2009 Writers’ Retreat Applications & Admissions

We will accept electronic Scholarship Applications for the 2009 AROHO Writers’ Retreat through midnight of March 15th, 2009. We will accept General Applications on a rolling basis until June 1st, or until spaces are filled. Submit your application to ensure your choice of workshop. The online application will be updated periodically to reflect workshop availability.

Admissions for the retreat have been closed. If you’d like to be waitlisted as either a workshop participant or free agent, please email retreats@aroomofherownfoundation.org with your preference. We’ll be in touch if a spot opens up.

To be considered for admission as either a workshop participant or free agent, submit an electronic application including a manuscript of original work for consideration by the admissions board. Fiction, nonfiction, and memoir manuscripts should be no more than 10 – 12 pages, double spaced. Poets should submit a total of 5 – 6 poems, the total comprising no more than 10 pages. Playwriting applicants should submit a one-act play or a selection of comparable length from a longer dramatic work. The manuscript used for application purposes need not be the same as the manuscript to be workshopped at the Retreat.

Workshop Participants meet in small groups led by expert members of the AROHO faculty. Each workshop member also meets privately with the workshop leader for a half-hour conference.
A Room of Her Own will accept 15 free agents who take part in the program but do not submit work for evaluation and discussion.

Applicants will be selected on the strength and promise of the work submitted and on the board's judgment that the applicant is likely to benefit from the Retreat. Publications are not required for admission. Applications review will begin in late March 2009, with notification of acceptance to begin in early April.

Scholarships

A Room of Her Own offers a limited number of scholarships on a competitive basis. Scholarship applicants should demonstrate a serious commitment to writing through publication or other means, and economic need. They will complete the general Admissions Application as well as submitting an additional essay outlining and demonstrating the specifics of their financial need.

Retreat Tuition, Deposits, and Refund Policy

Tuition for workshop participants is $785, plus room and board.
Tuition for free agents is $460, plus room and board.
Full scholarships cover tuition and room and board; partial scholarships (work/study) cover tuition only.
A limited number of 30-minute intensive mentoring sessions will be offered with Kate Gale, Sally van Haitsma, Ellen McLaughlin, Meredith Hall, or Summer Wood at the additional cost of $50 per half hour. Retreatants may request a session either before or during the retreat (if available) and will be asked to submit 10 pages of their work before meeting with the mentor.
We request a $25 tax-deductible donation to A Room of Her Own for Rita Dove’s afternoon seminar.

Upon acceptance, a writer secures a place at the Writers’ Retreat by sending a deposit. The deposit amount for Workshop Participants is $500; the deposit amount for Free Agents is $300. The balance of the tuition fee ($285 for Workshop Participants/ $160 for Free Agents) plus the full amount of Room & Board is due by June 10, 2009. Deposits, less a $50 cancellation fee, are refundable until June 1st. After June 1st, refunds (less the $50 cancellation fee) will be given only if your space can be filled.

Housing Fees are in addition to tuition and are detailed on the application. Fees are controlled by Ghost Ranch and are separately payable to them (sent to AROHO along with the remainder of your Retreat tuition) by June 10th, 2009.

Additional Expenses

During the free day, certain activities in and around Ghost Ranch and Santa Fe will be offered at an additional cost. A full-service day spa is also available at an additional fee. Appointments may be scheduled upon arrival.