Founded and directed by Associate Research Professor of Literature and American Studies Donna Ford Grover, the Hurston Fellowship is a 3-week residential program designed to enable writers from all disciplines who have not had the opportunity to develop their scholarship, specifically, those who are without access to sabbaticals or their institution’s research funding. This fellowship is open to all individuals with a college or university affiliation and a minimum of five years teaching experience as an adjunct, lecturer or visiting professor.
Zora Neale Hurston.
What is the Zora Neale Hurston Writing Fellowship at Bard College?
The Zora Neale Hurston Writing Fellowship enables writers from all disciplines who have not had the opportunity to develop their scholarship, and supports writers who are currently employed as adjuncts or visiting professors with terminal degrees and who have not yet published a book-length work. For three-weeks during the summer, fellows reside on Bard’s beautiful Hudson Valley campus. Both housing and meals are provided. During their residency, each Hurston Fellow spends their time working, writing, and researching independently on dedicated projects.
Call for Applicants
Prospective Fellows should submit a vita, a letter of recommendation by someone familiar with their work, and an abstract of the project they wish to work on during the three-week residency. The abstract should not exceed 2000 words. Applicants need a college or university affiliation and should have a minimum of five years of teaching as an adjunct, lecturer or visiting professor. The Application deadline is April 15, 2027. All applicants will be notified of the admission Committee’s decision by May 15, 2027.
To submit materials or for questions please email [email protected].
To submit materials or for questions please email [email protected].
Clockwise from top left: 2026 Zora Neale Hurston Writing Fellows at Bard College, Chihiro Shibata, Fawziah A. Qadir, Tomomi J. Emoto, and Stephanie Jenn Boggs.
2026 Hurston Fellows
The Zora Neale Hurston Writing Fellowship at Bard College, now in its fifth year, welcomes its cohort of four writers: Chihiro Shibata, Fawziah A. Qadir, Stephanie Jenn Boggs, and Tomomi J. Emoto. The Hurston Fellows are in residence for three weeks in summer 2026.