Organizer Information
Storyknife Writers Retreat is a literary nonprofit located in Homer, Alaska, founded in 2014 by mystery novelist Dana Stabenow. Stabenow conceived the retreat in 2005 after her own career was launched by a residency at Hedgebrook, a women's writing retreat on Whidbey Island, Washington, and modeled Storyknife directly on that program. She dedicated acreage on the Homer bluff, overlooking Cook Inlet and the Aleutian mountain range, to the project; construction of the main house and six writer's cabins began with a groundbreaking in 2019, and the first full season of residencies began in June 2021. The retreat's mission is to give women writers time, space, and a supportive community to devote to their craft, and it hosts residents from Alaska, across the United States, and internationally.
Title & Description
Storyknife Writers Retreat — 2027 Residencies
Storyknife offers residencies to women writers working in poetry, plays, novels, essays, screenplays, or memoirs, in recognition that such work is published, reviewed, and promoted less often than work by men. The retreat provides two- or four-week residencies in individual cabins on its Homer, Alaska property, with residents gathering for meals prepared by an on-staff chef at the main house. The program is intended to give each writer uninterrupted time and space to work on her craft, along with connection to a wider community of women writers.
Categories
- Residency
- Writing
- Creative Writing
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Poetry
- Playwright
- Screenwriting
Eligibility
- Applicants must be woman-identified
- Applicants must be 21 years of age or older
- Applicants must apply as an individual, not as part of a collaborative group or team
- Writers who have completed a residency of at least two weeks at Storyknife must wait five years before reapplying
- For the 2027 residency season, the Board of Directors strongly suggests (but the source does not state as a strict requirement) that residents be vaccinated and appropriately boosted against COVID-19
- The use of AI tools to create, check, or modify application question answers or the writing sample is prohibited
Program Benefits & Awards
- Food and lodging covered for the full duration of the residency, including meals prepared by an on-staff chef
- Individual cabin accommodation on the Storyknife property
- Some travel cost stipends/scholarships available in 2027; applicants indicate interest in being considered on their application
- Travel to and from Homer, Alaska is the responsibility of the resident and is not covered
Application Fee
$45.00, collected through the Submittable application platform; funds go toward supporting Storyknife.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
Location
Homer, Alaska, United States
Additional Details
- Four-week residencies run April through October, beginning the 1st of each month and ending the 28th
- Two-week residencies are offered in April, June, and August, running either the 1st–14th or the 15th–28th
- Storyknife states a commitment to diversity and to elevating the voices of historically excluded communities
- Applicants with accommodation needs, or questions about eligibility or the application, are directed to contact Executive Director Erin Hollowell at ehollowell@storyknife.org; a Frequently Asked Questions page is also available on Storyknife's website