Willa Cather Residency for Writers
About the Program
The Willa Cather Residency for Writers was created in 2023 to commemorate the 150th year of Cather’s birth and to provide a unique opportunity for a small cohort of writers—and eventually artists of all media—to reside and create in Red Cloud, Nebraska for two weeks. A new initiative of the National Willa Cather Center, the program reflects the life-long reverence that world-renowned author Willa Cather had for art, storytelling, and her hometown—an inspirational setting amidst the Great Plains of Nebraska—from which she created the communities in half of her novels.
In a nod to the long road that Willa Cather traveled before she became free to focus on her own writing—a road that included freelancing, teaching, editing, and managing a national magazine—the Willa Cather Residency for Writers welcomes writers who are struggling to transition from a hectic career to a life in art. Our purpose is to assist such artists.
This is a multi-genre residency for emerging writers: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translation, plays, and screenplays.
For example, emerging writers must not have published a novel-length work at the time of submission. Simarly, playwrights and screenwriters should be relatively unproduced.
About Red Cloud
Red Cloud is a remote rural community located two-and-a-half to three hours from Nebraska's two largest airports. The town is walkable and offers a peaceful place to find inspiration. While Red Cloud’s resources are modest, they include a pharmacy, small grocery store, coffee shop, restaurants (3), convenience stores (2), bowling alley, fitness center, hospital, post office, and public library.
Logistics
This year, our select cohort of writers will live and work in Red Cloud over a two-week period from October 5-19, 2025. All participants are expected to arrive no later than 6:00 PM on October 5 and depart no sooner than the morning of Sunday, October 19. Each resident will be provided a private furnished room in the Cather Second Home Guest House—with its comfortable communal kitchen, dining, and living spaces—and a separate place to work. Residents will also receive $400 for provisions while in Red Cloud.
While knowledge of Cather’s work and personal connection to Nebraska is not essential, it is important that applicants—and selected artists—embrace and appreciate the relative isolation of Red Cloud and seek a quiet place to do their work. In addition to a $35 application fee, residents are expected to provide their own transportation to and from Red Cloud. Airport pickups may be arranged.
To Apply
Residency Application Timeline
- April 1, 2025: Application opens
- May 1, 2025: Application submission deadline
- June 2025: Announcement of 2025 cohort
- October 5-19, 2025: Residency in Red Cloud
Questions?
Contact residency@willacather.org.
Past Cohorts
Learn more about past cohorts.