Orion

Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop 

June 18-23, 2022

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Join a community of writers, improve your craft, and reimagine how you think about nature. Guided by award-winning instructors, the Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop provides an intimate space to connect with writers, artists, and editors, spark creativity, and renew, illuminate, and deepen your relationship with place. This week-long workshop is cosponsored by the Omega Center for Sustainable Living.

Whether your passion is nonfiction, fiction, or poetry, the Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshop is a creative laboratory for anyone seeking to reflect their environments through their work. The course features breakout sessions dedicated to intensive craft practice, faculty readings and lectures, student readings, and panels on publishing.

Workshops will be limited to twelve participants so that each participant receives individualized attention, feedback, and focused meetings with faculty members and Orion editors to discuss manuscripts, projects, or whatever is on their minds. Throughout the week, literary agents and editors will stop by and offer advice on bringing out your work in the publishing world.

FACULTY

2023 faculty includes Elizabeth Bradfield and Jennifer Elise Foerster (poetry), Francisco Cantú,  J. Drew Lanham, and Nadia Owusu (nonfiction), and Amy Irvine. 

Look here for more information about our faculty.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications Accepted: February 1 – May 1, 2023

*Apply early and officially register by March 15 to receive the early bird tuition rate.

Workshops will be offered in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Please submit a cover letter and sample of your work through Submittable. For prose, please send a 1,000-1,500 word writing sample, for poetry, send up to six pages of poetry.

Acceptances will be made on a rolling basis and applicants will be notified whether they have been admitted within a few weeks of applying.

Note that a variety of housing options at different price points are available at the Omega Institute. Those who apply earlier will be able to choose their housing sooner. Some housing options may sell out faster than others.

Some partial financial aid is available but in limited quantities. Please reach out if you’d like to discuss. 

*The deadline to apply for aid is March 1. 

Please write to workshops@orionmagazine.org with any questions or visit our FAQ page.

LOGISTICS

Travel: The Omega Institute is easily accessible. It is conveniently located in Rhinebeck, New York, with easy access to major airports and public transportation.

Tuition and Board: Tuition is $1200 ($1100 early bird rate if you register by March 15th). Additional room and board fees vary based on your choice of accommodation and range from $495-1500. 

When successful applicants call Omega, they will be given various housing options for their 5-day stay, including private cabins, dorm rooms, and tent space. Fees are all-inclusive and include three meals a day, optional daily classes in yoga or tai chi, and access to amenities like tennis courts, a basketball court, walking trails, boating on the lake, the Ram Dass Library, the Sanctuary for meditation, and an Omega Art Bag with art supplies for drawing or painting.