FAQ

The four available writer-in-residence time slots for 2022–2023 are:
Fall 2022: September 1 through November 20, 2022
Winter 2022–2023: December 1, 2022, through February 17, 2023
Spring 2023: March 1 through May 21, 2023
Summer 2023: June 1 through August 20, 2023

At the time you submit your application you will be asked which residency time slot(s) you prefer or are available for. Or you can just indicate ‘any’ if you have no specific time slot preference.

The following categories of writing are eligible for residency submissions: Poetry, Fiction/Short Story, Nonfiction, Play, and Screenplay.

No. You must apply for one category, and your writing sample must match that category. So, for example, if you are applying in the fiction category, your writing sample must only be a fiction sample. You cannot include some fiction and some poems you have written. During the application process and uploading of your writing sample you will be asked to choose which category you are applying in.

Yes, you can, but you will need to start a new application/submission and pay the $35 application fee for that submission as well.

The cover letter should be no more than three paragraphs. The purpose of the cover letter is for you to tell us a little about yourself and the project you would like to work on if you are accepted as a resident. It is not the place to tell us your life story or an in-depth analysis of your artistic vision. Remember, your submission to become a writer-in-residence with the Kerouac Project is based upon the quality of your writing sample, not your cover letter.

The prose format requirement is designed to make it easier for the Selection Committee members who read and assess the submissions and choose the four residents.
Our standard format for all fiction and nonfiction prose submissions is:
• 10 pages in length maximum.
• 1-inch page margins.
• 1.5 lines spacing.
• Text must be in a 12-point serif font, (preferably Times New Roman as its compact structure allows you the maximum number of words per page).
Those submitting poetry, a play, or screenplay, may continue to follow the genre conventions in their submissions, though your writing sample must also be limited to 10-pages in length.

While we prefer having a one-page résumé to get a snapshot of you and your experience/accomplishments, you can run to two pages in length should you need to. Remember, in our assessment process the quality of the writing sample is what matters most, not your résumé. So don’t obsess over the résumé. Your résumé will be uploaded as a separate file along with your writing sample file.

It is strongly encouraged that you stick to the 10-page limit. Remember it is only a sample, not a complete work. More is not always better. However, we understand that if it is just a paragraph or two to finish a short story, a book chapter, or a scene in a play of screenplay, then you can add an extra page to do that. The members of the Selection Committee are instructed not to read beyond 10 pages of a submission, but will read an extra page if that extra page is merely a rounding off.

The submission/application period for Kerouac Project Residencies opens on January 1 of each year, and remains open for approximately 11 weeks. If your submission is ready to submit, there is no point in waiting until the last week to submit. We encourage writers to submit their application and writing sample early.
At midnight Eastern Time on the specified end date of the submissions period our submission system automatically stops accepting applications. We will be unable to accept any application after this time, no matter the reason. So apply early and don’t be left out as some have in the past.

No. We will not accept any application that is not submitted to us online. The Kerouac Project uses Submittable to manage the submission and application process, and all writer-in-residence submissions must come through this system. You can get to our submissions application/upload page here: kerouac.submittable.com

Yes, your writing sample must be submitted in English.

You will be notified by email during the last week of May as to whether or not your submission has been successful. Please do not contact us during the submissions period regarding the status of your submission.

The Kerouac Project of Orlando is a publicly funded non-profit organization, 501(c)3, run by volunteers and an unpaid Board of Directors. The application fee goes towards administrative costs associated with the submission process. It also helps keep the writer-in-residence program running through helping provide the food stipend each resident receives, paying for utilities, upkeep of the Kerouac House, and many other things.

We have a Selection Committee made up of creative writing teachers, professional writers, and other qualified individuals who read and assess all submissions and make the final decision of who will be awarded residencies. Geoff Benge, a Kerouac Project board member and an accomplished author, chairs the Selection Committee.

No. If you are selected to be a writer-in-residence at the Kerouac House, you must cover the cost of your travel expenses in getting to and from Orlando.

During the approximately 3-month residency, the Kerouac Project of Orlando covers the cost of lodging, utilities (internet, water, electricity, lawn, alarm system) and provides the resident with a $1,000 grocery store gift card to pay for their food. There is also a bicycle provided for getting around (grocery store, convenience store, restaurants, coffee shops and even a Dollar Store are within blocks of the house). There is a public bus to get you around to areas outside of College Park, but no automobile is available for the resident. However, friends of the Kerouac Project often provide the resident rides to local literary events.

No, you may write in your native language. We host you so you can be inspired and removed from the distractions of daily life to focus on your writing in whatever is your primary language. However, prior to the end of your stay, you will participate in a public reading at the Kerouac House where you can read in your native language if that is what you have written your work in. However, a competent English translation of the work you read must be provided and read for the audience by you, or someone else if you do not feel competent reading aloud in English.

We require that you participate in three events while you are a resident; a Welcome Potluck dinner for you; a Final Reading of your work at the Kerouac House at the end of your residency; and a public reading at Valencia College. However, Orlando has a vibrant literary community and we encourage you to participate in some outside events. As the Kerouac Project writer-in-residence you have the opportunity to read at public readings, conduct a writing workshop, be interviewed on the radio and/or a local literary podcast, should you want to. If you have books/chapbooks or other media for sale or to promote, you can do so at most of these events should you choose to participate in them. From time to time during your stay you may be asked to participate when the Kerouac House is used for events such as readings and workshops for local students or book groups.

We require you to be present and living at the Kerouac House during the dates stated (above) for your residency slot. However, we realize that residents have lives beyond their residency and so we grant you up to a maximum of two weeks during the residency to be away from the Kerouac House or to have family or friends staying with you at the house. If you are unable to meet these requirements, please do not apply for the residency. If you have been accepted as one of our writers-in-residence and your circumstances have changed and you cannot meet these requirements, please let us know as early as possible so we can arrange to replace you with an alternate resident.

Unfortunately, the Kerouac House is only set up to house a single person. A family member or a friend may visit for a few days during your residency (see question above), but they cannot stay at the house throughout the residency. Besides, the point of a residency is to get away from everyday distractions (including family) to concentrate on your writing.