Program Information
Overview
This 12-day writing residency supports new writers of fiction at varying levels of accomplishment, from not-yet-published writers to those with one published book. In this self-directed, workshop-based residency, authors will work closely with our faculty Kim Fu, Kazim Ali, and our professional guest Norm Nehmetallah (Invisible Books), to expand your practice and focus on improving writing skills.
The Early Career Writers of Fiction Residency is an energizing, transformative experience, designed to help you take your writing to a new level. This residency is a perfect entry point into Banff Centre’s full suite of Literary Arts programs, offering new writers the opportunity to work on a portion of a manuscript in a workshop setting directly with faculty. The program will help you build your critical vocabulary, making you better critics of your own and others’ work. You will also learn more about the craft of writing, and about the conventions and possibilities for innovation in fiction.
This flexible program allows you to choose the amount of support you are looking for. All program elements are optional.
What does the program offer?
This 12-day self-directed residency provides mentorship from faculty members and professional guests, Q&A sessions, public events, and one-on-one workshopping. Mentors will discuss ideas, experiences, and obstacles that participants may be encountering with their writing of fiction.
In addition to a single room and a small private studio, you will be surrounded by a community of artistic peers. The flexible program format allows you to choose the amount of support you are looking for. All program elements are optional.
Who should apply?
Any new writer of fiction interested in mentorship, public reading opportunities, and feedback from faculty and fellow participants will benefit from this program. The program is open to writers with no publications, a few publications, or even a first book.
Writers of all ages (18+), backgrounds, gender identities, and expressions are encouraged to apply.
Please note: This program is run in English and participants are accepted for an English language project.
Faculty
Kim Fu
Kim Fu is the author of two novels, a collection of poetry, and most recently, the story collection Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, winner of the Washington State Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, as well as a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Ignyte Awards, and the Shirley Jackson Awards. Stories in this collection have been selected for Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy and Best of the Net, featured on Levar Burton Reads and Selected Shorts, and optioned for television and film. Fu was born in Canada and lives in Seattle, Washington.
Faculty
Kazim Ali
Kazim Ali’s Sukun: New and Selected Poems was published by Wesleyan UP in the fall of 2023. Ali’s work encompasses multiple genres, including poetry (The Voice of Sheila Chandra, Inquisition, Sky Ward, The Far Mosque, The Fortieth Day; All One’s Blue) and the cross-genre texts Bright Felon and Wind Instrument. His novels include The Secret Room: A String Quartet and among his books of essays are the hybrid memoir Silver Road: Essays, Maps & Calligraphies and Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice, and a memoir of his Canadian childhood, Northern Light. Ali is also an accomplished translator (of Marguerite Duras, Sohrab Sepehri, Ananda Devi, Mahmoud Chokrollahi and others) and an editor of several anthologies and books of criticism. After a career in public policy and organizing, Ali taught at various colleges and universities, including Oberlin College, Davidson College, St. Mary's College of California, and Naropa University. He is currently a Professor of Literature at the University of California, San Diego.
Faculty
Norm Nehmetallah
Norm Nehmetallah is the publisher at Invisible Publishing, a scrappy not-for-profit press that focuses on literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. He’s worked as a District Sales Manager at Penguin Random House Canada and spent a couple glorious years making books at Toronto’s Coach House Books, but he got his start fumbling with the cerlox binding machine in the basement of Windsor’s Biblioasis. He grew up in a large Arab Canadian family in Windsor, Ontario, but he now lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Professional Guest
What's Included
Single Room
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Your program fee includes a single bedroom on the Banff Centre campus for the duration of your program.
Get connected with other artists on campus and focus on your projects in a creative environment while we take care of the day-to-day essentials.
Full Flex Meal Plan
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Using a credit-based system to dine on campus, our flexible meal plans allow you to select meals according to your own needs during your stay. Banff Centre can accommodate most dietary requests.
The Full Flex meal plan is calculated at $70 credit per day, equivalent to breakfast, lunch and dinner at our Buffet service.
Showcase Your Work
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This program offers opportunities to showcase your work-in-progress in one of our performance venues.
Gym Membership
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Writing Studio
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Each participant will be allocated a private writing space on campus.
Box Office Discounts
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Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
Participant Resources
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Enrich your experience and get to know other artists on campus by taking advantage of the activities and support provided by our Participant Resources team.
Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives
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The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives - Current Services
The Library is delighted to support Banff Centre Participants, Artists, and Faculty with the following services:
- Open hours: 9:30 am to 1 pm, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
- Access to collections, including program relevant books, scores, artists’ books, recordings, periodicals, and object library.
- Library accounts for borrowing materials.
- Digital Library, on campus and remote access.
- Library research assistance, by appointment.
- Archives research, by appointment only.
Please email library@banffcentre.ca or archives@banffcentre.ca for more information or assistance.
Fees & Financial Assistance
You pay (fee after scholarship applied)
$1 092.00
Total fee (Tuition, Accommodation and Meal Plan)
$3 507.00
Scholarship amount applied*
$2 415.00
Application fee: $65 for individuals or groups ($35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous).
Application Fees are non-refundable.
Individual group members must pay an additional registration fee of $35 on acceptance.
*Scholarship of 100% is available and will be applied to cover tuition, and 50% is available to offset meals and accommodation costs.
Scholarship of 100% is available to Canadian Indigenous participants and will be applied to cover tuition, meals and accommodation costs.
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Banff Centre will issue official tax receipts for eligible tuition fees and financial assistance and awards as required by the Income Tax Act. You will receive a T2202 (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) for eligible tuition fees paid and a T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) for applicable financial assistance and awards.
Help fund your experience at Banff Centre. View a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
How to Apply
Learn more about the steps to Complete Your Application.
Holiday Closure
The student application and payment system is now closed for the institutional rest period.
It will reopen at noon on Thursday 2nd January.
The Admissions Office closes Thursday 19th December and reopens Thursday 2nd January.
Resume
A one-page resume or C.V. describing academic, professional, or other relevant creative experience.
Cover Letter
A one-page cover letter explaining why you are interested in this program and what you hope to achieve by attending it.
Project Proposal
A one-page description of your proposed work-in-progress.
Portfolio
Provide an excerpt from the work-in-progress that you will work on during the program (10 pages maximum).
Adjudication
Adjudication is based on artistic merit, the potential impact of the program on artists’ practice and careers, project feasibility and the capacity of Banff Centre to help realize the project, and the project’s fit with Banff Centre’s values and strategic directions as described in its strategic plan. Banff Centre respects the need for artists to plan ahead for their visit; applicants will be notified as soon as adjudication is complete.
International Applicants
Banff Centre welcomes domestic and international applicants for this program. Please note, Banff Centre programs do not meet Canadian Student Visa eligibility requirements, you must obtain a Visitor Visa to enter Canada. Accepted individuals are responsible for identifying and complying with the immigration requirements to enter Canada as a visitor from their country of origin. Current wait times to receive a visa are much longer than normal, so applicants who require a Visitor Visa should check the current expected processing times prior to applying.
Eligibility
Applicants must be ages 18+ at the time of the program start date.
This program is not open to current faculty members of any other Banff Centre programming, or to any applicants who have completed a Banff Centre Literary Arts residency in the last year.
All programs, faculty, dates, fees, and offers of financial assistance are subject to change. Program fee is subject to applicable taxes. Non-refundable fees and deposits will be retained upon cancellation. Any other fees are refunded at the discretion of the Banff Centre. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
