About The Fellowship
Each year, the Creative Fellowship program invites poets, writers, translators, artists, filmmakers, composers, and scholars of contemporary poetry to propose creative projects that would benefit from the resources available in the Woodberry Poetry Room.
The Creative Fellow receives a stipend of $4,500, access to a range of Harvard Library special collections (including the Poetry Room), and in-depth research support from the WPR curatorial staff.
Thanks to the generosity of the T. S. Eliot Foundation, we are pleased to announce that this year's Fellowship recipient(s) will also be offered the opportunity to work on their project at the T. S. Eliot House in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The one-week artistic residency may be scheduled with the Eliot House director within the calendar year of the Creative Fellowship: it does not need to coincide with your research visit to Harvard. The house is open for residencies from May 1st-October 31st, pending availability.
Stipend
A single stipend of $4,500 is the comprehensive amount provided to both individuals and collaborative teams. It is hoped that this funding will help to support travel and lodging during the fellowship. There is no minimum stay requirement: a typical fellowship visit is between 4 days and two weeks. Return visits are also an option: each Fellow's Harvard ID is active for one year.
Deadline
The next deadline for application is February 15, 2022.
Scheduling
We ask that you consult with the WPR curatorial staff prior to your visit to learn about any Covid-related closures or constraints on access. When scheduling your research visit, we also encourage you to bear in mind that the Poetry Room is closed on weekends.
We are happy to share a list of local bed-and-breakfasts and nearby lodging options with recipients. Lodging at the Eliot House can be coordinated separately with the Eliot House residency director: the house is typically open from May--late October. You may wish to time your stay to precede or follow your research at Harvard; some recent Fellows have also opted to commute from Gloucester to Cambridge during their research period (traveling time is 1 to 1.5 hours).
Guidelines

Applicants for the WPR Creative Fellowship will be asked to provide:
- a project description
- a curriculum vitae
- a work sample
- one letter of reference
- no application fee is required
The Creative Fellowship is open to US-based and international applicants. Applications to conduct a collaborative project with one or more artists are permitted. Collaborative teams should apply using a single form and by designating a single person as the primary contact for the application. Letters of reference for collaborative partnerships should address the collaboration as a whole.
Applications are accepted via Submittable. The application period begins on December 1st. The next deadline is February 15, 2022. All applicants and recipients will be notified by May 15, 2022.
The Creative Fellowship program at the Woodberry Poetry Room is generously funded by the Dr. Michael & Teresa Anagnostopoulos Fund. We also wish to express our profound thanks to the T. S. Eliot Foundation.