June 15–21, 2025, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Every summer, the Juniper Institute gathers a community of writers to explore the creative process and develop new approaches to the craft of writing.
In association with the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Juniper is a weeklong immersion in the writer’s life. It is time out for you and your writing, time for wild invention, and to become part of a community of acclaimed and emerging writers from all walks of life.
- Workshops are the heart of the Juniper Institute. Here writers focus on new work and/or work-in-progress with their workshop faculty and peers.
- Craft Sessions offer writers a chance to talk with faculty and visiting poets and writers about varied topics, writers’ lives, books, and matters of craft including techniques, themes, and forms.
- The Juniper Institute reading series brings faculty and guest poets & writers together to read from their new and selected work. Readings are free and open to the public.
- Guest Writers provide the foundation for community-building and engaging in conversation around contemporary issues facing poets and writers today.
- Writing-focused social time includes write-ins, open mics, and post-reading receptions, which provide low-key opportunities for participants to mingle and meet new writer friends.
- You and your peers are what make Juniper great! Get your application ready for the June 2025 session!