Best Writers Workshops of 2024
If you’re making 2024 your biggest writing year ever, you’re probably thinking about workshops and conferences. Though the terms “writers conference” and “writers workshop” are often used interchangeably, they mean slightly different things.
What’s a Writers Workshop?
In the writing world, a “workshop” is a class style where a few students read each other’s work and offer critiques or feedback on the work. The individual classes are, by definition, small and discussion-based, and take place over many days. In the United States, hundreds of workshops take place in many locations, ranging from intimate getaways to MFA programs and more.
I’m focused not on MFAs, or conferences here, but what are often called “summer workshops” because they often take place in the summer. These are by application, and they usually happen over a week or so. In addition to daily classes, you’ll find readings, lectures, panels, and other activities to occupy your days.
Again, these summer workshops are available by application only—you must apply to attend, and some are quite competitive, accepting only a small percentage of applicants.
What’s a Writers Conference?
On the other hand, getting into a generic writer’s conference isn’t difficult and doesn’t involve submitting an application with a sample of your writing, or an artist’s statement—you merely pay the price of admission and go. Conferences feature panels and readings and lectures, things you’ll also find at a workshop, but there is no peer review, no “workshop.”
If you need help deciding which writing workshop, conference, or writing retreat might be right for you, developing an artist statement, or determining whether your writing is of the caliber necessary to get in—I can help. Reach out for a one-hour, short-term coaching session.
The Best 2024 Writing Workshops
The following is a list of workshops (note, even though some of these are called “conferences,” don’t be confused: they are workshops):
Bread Loaf Writers Conference
Location: Ripton, Vermont
Date: August 14-24, 2024
Cost: $4,105 (includes tuition, $2,700; room and board, $1,405)
Application fee: $20
Apply here
The very first and most coveted of the conferences—and also one of the most expensive, and probably the most competitive. Last I heard, the acceptance rate was about 15%. At this 10-day conference, top-tier faculty members offer five two-hour writing workshops in fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Various scholarships and financial aid are still offered for published and unpublished writers, based on talent, not need. You’ll meet many talented and accomplished emerging writers and phenomenal editors and agents. I attended Bread Loaf twice: once as a “waiter” (a type of scholarship that has been eliminated), and once as a “fellow” (someone who has published one or two books, and assists the faculty member, but is not a student).
Sewanee Writers’ Conference
Location: Sewanee, Tennessee
Dates: July 18-30, 2023
Cost: $2000
Application fee: $0
Apply here
Venerable Southern workshop, living still on an old donation by Tennessee Williams. Similar vibe to Bread Loaf, but maybe with a few fewer publishing luminaries. It’s maybe a bit less “intense” than Bread Loaf. Applicants include those in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and playwriting. Scholarships and fellowships can reduce or even eliminate the cost of attendance, but all accepted writers qualify for a discount bringing the price down by two-thirds.
Clarion West: Summer Six-Week Workshop
Location: Seattle area, Washington
Date: July 8 – 15, 2024
Cost: $3,200 for virtual workshop
Application fee: $35
Apply here, opens in December 2023.
Workshops and classes are facilitated by speculative fiction pros for this six-week workshop—and one of those pros in 2024 will be Carmen María Machado. Give and receive manuscript and story critiques, discuss writing approaches, and participate in conferences.
The experience offers readings and social opportunities with local authors and Clarion West alumni, along with recreational breaks around the Seattle area. Only 18 emerging writers are selected—published and unpublished writers who aren’t yet professionals.
New York State Summer Writers Institute
Location: Saratoga Springs, New York
Date: June 23 – July 20, 2024
Cost (2023): $3,800 for four weeks; housing is around another $1000. Shorter stays cost less.
Application fee: $60
Apply here
Small-group creative writing workshops in poetry, fiction and non-fiction, evening readings, and more. This program is among the longest (up to 4 weeks). Undergraduate credit option available for higher tuition, and the program is designed specifically for college-age adults, with 50% of attendees drawn from undergraduate and graduate schools.
Community of Writers Conference
Location: Olympic Valley, California
Date: July 2023
Cost: Tuition is $1650, which includes five evening meals but doesn’t include housing. Condos can range from around $575 to $1200 or more.
Application fee: $35
Apply here
Formerly known as the Squaw Valley Writers’ Workshop, this conference provides workshops for 110 accepted attendees in fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir. Daily morning workshops are led by staff writer-teachers, agents, and editors. Then, attendees learn from craft lectures and staff readings, editing and publishing panel discussions, and short brief individual conferences.
Kenyon Review Writers Workshops
Location: Gambier, Ohio
Dates: (note, they have two summer sessions) June 9-15, 2024 and July 7–13, 2024
Cost: $2,395 for tuition, housing in a dorm room single, and daily breakfast and dinner.
Application fee: $0
Apply here
These week-long, residential writing workshops in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry feature acclaimed faculty in Gambier, Ohio. Unlike other writing workshops, the Kenyon Review Writing Workshops are generative and focused on giving writers time and space to produce new work. Since 1995, these workshops have provided thousands of writers with a nurturing space to take creative risks and push their writing to the next level.
Napa Valley Writers’ Conference
Location: Napa, California
Dates: (STILL NOT ANNOUNCED)
Cost: (STILL NOT ANNOUNCED)
Application fee: (STILL NOT ANNOUNCED)
Apply here
Offers fiction and poetry workshops, and a unique angle—translation workshops in poetry. Very nice, apparently. Financial assistance and writers’ grants are available.
Tin House Summer Workshop
Location: Portland, Oregon
Date: July 14-21, 2024
Cost: $1,500
Application fee: $0
Apply here
Shorter, and more “edgy” than Bread Loaf or Sewanee, but still competitive, Tin House Summer Workshop features younger faculty, for the most part. Less focused on publishing than others, Tin House stands out for a very diverse and often youthful faculty. Tin House now offers a winter online workshop and various other offerings, including residencies. I attended Tin House Summer Workshop three times; once as a student and twice as a special guest.
VONA: Voices of our Nation Winter 2023 Intensive
Location: Online
Dates: Not Available Yet
Cost: Not Available Yet
Application fee: Not Available Yet
Register here
VONA offers extended weekend and week-long workshops committed to facilitating spaces where writers of color are heard, amplified, and connected. Excellent instructors and facilitators. Watch for announcements for VONA’s summer 2023 workshops.
Tips for Applying to a Writers Workshop:
You usually need to be at least 21 to apply to many workshops.
Research the faculty and guests at workshops in advance of your application. Who will be attending from the world of publishing, and which writers will be teaching classes?
If the workshop requires an application, carefully review the expectations
Send only your very best work—you won’t get a second chance to apply or update your application
If you can’t afford a workshop, conference, or retreat, investigate scholarships and financial aid, virtual-only attendance or recordings, which may also be offered
If there are pitch sessions with agents and editors, look into those agents and editors closely. Remember, not all agents are the same, to figure out more read my list of agent red flags.