Artpark Accepts Applications for Writers’ Residency

Program Pairs Poets and Writers with Music, Theater, and Community Arts in the Park

From Monday Nov. 11 through Friday, December 13, Artpark will accept applications for its third annual summer residency for poets and writers. The literary program invites writers from Western New York and beyond to visit Artpark, enjoy free access to selected summer programming, and interact with nature, other artists, and the public through performances, workshops, and more. 

This year the residency will welcome one visiting writer by invitation and one local writer by selection from a pool of applicants. Residents will receive an honorarium of $1,000, travel assistance (for non-local writers), and free access to all Artpark events throughout the 2025 season (some restrictions may apply).

“It has been rewarding to reactivate work in the literary arts at Artpark in recent seasons, and we are delighted to continue this opportunity for creative expression and participation in the summer program,” said Artpark’s Interim President Dave Wedekindt.

Past resident writers have included Ariel Aberg-Riger, Ana Božičević, Robert Giannetti, Joshua Thermidor, Philip Metres, Julianne Neely, Drew Pisarra, Hilary Plum, Zach Savich, Rachelle Toarmino, Sony Ton-Aime, and Spencer Williams.

Although this is a generative residency, focused on providing literary artists with space and inspiration through contact with Artpark’s 150 acres of natural beauty and 100+ days of artistic programming, there may be opportunities for residents to perform, lecture, or instruct youth or adult workshops.

“I am excited that the residency is returning for a third year, now open to the public to create opportunities for Western New York writers and deepen ties to the local literary community,” said residency director Aidan Ryan. “The whole Artpark team is excited to review applications and welcome another pair of writers to experience this truly unique place.”

Eligibility and How to Apply

Artpark will accept email applications from local poets and writers from Monday Nov. 11 through Friday, December 13. Interested writers should send complete applications via email to ‘writers@artpark.net’. Rules and requirements are below:

• Eligibility: Applicant may be a published poet, fiction/nonfiction writer, or playwright resident in Niagara or Erie Counties. Previous residents may not apply.

• Include in application: Cover note (no more than 500 words), bio (no more than 250 words), writing sample (no more than 5 pages).

• Contact: writers@artpark.net 

• Deadline: December 13, 11:59pm ET.

More Information

Established in 1974 as a collaboration between New York State Parks and the nonprofit Artpark & Company, Artpark welcomes artists to enjoy and be inspired by the dramatic scenery and rich history of the Niagara River Gorge, and welcomes visitors and locals to enjoy the art and experiences created on its 172 acres. Over the decades, Artpark has hosted tens of thousands of avant garde visual artists, cutting-edge performers, beloved bands and musicians, poets and writers, and more, earning a worldwide reputation as a special place to make and experience art. This living cultural legacy weaves into the area’s history and present-day significance to Western New York’s Indigenous population, the more recent history of investment in sustainable hydroelectric power that both shaped and funded the site, and the Niagara River and Gorge’s extraordinary natural beauty.

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Please visit artpark.net for additional events and information.

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The Earl W. Brydges Artpark is being operated by Artpark & Company, Inc. for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation under a long-term collaborative agreementA