The Community of Writers

We have been forced to cancel our summer workshops in Squaw Valley due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Information on this page is no longer accurate. Visit our program pages for more information.

For 50 summers, the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley has brought together poets and prose writers for separate weeks of workshops, individual conferences, lectures, panels, readings, and discussions of the craft and the business of writing. Our aim is to assist writers to improve their craft and thus, in an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual support, move them closer to achieving their goals. The Community of Writers holds its summer writing workshops in Squaw Valley in a ski lodge at the foot of the ski slopes. Panels, talks, staff readings and workshops take place in these venues with the spectacular view up the mountain.

Important Application Information:

	POETRY WORKSHOP	WRITERS WORKSHOPS
Program Dates	June 20 - 27, 2020	July 6-13, 2020
Deadline to Apply	March 28, 2020 (before midnight PST)	March 28, 2020 (before midnight PST)
Application Fee	$35	$40
Acceptance Notification	On or before May 1, 2020	On or before May 10, 2020
Deposit - Nonrefundable	A deposit of $800 will be due upon acceptance. (Awards of financial aid may reduce this amount.)	A deposit of $800 will be due upon acceptance. (Awards of financial aid may reduce this amount.)
Deposit Deadline	May 10, 2020	May 20, 2020
Tuition	$1,250*	$1,400*
Housing	Not included in tuition. See Housing & Meals.	Not included in tuition. See Housing & Meals.
Housing & Tuition Balance	Due on or before June 10, 2020	Due on or before June 20, 2020
Registration/First Day of Conference	Saturday, June 22, 2020	Monday, July 8, 2020
Program Website Make sure to read all information before applying	Poetry Website	Writers Workshops Website
Returnees	Returning Poetry Lottery Information & Application	-Fiction Participants may attend 2 out of 3 years. -Nonfiction Participants must take two sessions off before reapplying.
Financial Aid & Scholarships	View Financial Aid Information	View Financial Aid Information
Application Form	Apply Now (Poetry)	Writers Workshops Application Form

How to Apply to the 2020 Summer Workshops

See guidelines for each program, below.

Poetry Application Guidelines

Deadline for receipt of application/submission: March 28, 2020. (11:59 PM, PST)
Submission should consist of four or five pages of recent poems, typed,12 pt. Submit PDF or Word.doc through our online application form.
Put your name in the upper right-hand corner of each page.
Attach a digital file (PDF or Word.doc) of your submission ms. to the online application form.
Once you have completed the online form, you will receive an email confirmation.
A $35 reading fee will be due with application & submission, payable by check or credit card, online. Checks should be made out to
Community of Writers and mailed to:

Community of Writers – Poetry
PO Box 1416
Nevada City, CA 95959
Notification of acceptance by May 1, 2020.
Please note: Once you have submitted your application online, you will immediately receive an email confirmation. If you don’t get that confirmation, we didn’t receive your application. If that is the case, contact us immediately.

Apply

Past Poetry Participants:
If you wish to attend this year see, Returning Poetry Lottery Information & Application.

Writers Workshops Application Guidelines

Past Writers Workshop participants:
—Fiction Participants: If you attended the last two years do not apply this year. (i.e. attendance is allowed 2 out of every 3 years.)
—Nonfiction Participants: If you attended last year please do not apply this year. (i.e. attendance is allowed after you have taken 2 years off.)
Deadline for receipt of application/submission: before midnight,March 28, 2020.
Applicants, including past participants, should submit a sample of their best, unpublished prose.
Writing sample submission ms. may consist of a story (or stories), essay(s) or chapter(s). Book chapters must include a one-page synopsis of the whole book. (Add to the end of ms.)
If you have previously applied to our workshop, please do not apply or bring for consideration the exact same material. You may use previously submitted material that has been revised.
Please do not submit previously published material (print or online). However, it is acceptable to send work currently under submission.
Submission ms. must be typed, double-spaced and 12 pt. On the first page of the manuscript, applicants must provide the following:
- Top left side of page: Indicate application program (Fiction, Nonfiction, Memoir), and indicate what you are submitting (novel chapter(s), story or stories, essay or essays, memoir chapter(s), nonfiction book chapter(s), etc.)
- Top center of page: Word count for submitted manuscript. (Submission ms.,excluding synopsis, must be less than 5,000 words.)
- Top right side of page: Your name in the upper right-hand corner of each page. (Please use your actual name, not the name you write under.)
Attach a digital file (PDF or Word.doc) of your submission ms. to the online application form. Digital files will be deleted after workshops.
If applying in more than one category, please send separate applications and submissions, including application fees.
Those who require financial aid to attend should request it in the application form. Please see our Financial Aid page for more information.
A $40 reading fee will be due with submission.
- Pay online with a credit card
- Or pay with a check payable to Community of Writers.