With advance notice, we can set up a twin bed downstairs for anyone who cannot climb the ship ladder to the loft and bed. Hedgebrook has one motorized cart, available on request for the duration of a writer’s residency. Owl cottage has a ramp at the front door entrance and larger bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair. While Hedgebrook is not currently ADA accessible, other options are available on an individualized basis, and the Hedgebrook staff will work with you to accommodate your specific needs, wherever possible.

With advanced notice, Hedgebrook can accommodate service dogs, but not emotional support animals. Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. We follow the ADA’s requirements for service animals.

If you have a service dog that you would bring to Hedgebrook for your residency, please contact programs@hedgebrook.org to fill out our service animal form when you receive your notification of acceptance letter.

**Fee waivers are no longer available for the 2026 Writer-in-Residence program. We’ve reached our cap of 50.**

A: The fees we receive from applications help us cover the costs of adjudication as well as administration for our Writer-in-Residence program. If financial constraints are a concern, you can request a fee waiver (BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION) by following these steps:

1) Once your application is complete and BEFORE you submit it, fill out the Fee Waiver Request Form.*

2) Wait for an email response (from programs@hedgebrook.org) that the fee has been waived. Fee waiver requests are received on a first-come, first-served basis.

3) Once the fee has been waived, log back in and submit your application.

Fee waivers are only available during open applications and are capped at 50. You may only request one waiver even if you are applying in multiple genres. There is no need to justify your request, simply fill out the form requesting a waiver.

*Applications must be fully complete and ready to submit, no exceptions. A completed application consists of having all questions answered and all media uploaded. Applications that are not complete at the time we access your account will not be granted a waiver.

Due to the capacity of our small team, we will not be able to respond to email inquiries regarding fee waivers or notify you if your application is incomplete.

A: We are no longer requiring references, however, you will be asked to answer questions about your professional and personal experience of being in a creative community with others.

A: Discuss why you want to explore the new form in your project proposal (Artist Statement) and submit examples of your best work in the genre you want to be considered in (Writing Sample).

A: Yes. However, this is a highly competitive application process, and we encourage you to submit your strongest writing sample in the genre you want considered. Fee waivers and/or assistance will only be considered for one application per cycle.

A: Notifications will be sent through SlideRoom. We suggest using an email that is not associated with an institution with firewalls as it may prevent the delivery of your notification. Also, please remember to check the spam/junk folder as email notifications could end up there.

We will indicate a timeframe of when notifications will be sent for the cycle on our Writer-in-Residence page.

Additionally, we will send notifications before the deadline of the next application cycle so that writers have time to submit again if not selected.

A: No. Each writer must apply as individuals - however, if you are both accepted in the same cycle, we will do our best to accommodate scheduling requests for residency time together.

Hedgebrook has updated its COVID-19 Protocols for 2025. Our organization has consulted with a global health specialist (and Hedgebrook alumna!) since the pandemic began to guide us in our policies. Going into 2025, we have determined that the COVID-19 vaccination and booster are no longer a residency requirement. Even so, we highly recommend getting the latest CDC-approved shot within a month of your residency start date. We also encourage the flu and RSV vaccinations. Our residents wait a long time to be able to come to Hedgebrook, we want to continue to offer as safe a space as possible for your retreat. To that end, the following are requirements before and upon arrival:

-Within 10 days before your travel to Hedgebrook, if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and/or have tested positive for COVID-19, please contact us.

-Writers are encouraged to soft quarantine for 7 days prior to their residency.

-Please mask while in transit (planes, trains and shuttles).

-Take one rapid antigen test the day before your scheduled travel and only travel if negative. Email the Program Team a photo of the test result.

-Bring three rapid antigen tests to test on days 1, 3, and 5 of your residency.

-Please bring masks for personal use.

-Mask and rapid test if you feel a cold or allergy coming on.

We have followed pretty strict protocols around COVID-19 -- and have adjusted them as conditions have evolved -- and have not had a single case of transmission on the land. It's a point of pride in part because Hedgebrook is located on a rural island with limited healthcare resources and transportation. With a small team, limited capacity and no medically trained staff, the best and easiest way to ensure your safety is to take the above precautions.

We appreciate your role in keeping Hedgebrook’s staff and fellow artists in good health.

Please note that these protocols are subject to change as new information becomes available. If you have any questions, please reach out.

May you be well,

Kimberly A.C. Wilson (she/her) | Executive Director, Hedgebrook

A: No. Reviewers don’t look at your scheduling preferences. Our program team uses these to schedule residencies only AFTER writers have been selected for the upcoming season.

Hedgebrook Residencies on Whidbey Island are awarded for 2 to 3 weeks. Residencies generally begin on Thursdays and end on Tuesdays. Indicate your scheduling preferences on your application. Please understand this is not a reservation. Upon being awarded a residency, staff will make every effort to accommodate indicated preferences, but applicants may be required to accept alternate dates.

A: The application is open to all writers, at all stages of their writing careers. We welcome unpublished writers and often accept them into the program.

A: The number of applications we receive varies from year to year, but it’s recently been around 1,500. In a standard year, we will award more than 60 residencies through the selection process (up from a historical ~40), and we do notify writers that are “waitlisted” and can often add a few more, depending on scheduling details.

A: Hedgebrook staff does not participate in the selection process, but all applications are read by genre-specific readers in Round 1. Applications that advance to Round 2 are read by a genre-specific guest alumnae judge. Round 3 (final round of applications) will have been read and reviewed by all of our guest alumnae judges by the end of the process.

A: Yes. You may submit an application with your work sample in any language, but a translation in English is also required. We allow double the maximum number of pages in this case. The Artist Statement and other questions on the application need to be in English, however.

A: Readers are looking for the strength in your writing sample and authenticity of voice. Pay particular attention to the questions in the “Artist Statement” section of the application and make a strong case for “Why Hedgebrook? Why now?” Tell us about the vision you have for yourself as a writer and artist and what you want your work to accomplish. Is there a timeliness or urgency you can delineate? How do you see your work living in the world?

A: Apply to the genre you have the strongest work sample for. Use the application questions about your particular passion project to discuss the work (which can include multi-genre and experimental projects) you hope to bring to your residency. Focus on the impact this work has on you, the trajectory of your writing life, and the impact you hope it could have on the world. While many writers are adept in multiple styles, your work sample should show your most skillful and polished work. The work sample is where you show what you can already do, the artist statement is where you can get the readers excited about what you’re working on now! And don’t forget to be clear and specific about your advocacy work and the intersections of diversity in your writing voice.

A: Including personally identifiable information in the work sample, resume, or CV - PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME, HYPERLINKS, or PHOTOCOPIES (of your work sample) anywhere in the application to avoid disqualification.

Not answering the questions proposed or only partially answering them.

Having an email address on your application that is not current at the time residency notices are sent out (make sure to update your contact information in your SlideRoom account!).

Submitting work samples where your role or contribution is unclear, or talking about creating a project with no clear connection to your passion, experience or current work are also common mistakes that make it hard for our readers to adjudicate.

You can find sample application questions here.

Word/character counts are not listed ahead of time. You’ll have access to all of that information when applications open.

Please be sure to read all of the Writing Sample Instructions in the application BEFORE uploading your PDF writing sample, including font, size, margin, and page requirements. Photocopies and hyperlinks are not acceptable and will disqualify your application. Be sure to include a writing sample synopsis.

The residency itself is free for the writer, meaning there is no charge for room and board. Writers stay in their own handcrafted cottage, and receive chef-prepared meals and snacks, daily. Travel to and from Hedgebrook is not included. At this time, there is no travel stipend.

Hedgebrook is honored to work with organizations, foundations, and individuals who provide fellowship support to some of our selected writers in residence. Find out more here.

A: The Writer-in-Residence program is for writers NEW to Hedgebrook only. If you are an alumna, we want to engage with you! Please email us at programs@hedgebrook.org for more information on how to get involved, including options for returning for a stay.

A: No. Due to the volume of applications that we receive each cycle (700+), we do not ask our adjudicators to provide feedback on submissions.

A: No. Please make sure to read all instructions and be aware of disqualifying actions before submitting your application. Readers automatically disqualify applicants in Round 1 if their name or hyperlinks appear anywhere on the application, or if writing sample submission guidelines are not followed.