Purpose
The "Miss Sarah" Fellowship for Black Women Writers aims to provide Black women writers a restful environment conducive to reflection and writing. It also offers uninterrupted, independent time to plant the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to develop or complete a project underway. This is an annual award and the application cycle opens every fall.
The 2027 Fellowship will focus on Nonfiction.
What the fellowship entails
The selected writer will receive a ten-day solo residency in July and can choose whether to stay at Trillium Arts' rural "Firefly Creek" apartment in Mars Hills, NC or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis' "Montford Manor" residence near downtown Asheville, NC. Awardees will receive a $1,000 stipend, welcome dinner, a rental car and transportation to and from Asheville, NC. Additional benefits will be custom tailored to the needs of the awardee.
Dates
The preferred dates for a "Miss Sarah" Fellowship are typically July 10-20. However, the panel will consider other dates.
Who is eligible?
Black women writers at any stage of their careers are invited to apply. For applicants outside of the United States, please note that travel expenses will only be covered within the United States. International airfare and visa will be at the expense of the applicant. There is no application fee.
Timeline
The application will be open beginning Thursday, October 8, 2026 and is available via the link at the bottom of this page. The application portal will remain open for six weeks. The Deadline to apply is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59pm. This is a firm deadline and late applications will not be accepted. Applications will be reviewed by a panel and applicants will be notified by March 2027.
Requirements
Please upload and submit all of the following documents, either as PDF or Word documents. Files should not exceed 10 MB each.
- CV or resume (not to exceed 5 pages)
- A one-page Fellowship Proposal Statement outlining the proposed project. Include information about the project context and what you plan to accomplish during the Fellowship period.
- A one-page statement that addresses the question of, "Why Trillium Arts?" Be specific in how a Fellowship at Trillium Arts will benefit your creative work.
- One letter of recommendation, submitted separately by an outside recommender, specifically referring to your writing project.
- A writing sample of your proposed project, in English, work-in-progress recommended. MA and MFA theses, PhD dissertations, and edited collections are not eligible.
To Apply
Beginning October 8, 2026 you can create your application via the application portal.