Frequently Asked Questions
Total tuition is $10,400 (subject to change), paid in fall and spring in two lump sums. There is also the option of a payment schedule that divides each half-payment into three, each paid over the course of three months.
In addition, program fellows are expected to attend the Southampton Writers Conference. Typically, housing and food costs for the conference run approximately $1,000. We have a more exact estimate for these costs by the time of the interviews.
The BookEnds Page One Endowment allows us to remit a portion of BookEnds fees for select students with genuine need. There is an option to apply for scholarship funding in the BookEnds application.
There are no full scholarships or stipends. There are no travel scholarships.
Applications go live October 16, 2023. Applications close on December 4 or once we receive fifty applications, whichever comes first. We will only accept one manuscript per writer. Interviews take place in January. Admitted fellows will be notified before February 4, 2023, and must accept by February 12th.
The weekly commitment to BookEnds is 20-25 hours per week. Most BookEnds fellows have both full-time jobs and family commitments, and fit in the work in the early mornings, late at night, and/or while commuting. How to prioritize writing is a question for all writers, and this is a part of the conversation and support throughout the fellowship and in the alumni group.
The fellowship begins in May 2024 with readings of your podmates’ manuscripts and four virtual meetings in May and June. The program ends with graduation and the alumni retreat at the Southampton Writers Conference in July 2025.
The required meeting dates for Fellowship Eight (2024-2025) are as follows:
Virtual orientation: May 7 (3-4 pm EST), May 21, 28, and June 4, 2024 (1-4 pm EST)
Writers Conference: July 10-14, 2024
Virtual retreat: January 18, 2025
Writers Conference: July 11-13, 2025
The required meeting dates for Fellowship Nine (2025-2026) are as follows:
Virtual orientation: TBA
Writers Conference: July 9-13, 2025
Virtual retreat: TBA
Writers Conference: TBA
BookEnds is a non-credit program. Most participants have completed a Creative Writing MFA, though it is not required.
Our alums continue the community beyond the fellowship year with critique and accountability meetings, as well as a six-times yearly visiting author series, which includes guests such as Matt Bell, Melissa Chadburn, Peter Ho Davies, Lucy Ives, Rebecca Makkai, Courtney Maum, Alice McDermott, Jim Shepard, and many others.