Bennington Writing Seminars

Bennington Writing Seminars READ. WRITE. BE READ. The Bennington Writing Seminars is one of the top (and one of the first) low-residency programs in the country.

During your two years here, you commit as much to reading as to writing and conceive reading lists that strengthen and broaden your knowledge. You perform critical literary analysis. You craft bold new works of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry inspired by your discoveries. All this with the expert guidance of prestigious authors who develop a stake in your work and your life after Bennington.

And that’s a wrap! The last couple of days of residency flew by—and with them, we say congratulations and goodbye to our...
06/17/2026

And that’s a wrap! The last couple of days of residency flew by—and with them, we say congratulations and goodbye to our lovely Summer ’26 Class.

On Friday and Saturday, we enjoyed our final classes and workshops of the residency. We also gathered for a special Life of Letters conversation between Sheila Heti and Mark Wunderlich, presented through the Mark Prior (MFA ’26) and Luc Bernard Visiting Writers Fund.

Saturday evening, after enjoying a very sunny Vermont summer day (AND getting to celebrate the birthday of our very own ), we joined family and friends for the Commencement of the Bennington Writing Seminars. We will miss you, grads! 🎓🥂

Congratulations to the Summer 2026 graduates! Tonight, 32 talented writers will earn their MFAs in Writing and Literatur...
06/13/2026

Congratulations to the Summer 2026 graduates! Tonight, 32 talented writers will earn their MFAs in Writing and Literature. 🎉 🎓

Thursday’s heat didn’t keep us from enjoying another full day on the campus. ☀️🍃 We spent the day immersed in classes, ...
06/12/2026

Thursday’s heat didn’t keep us from enjoying another full day on the campus. ☀️🍃 We spent the day immersed in classes, lectures, and conversations, learning from faculty, alumni fellows, and one another. The day concluded with a toast celebrating this residency’s graduating students.

Last night, we thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Katy Simpson Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher, and De’Shawn Charles Winslow as part of our reading series. Tonight, we’ll gather for the final reading (!) of the residency with Sheila Heti and Randall Mann:

https://vist.ly/57hkr

Tonight at 7 PM: Join us for the final evening of our Writers Reading Series, featuring Sheila Heti and Randall Mann.The...
06/12/2026

Tonight at 7 PM: Join us for the final evening of our Writers Reading Series, featuring Sheila Heti and Randall Mann.

The Bennington Writers Reading Series is free and open to the public, both in person and virtually:

https://vist.ly/57hbe

This week has flown by. On Tuesday, we marked the residency’s halfway point with a full day of classes, lectures, and ti...
06/11/2026

This week has flown by. On Tuesday, we marked the residency’s halfway point with a full day of classes, lectures, and time spent with our cohorts during Dark Night.

Yesterday, we were back at it with a class on revision with Eula Biss, then we headed to Tishman for a lecture on “Family Stories, Family Fictions” with Luis Jaramillo. In the evening we enjoyed readings by Lance Richardson and Laura van den Berg.

Tonight at 7:15 PM (*please note the later start time*), we continue our reading series with Katy Simpson Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher, and De’Shawn Charles Winslow. We hope you’ll join us virtually:

https://vist.ly/57cvw

Tonight at 7:15 PM (*Please note the later start time*), join us for another fabulous evening of our Writers Reading ser...
06/11/2026

Tonight at 7:15 PM (*Please note the later start time*), join us for another fabulous evening of our Writers Reading series. Tonight we will hear from Katy Simpson Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher, and De’Shawn Charles Winslow.

Join us: https://vist.ly/57crq

Tonight at 7PM: Lance Richardson and Laura van den Berg will read from their recent books as part of the Writers Reading...
06/10/2026

Tonight at 7PM: Lance Richardson and Laura van den Berg will read from their recent books as part of the Writers Reading series.
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Join us! The Bennington Writers Reading series events are free and open to the public in person or virtually. Zoom links are posted at the bottom of each event page:

https://vist.ly/578f4

We’ve reached the halfway point of our summer residency! ☀️ Yesterday, we gathered for a class on “The Architecture of B...
06/09/2026

We’ve reached the halfway point of our summer residency! ☀️ Yesterday, we gathered for a class on “The Architecture of Books” with Peter Cameron, followed by a lecture on “Sound Trails” with Paul Lisicky.

Our evening reading series continued with readings by Monica Ferrell and Wayne Koestenbaum.

Tonight, we’ll observe Dark Night, giving everyone time to rest and recharge with their cohorts. We hope you’ll join us tomorrow for readings by Lance Richardson and Laura van den Berg:

https://vist.ly/5746z

“Endlessly entertaining... Does anyone write about the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality with more hon...
06/09/2026

“Endlessly entertaining... Does anyone write about the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality with more honesty and intensity than De’Shawn Charles Winslow?” —Wiley Cash, author of When Ghosts Come Home

Happy Publication Day to fiction faculty member De’Shawn Charles Winslow! His latest novel, THE FERVENT WHITES, is out today from One World:

https://vist.ly/573zi

Sunday brought classic rainy-day Vermont vibes—and a full schedule of conversations and readings.First, we explored “Sub...
06/08/2026

Sunday brought classic rainy-day Vermont vibes—and a full schedule of conversations and readings.

First, we explored “Subversive Syntax & the Craft of Surprise” with Devon Walker-Figueroa, followed by a lecture by Stacey D’Erasmo on “The Writer in their Time.”

In the afternoon, we gathered in Tishman for readings by our Alumni Fellows—Claressinka Anderson MFA '22, Jayson Greene MFA '21, and Liesl Schwabe MFA '05. The day concluded with evening readings from Thomas Grattan, Paul Lisicky, and Devon Walker-Figueroa '15.

Tonight, join us at 7 PM for our reading series featuring Monica Ferrell and Wayne Koestenbaum:

https://vist.ly/56xzb

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Bennington, VT
05201

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(802) 440-4452

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