Conroy Center Writer's Residency, Fall 2022
~ Open to Writers in All Genres | Deadline: September 15 ~
“The great salt marsh spreading all around as far as the eye could see has remained the central image that runs through my work. I cannot look at a salt marsh, veined with salt creeks swollen with the moonstruck tides, without believing in God.”
—Pat Conroy, The Pat Conroy Cookbook
WELCOME TO MARSHSONG COTTAGE

In October 2022, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will offer our fifth Conroy Center Writer's Residency, available to writers of all genres. Located on a salt marsh, the residency at MarshSong Cottage provides an inspirational, creative space in the heart of Pat Conroy’s beloved lowcountry for a stay of eight days. The residency location is a guest cottage on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, approximately 15 minutes from downtown Beaufort and 15 minutes from the beach at Hunting Island State Park.

The residency will begin on October 27 and conclude on November 3, overlapping with the annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival, during which the selected writer will have the opportunity to attend author discussions, special events, and up to three writers workshops.

TO APPLY FOR THE WRITER'S RESIDENCY

Please submit the following by September 15, 2022, to [email protected] with the subject line CONROY CENTER WRITER'S RESIDENCY: 

1. Tell us a story. What is your work in progress? Let us know in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.

2. What does a marsh view residency offer you? We would like to know why you want a residency on the marsh and how, specifically, it will impact your writing/experience/story. So if you live in the vicinity, double your efforts to convince us why it should be you instead of someone who has never been to the lowcountry. Be specific and tell us in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.

3. Who are you? Send us a short bio of no more than 100 words, along with your contact information, also in the body of the email. 

4. Do you have a favorite Pat Conroy book? If so, tell us which one, and why, in approximately 50 words in the body of the email. Don't have a favorite Conroy book? Then tell us which book by another author is closest to your heart and why.

5. Let’s have a look. Include a writing sample of your work, 3 - 5 double-spaced pages of prose or 3 -5 poems (collectively no more than 5 pages), attached as a PDF. 

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Conroy Center advisors. The selected writer will be notified by September 15, 2022. The residency will start on October 27, ending on November 3.

The residency is open to both published and unpublished writers. If you have applied before but not been selected, we encourage you to apply again. Pat Conroy was a mentor to writers in all stages of their careers and we wish to honor that legacy.

ABOUT THE COTTAGE

Learn more about MarshSong Cottage here. The selected writer must provide her or his own transportation. Residency is for the writer only; no guests or pets.

WRITERS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St, Beaufort, SC 29902
843-379-7025 | [email protected]