Writing Residency

The 2026 Edith Wharton & Straw Dog Writers Guild Writers-in-Residence Program 

The Mount, Edith Wharton’s former home in Lenox, Massachusetts, in partnership with Straw Dog Writers Guild, offers one-week residencies during March 2026 for nine emerging writers*, three writers each for three weeks (poets, fiction, and creative nonfiction writers). Selected writers will receive a $500 stipend, travel reimbursement up to $250, workspaces at The Mount, and lodging at a neighboring Inn.

*Three of the nine residencies are reserved for Straw Dog Writers Guild members.

 

When:

• Week 1: Sunday, March 1 to Saturday, March 7, 2026
• Week 2: Sunday, March 8 to Saturday, March 14, 2026
• Week 3: Sunday, March 15 to Saturday, March 21, 2026

Where:

Residents will work during business hours at The Mount in Lenox, MA.

Please apply if:

• You are a poet, writer of fiction, or creative nonfiction writer
• You have not published a book or chapbook in any genre*
• and will not have a book or chapbook forthcoming before March 1, 2026

*If you have published a book in an unrelated field or discipline and consider yourself to be an emerging writer, please tell us more on the application form.

Application Fee: $25
Fee waived for members of The Mount and Straw Dog Writers Guild, or for those with financial hardship.

Important Dates:
Application opens September 1, 2025, at 9 am
Application deadline October 1, 2025, at midnight
Residents and finalists announced on December 14, 2025

Questions? Contact Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Programs Director at The Mount, programs@edithwharton.org or 413-551-5110.

Do you want to become a Straw Dog Writers Guild member or renew your membership? We offer subsidized membership options for low-income, Card to Culture holders, and students. For more information, please email Morgan Sheehan at admin@strawdogwriters.org

APPLICATIONS LIMITED TO THE FIRST 300 SUBMISSIONS.

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About The Mount:

The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home is a National Historic Landmark and cultural center dedicated to the intellectual, artistic, and humanitarian legacy of Edith Wharton (1862-1937), one of America’s greatest authors. Wharton wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence.

The Mount presents Wharton’s life and achievements through tours of her house and gardens, and programming. The Mount is the literary hub of the Berkshires and hosts lectures and panels by national authors and scholars both on-site and online. Seasonal cultural offerings on property include an annual outdoor sculpture show, music, and dance.

“The Mount was conceived as a private retreat by a writer on the verge of her literary ascent; in the 21st century, what better way to share Edith Wharton’s home and legacy than with an organization of writers devoted to supporting emerging voices,” says Patricia Pin, public program director at The Mount.

The Mount is located at 2 Plunkett Street in Lenox, Mass. For more information, visit EdithWharton.org

About Straw Dog Writers Guild:
The mission of Straw Dog Writers Guild is to unite and inspire writers throughout their diverse communities. A membership organization set in Western Massachusetts, it is open to writers of all genres and levels of expertise, no matter where they reside. Straw Dog Writers Guild supports writers virtually and in-person through craft workshops, open mics, on-line writing opportunities, social gatherings, authors’ showcases, networking, writing residencies, high school scholarships, an Emerging Writers Fellowship, and more. All are welcome.