SYWC 2025

Dates: June 29th-July 12th

Course offerings: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, Songwriting

Cost (tuition, room & board): $2600. A limited amount of financial aid is available. You can learn more here about our financial aid opportunities.

Application requirements: A personal statement, a writing sample, and a recommendation letter from a teacher.

Application dates: Applications open in December 2024 and close on March 3rd, 2025. Recommendation letters are due by March 14th, 2025. 

Join us on the mountain for a summer of inspiration, community, and joy!

When you come to the Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference, you can expect:

A remarkable faculty who love to write and teach. Over the years, our faculty have won literary prizes and been recognized by the New York Times and the New Yorker, among other publications. And they are not just good at their craft: they are writers who love to teach and have experience working with teenagers in the classroom. You can learn more about our SYWC 2025 faculty here. 

Small and rigorous workshops. Our conference offers a serious course in creative writing, not just a “get-your-feet-wet” introduction. Workshops meet from 9:30-12:30 every morning of the conference except Sunday. The workshops have no more than twelve students each, and we enroll a total of about eighty-five young writers. Because we ‌keep our numbers low, our teachers really get to know their students, and vice-versa. We also make space in the schedule for one-on-one conferences between students and teachers.

Enrichment outside the classroom.  In the afternoons, you'll have a range of opportunities for discussions about literature and craft: from Q&As with special-guest authors, to a tour of the Sewanee Review, to short craft classes on topics from sonnets to zines. The afternoon time is also free for what you're here to do--write, read, and think. Every evening, we all gather together to listen to a reading by a faculty member or special guest.

A caring staff. Our administrative staff are here to support you during your time at the conference. From workshop to afternoon activities to the end of the day, it's our job to keep you safe and make sure you're getting what you need and feeling at home. 

Fun.  At the SYWC, you’ll be part of a community of writers and friends. Maybe that means talking on the porch swing at Stirling's, a favorite coffee house, or swimming and playing basketball in the Fowler Sports and Recreation Center. You'll also have the opportunity to hike some of Sewanee’s beautiful trails, sing and dance at karaoke night, and play board games in the common room of Humphreys, your dorm.

Questions?

Call us at 931-598-1541 or email us at sywc@sewanee.edu, and we'll respond to your message as soon as possible.