Organizer Information
The Giancarlo DiTrapano Foundation for Literature and the Arts is a West Virginia–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2022 to extend the legacy of Giancarlo DiTrapano (1974–2021), founder, editor, and publisher of Tyrant Books and New York Tyrant magazine. Tyrant Books published emerging and boundary-pushing writers, including PEN Award winner Atticus Lish, Scott McClanahan, and Marie Calloway. The Foundation's core activities are fully funded creative residencies, public readings and events, and the maintenance of an editorial archive of DiTrapano's correspondence and Tyrant Books manuscripts, based at a 17th-century villa and cultural center in Sezze Romano, Italy.
The Finch Manuscript Lab is a distinct program from the Foundation's standard residencies. It was founded by author and literary program director Catherine Foulkrod, who also co-founded and directs the DiTrapano Foundation, and who worked on her own debut novel (forthcoming from McSweeney's Books, January 2027) while living in Serramezzana. Foulkrod and her husband, Maxmilian Narducci, later purchased and renovated the Finch Country House, a traditional stone farmhouse in the same area, to host the Lab.
Title & Description
The Finch Manuscript Lab
A 2.5-month residency supporting writers and artists completing book-length manuscripts, hosted at the Finch Country House in Serramezzana, Italy, on the Cilento coast south of Naples and Salerno. The residency is designed as a "final sprint" for writers nearing the end of a book project, combining free living and workspace, self-directed writing time, and a structured program of professional development — including manuscript consultations, craft discussions, and publishing seminars — alongside a resident creative community.
Categories
- Residency
- Writing
- Creative Writing
- Literature
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Novel
- Poetry
- Prose
- Mixed Media
Eligibility
- Applicants must be over 18 years of age
- Applicants must be a legal resident of one of the 39 eligible Culture Moves Europe countries, excluding Italy
- Eligible EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
- Eligible non-EU participating countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia
Program Benefits & Awards
- Free living and work space at the Finch Country House for the residency period
- Stipend of 2,280€ for the residency period, paid at 30€/day in residence, disbursed weekly
- Travel allowance of 400€ for travel under 5,000 km from Serramezzana, Italy
- Travel allowance of 800€ for travel over 5,000 km from Serramezzana, Italy
- Additional 400€ bonus for green travel (e.g. trains instead of planes)
- Additional 200€ support for residents who are parents of children under 18
- Additional funds for residents who are caretakers of dependent family members (amount not specified)
- Creative community with other resident writers and artists
- Professional development programming: manuscript consultations, craft discussions, and publishing seminars
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A short sample of past work (any length; only the first 30 pages will be read due to time constraints)
- A brief note explaining the manuscript/book project to be worked on in residency, where the applicant is in the creation process, and why they are interested in the residency (up to 1 page)
- An excerpt of the book project to be worked on in residency — prose, poetry, mixed media, photography, or another artist's book form is acceptable (not to exceed 30 pages)
- Curriculum vitae (in English)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 July 2026
- Notification of Decisions: by August 7, 2026 (per applicant-provided materials) — the official Submittable listing instead states residents will be selected by July 30, 2026; also a direct conflict
- Residency Dates: October 1 – December 15, 2026 (consistent across both sources)
Location
Finch Country House, Serramezzana, Italy
Additional Details
- Selection includes a Zoom interview with all finalists as part of the review process
- Mentors include former editors from Penguin Random House and FSG, along with award-winning authors; a full list of mentors and bios was described as "coming soon" in the source
- Funding is provided with support from the Goethe Institute and Culture Moves Europe
- Source conflict noted: the applicant-provided announcement text and the official Submittable listing give different application deadlines and notification dates (see Key Dates above). Confirm the correct dates directly with the organizer before publishing.