“Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black women Writers: Guidelines and application

About the Open Call

The “Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black Women Writers aims to provide Black women writers a restful environment conducive to reflection and writing. It also offers uninterrupted, independent time to plant the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to develop or complete a project underway. This is an annual award and the application cycle opens every fall. The 2026 Fellowship will focus on Fiction. The selected writer will receive a ten-day solo residency in July and can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts’ rural 'Firefly Creek' apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’ 'Montford Manor' residence near downtown Asheville, NC. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee. The preferred dates for a “Miss Sarah” Fellowship are typically July 10-20. However, the panel will consider other dates. Black women writers at any stage of their careers are invited to apply. For applicants outside of the United States, please note that travel expenses will only be covered within the United States. International airfare and visa will be at the expense of the applicant. There is no application fee.

What is Offered

The selected writer will receive a ten-day solo residency in July. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee.

Requirements

Applicants must submit a CV or resume (not to exceed 5 pages), a one-page Fellowship Proposal Statement, a one-page statement addressing 'Why Trillium Arts?', one letter of recommendation (submitted separately, referring specifically to the writing project), and a writing sample (10-15 pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in an easily readable 12-point font, in English). MA and MFA theses, PhD dissertations, and edited collections are not eligible. The writing sample must be original and work intended for further development during the Fellowship.

How to Apply

The application will be open beginning October 8, 2025 and is available via the link to Submittable.com. The application portal will remain open for six weeks, with a deadline of Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. Applicants must upload a CV or resume (max 5 pages), a one-page Fellowship Proposal Statement, a one-page statement addressing 'Why Trillium Arts?', and a writing sample (10-15 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, in English, original work). One letter of recommendation must be submitted separately by an outside recommender directly to Trillium Arts via an automatic link from the Submittable application form. MA and MFA theses, PhD dissertations, and edited collections are not eligible. All uploaded documents should not exceed 10 MB each, and should include the applicant's name and title of the written piece. Begin your application on Submittable.com.