to prioritize the safety of our community. We encourage you to learn more about the newest vaccine designed to protect against Omicron variant KP.2, available since September 2024. We will not be collecting vaccination information.
We encourage all guest writers and participants to take a rapid test sometime on Sunday, June 15, prior to attending Registration/Orientation. However, we understand that rapid tests, especially free ones, are no longer as accessible in the United States. We will not be collecting test results, and we understand if you are unable to test yourself. If you are able to bring rapid tests to the institute, we strongly encourage everyone to test themselves whenever they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. We will have rapid tests available in the Juniper office.
In March 2022, UMass Amherst lifted its indoor mask mandate. All participants and guest writers will be provided with three KN95 masks with their registration materials on Sunday, June 15. If you are feeling unwell in any way or believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask, in accordance with MA DPH guidelines, and contact us at juninst@umass.edu. If you’re staying at the North Apartments, we will deliver rapid tests to you if you’re feeling sick and request them. When asymptomatic, we welcome guest writers and participants to mask at their own level of comfort while participating in our programming (during scheduled workshops, sessions, readings, etc.).
If a participant tests positive for COVID-19, we will ask them to not attend any Juniper programming, and we will engage the participant in our COVID-19 refund policy (see “Cancellation Policy” section below). If you have any concerns about a participant in regards to COVID-19, please contact the Juniper office at juninst@umass.edu.
The above policies are subject to change in accordance with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and UMass Amherst guidelines.
Why We Ended Application Fees
For its first 17 years, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute required a non-refundable application fee of $25–$40 (U.S.). Those fees were used, in part, to cover the administrative costs of reviewing and assessing the applications. In 2021, we changed this policy and removed the application fee.
Our mission is to serve writers in their creative endeavors and search for community. Whether our participants receive a scholarship or pay their own tuition, they are investing in their creative practice and their careers.
Application fees are not a guaranteed investment for writers. Reading applications is not an extra job for the program staff, it IS the job. We are here to engage with the writing in the applications we receive and determine who will be dedicated, inspirational, and supportive members of our community. Our application process requires the submission of both creative work and writer’s statements in order to help us create this community. We’ve made the decision that it should not also require a financial gamble from our applicants.
We hope you will apply to Juniper. We are so grateful for your time, consideration, and extraordinary work.
