Retreat Dates and Location 

The 2024 Writers Retreat will be held in person from July 28-August 3, 2024, at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Application Details 

Applications to attend the 2024 Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ* Voices open on October 30, 2023, and close at 11:59 pm EST on December 18, 2024 (the date has been extended). You may apply to more than one workshop, however, each application must be submitted separately and requires an additional fee. The application fee for each application is $30.00. 

We are offering several application fee waivers for the QTBIPOC** (Queer and Trans folks who are or identify as Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color) members of our community applying for a fellowship who would be attending the Retreat for the first time (excluding Writers in Residence). Please email retreat@lambdaliterary.org to request an application fee waiver.

Writers in Residence 

Writers in Residence is a program within The Retreat specifically for Retreat Alumni. Seven spots are open for Writers in Residence in 2024 to study within the seven genres we offer. Please only apply to be a Writer in Residence if you are a Retreat Alumni. 

Writers in Residence are meant to be more independent members of the Retreat Community and do not attend daily workshops. Writers in Residence, will, however, have a one-on-one 30-minute workshop meeting with the faculty member leading the genre you apply to. For example, the Writer in Residence for the Fiction cohort with Casey Plett will be a part of the Retreat community, can attend panels, craft talks, and evening readings, and will have a one-on-one with Casey to workshop and critique their piece of writing. Writers in Residence are encouraged to use their independent time to create and write, and often form a small cohort community of their own.

There will be one Writer in Residence chosen per genre for seven spots available for Writers in Residence in 2024. Writers in Residence will have the option to be a part of Life After Lambda, a session to share with current fellows their experiences as alumni of The Retreat. 

Tuition & Scholarships 

Writers Retreat tuition is $2,100. Lambda Literary has a host of full and partial scholarships that are available for accepted applicants. 

Ability to pay is in no way part of the decision-making process. We have a robust and ever-growing host of scholarships available thanks to our intensive fundraising efforts and generous donors. Lambda also supports Fellows in their own fundraising efforts using our fundraising platform. Most Fellows who fundraised alongside us in 2023 raised their entire tuition fee. 

The $30.00 application fee is processed through Submittable's online portal. If you wish to pay by cash or check please contact retreat@lambdaliterary.org. 

Application Status Notifications 

Writers Retreat Faculty make the final determinations regarding accepted and waitlisted applicants. All applicants will be notified of their application status in April 2024. 

Refund Policy 

The $30.00 Writers Retreat application fee is nonrefundable. 

Covid-19 Policy 

Lambda Literary will monitor infection rates, healthcare system capacity, variants, and state and local regulations. If any changes, spikes, or other information is deemed necessary to switch back to all-virtual programming, we will make the call to do so. Find our full COVID-19 safety policy on our website. 

Find out more details about the Writers Retreat on our website. 

*Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and all emerging identities 

**Queer and Trans folks who are Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color