Jack Straw Writers Program 2025

Please contact us at arts@jackstraw.org or 206-634-0919 if this application format is not accessible to you for any reason.

Jack Straw Cultural Center is now accepting applications for the 29th year of the Jack Straw Writers Program, with Curator Kathleen Alcalá. To date, the program has included more than 300 writers from the Pacific Northwest and beyond who represent a diverse range of literary genres. Each year, an invited curator selects 12 fellows.

The purpose of the Jack Straw Writers Program is to introduce writers to the medium of recorded audio; to develop their presentation skills for both live and recorded readings; to encourage the creation of new literary work; to present the writers and their work to the public; and to build community among writers.

Participating writers are presented in live readings, in the printed Jack Straw Writers Anthology; and on the web and radio. Each year an invited curator selects the participating writers from a large pool of applicants based foremost on artistic excellence. Among past curators are program co-founder Rebecca Brown, Anastacia- Renée, Matt Briggs, Stephanie Kallos, Jourdan Imani Keith, E.J. Koh, Donna Miscolta, Nisi Shawl, and Shawn Wong. Writers receive training in vocal presentation, performance, and microphone technique to prepare them for public readings, interviews, and studio recording. Their recorded readings and interviews with the curator are then used to produce programs for SoundPages, our literary podcast, and for selected radio broadcast.

The Writers Program requires participants to be on-site at Jack Straw Cultural Center for a number of small-group activities, such as an introductory orientation, workshops for microphone/voice technique and live performance, in-studio interview session with the program curator, and live readings - pending any necessary adjustments due to COVID-19 or other emergencies. Most of these activities take place between January and June. Additional Writers Program readings will take place around the community throughout the year, including a final reading with all of the writers in November. Work appearing in the Jack Straw Writers Anthology may not be previously published material, and any subsequent publication of this work must acknowledge the Jack Straw Writers Program.

Selection Process
 Writers Program applications are evaluated and awarded by an invited curator. The curators change each year. All applicants will be notified of the results in writing. Please allow at least eight weeks after deadline dates for the review and notification process to be completed. The first Writers Program mandatory meeting will take place in January 2025.

The 2025 Writers Program Curator is Kathleen Alcalá. A two-time Jack Straw writing fellow, Kathleen was born in Compton, California to Mexican parents. She is a graduate of Stanford University, the University of Washington, and the University of New Orleans. A graduate of the Clarion West Science Fiction and Fantasy program, her work embraces both traditional and innovative storytelling techniques. She is the author of six books that include a collection of stories, three novels, a book of essays, and most recently, The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Pacific Northwest Island, from the University of Washington Press. Forthcoming is Why Stars Burn from Rosarium Press. Her audio work was recently added to the PALABRA collection of the Library of Congress.

Recognitions include the Western States Book Award, the Governor’s Writers Award, two Artist Trust Fellowships and two Jack Straw Writers Program fellowships. Kathleen has been a guest professor at Seattle University and the University of New Mexico, as well as a writer in residence at Hugo House in Seattle and a Whitely Scholar in Residence at the Helen Riaboff Whitely Center in Friday Harbor, Washington. For eight years, she taught at the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, a low-residency MFA program. Kathleen lives on an island near Seattle, Washington, where she has been designated an Island Treasure. 

Selection Criteria
 The Writers Program typically receives more than a hundred applicants, from which 12 writers are selected. Curator selections will be based primarily upon the excellence of the work represented in the support materials provided by the applicant, with the goal of curating a demographically and stylistically diverse group of writers who will work together well as a group.

Covid-19 Advisory
 We may need to adapt the 2025 Writers Program to fit the safety requirements of the current situation, as we have been doing since 2020, with minimal adjustments to the 2022-2024 years. Some elements – such as workshops, readings, and meetings – may be converted to hybrid or online formats, and some may need to be adjusted to minimize the number of people sharing space. 

It is impossible to know exactly what the situation will look like next year, so we are requesting your patience, flexibility, and adaptability in advance. Know that we will do whatever we can to help you get the most out of this program and find community with your cohort and curator.

QUESTIONS? Please carefully read the Frequently Asked Questions on our website.