Short Description
The Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA) is now accepting applications for short-term artists’ writing residencies for creatives and academics. These residencies are designed to give writers time and space to complete their creative projects in a quiet and productive environment.
Submission Requirements
- Application form (including brief project statement and contact information for two references)
- Writing sample (see below)
- CV or artist’s resume (optional)
- Application fee of $15 or $10 for current students (with student email) payable online (NOTE: For writers of color and/or for those applying for financial aid, the application fee has been waived. All other application fees will go towards funding travel grants for Black and/or Indigenous identifying writers.)
Writing Sample:
- For Poetry: Writing sample of 8-12 pages
- For Fiction: Writing sample of 10-20 pages
- For Nonfiction: Writing sample of 10-20 pages
- For Playwrights/Screenwriters: Writing sample of 10-25 pages
- For Hybrid Work: Writing sample of 10-20 pages
- For Translators: Writing sample of 10-20 pages
- For Academic Work: Writing sample of 10-25 pages
How to Apply
Online Application
Program Benefits & Awards
The SAFTA farmhouse is located on a working farm that rests on a 45-acre wooded plot in a Tennessee “holler” perfect for hiking, camping, and nature walks. Located just 15 miles from downtown Knoxville, a dynamic and art-forward city of 200,000 in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, SAFTA is an ideal location for those looking for a rural get-away with access to urban amenities.
Our short-term residency bedroom is 130 sq. ft. with queen-size platform bed, closet, small dresser, and desk. The window faces the front of the house with a view of the butterfly bush in the yard. The room is painted a warm grey with original photography and art from regional artists.
The communal bathroom, shared with one to two other visiting artists, features an oversized mirror, matte-finish white tile floors, white-and-black walls and back splashes, toilet, and bathtub with large fixed shower head. The room also contains a wall-length mural by Janie Stamm.
There is also a communal kitchen supplied with stove, refrigerator, and microwave plus plenty of cook- and dining-ware. The basic food stuffs like spices, flour, etc are also supplied, though residents will be responsible for their own food and meals. (Though no need for eggs! The Firefly Farms ducks and chickens supply those daily!) Laundry facilities are also available on site as well as wi-fi and central heat and air.
The office has a Windows-based desktop with access to Microsoft Office and a printer. Our library contains over 2,000 books, including a large contemporary poetry section and, thanks to The Wardrobe, many recent titles by women and nonbinary authors.
In 2017 SAFTA opened our Writers Coop, a 10×10′ dry cabin approximately 1/4 of a mile from the farmhouse. This tiny house is furnished with a single bed, a desk, a wood-burning stove, a deck that looks over the pasture and pond, as well as a personal detached outhouse. While the cabin is not fully electrified nor does it have running water, residents will have full access to the amenities at farmhouse as well as solitude from other residents to write in the rolling hills of East Tennessee. In 2025, we added solar power to the Coop, which allows residents to charge their phones and use an overhead light. Check out pictures here.
Entry Fee
Each farmhouse residency costs $350/week, which includes a room of one’s own, as well as access to our communal kitchen, bathroom, office, and living space, plus wireless internet.
Residencies in the Writers Coop are $175/week and include your own private dry cabin as well as access to the farmhouse amenities. Because of the low cost, we are rarely able to offer scholarships for Writers Coop residents.
Location
United States
Timeline
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2025
- Residency Period: January 4th to May 9th, 2026
Website Link: https://www.sundresspublications.com/submit#residency
