First Time Applicants:

We accept applications year-round and only through Submittable. A non-refundable $30.00 application fee applies to all first-time applicants who are applying for a residency. We highly suggest you take the time to familiarize yourself with the purpose of RWC by reading our website, especially "What is a Writers' Colony" https://rockvalewriterscolony.org/about/what-is-a-writers-colony/

We're making some changes for 2025. Residency weeks will be offered for the weeks stated in the application form. It may be possible to extend residencies outside the stated dates. This will be at the discretion of the director. Please ask if you have questions. 

Rockvale Writers' Colony does not offer scholarships at this time. Food and travel are the responsibility of the writer. The following fees apply to all accepted writers:

Weekly Residency Fee (6 nights, Monday to Sunday)- $480 ($80/night) for Farmhouse Rooms and Cabin, $540.00 ($90/night) for Granary.

Mini-Residency Fee (1-3 nights)- $100 per night (Granary: $115/night)

Cleaning Fee - $40

Sales Tax of 9.75% and Occupancy Tax of 4%

PLEASE NOTE: Filling out the application completely and in detail is extremely important. Acceptance as a writer-in-residence at RWC is not guaranteed. 

Also Note:  Writers may request to stay in the Cabin and Granary (additional fees apply for Granary) and when possible, we'll do our best to fulfill these requests.

First Time Applicants:

We accept applications year-round and only through Submittable. A non-refundable $30.00 application fee applies to all first-time applicants who are applying for a residency. We highly suggest you take the time to familiarize yourself with the purpose of RWC by reading our website, especially "What is a Writers' Colony" https://rockvalewriterscolony.org/about/what-is-a-writers-colony/

We're making some changes for 2025. Residency weeks will be offered for the weeks stated in the application form. It may be possible to extend residencies outside the stated dates. This will be at the discretion of the director. Please ask if you have questions. 

Rockvale Writers' Colony does not offer scholarships at this time. Food and travel are the responsibility of the writer. The following fees apply to all accepted writers:

Weekly Residency Fee (6 nights, Monday to Sunday)- $480 ($80/night) for Farmhouse Rooms and Cabin, $540.00 ($90/night) for Granary.

Mini-Residency Fee (1-3 nights)- $100 per night (Granary: $115/night)

Cleaning Fee - $40

Sales Tax of 9.75% and Occupancy Tax of 4%

PLEASE NOTE: Filling out the application completely and in detail is extremely important. Acceptance as a writer-in-residence at RWC is not guaranteed. 

Also Note:  Writers may request to stay in the Cabin and Granary (additional fees apply for Granary) and when possible, we'll do our best to fulfill these requests.

For Submissions of Poetry:
1. Send 1-3 poems.
2. Please don't send song lyrics or greeting card verse, poems with explicit language, or poems that are overtly political, sexual, or discriminatory.
3. It is unlikely that we will publish rhyming verse.
4. It is unlikely that we will publish translations.
5. While we will consider all types and forms of poetry, we lean toward image-driven work that is clearly grounded in craft. We pay attention to line breaks, enjambment, use of punctuation, musicality, rhythm of language, etc.

Applicable to all genres:
1. We read blind, so don’t put your name anywhere on your work or in the title of the file you attach. If we see a name, the submission will be disqualified and we won’t read it. There will be no fee refund.
2. You can add a cover letter and a 100-word, 3rd-person bio in the appropriate section on the form if you wish, but we are more interested in the quality of the work you send now than in your past achievements. If your work is accepted, we will contact you for your author’s bio.
3. Please use 12-point, Times New Roman font. We only accept .doc, .docx or PDF files.
4. We may ask for an edit in a piece of writing we really believe in.
5. While we’d love to compensate you for your beautiful words, we can’t do that.
6. We only accept work via Submittable.
7. Simultaneous submissions are perfectly OK, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted somewhere else by making a note in Submittable.  Previously published work is not accepted.
8. We acquire first North American serial rights for work we publish. All rights revert to the author upon publication. Should your work be subsequently published in a chapbook, full collection, another journal, or anthology, please mention that it appeared first in Rockvale Review.
9. Submission Fee: We charge a $3.00 submission fee for all submissions. These fees go towards supporting our Submittable platform. None of the editors receive any compensation. 

For Submission of Short Fiction:
1. Send 1 piece of writing, double-spaced, with a word limit of 2500.
2. In the header of each page, please include the story title. Please include page numbers.
3. Story must be a complete work on its own and not an excerpt of a greater work. There must be a clear narrative arc that peaks with crisis/action. We are looking for stories that move us.
4. Please carefully check your work for misspellings, punctuation, language issues, etc.

Applicable to all genres:
1. We read blind, so don’t put your name anywhere on your work or in the title of the file you attach. If we see a name, the submission will be disqualified and we won’t read it.
2. You can add a cover letter and a 100-word, 3rd-person bio in the appropriate section on the form if you wish, but we are more interested in the quality of the work you send now than in your past achievements. If your work is accepted, we will contact you for your author’s bio.
3. Please use 12-point, Times New Roman font. We only accept .doc, .docx or PDF files.
4. We may ask for an edit in a piece of writing we really believe in.
5. While we’d love to compensate you for your beautiful words, we can’t do that.
6. We only accept work via Submittable.
7. Simultaneous submissions are perfectly OK, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted somewhere else by making a note in Submittable. Previously published work is not accepted.
8. We acquire first North American serial rights for work we publish. All rights revert to the author upon publication. Should your work be subsequently published in a chapbook, full collection, another journal, or anthology, please mention that it appeared first in Rockvale Review.
9. Submission Fee: We charge a $3.00 submission fee for all submissions. All fees go towards supporting our Submittable platform. None of the editors receive any compensation.

For Submissions of Creative Nonfiction:
1. Send 1 piece of writing, double-spaced, no longer than 2500 words.
2. In the header of each page, please include the CNF title. Please include page numbers.
3. We consider CNF to include memoir, essay, and reported material written in a narrative style using storytelling techniques.
4. Please carefully check your work for misspellings, punctuation, language issues, etc.

Applicable to all genres:
1.We read blind, so don’t put your name anywhere on your work or in the title of the file you attach. If we see a name, the submission will be disqualified and we won’t read it.
2. You can add a cover letter and a 100-word, 3rd-person bio in the appropriate section on the form if you wish, but we are more interested in the quality of the work you send now than in your past achievements. If your work is accepted, we will contact you for your author’s bio.
3. Please use 12-point, Times New Roman font. We only accept .doc, .docx or PDF files.
4. We may ask for an edit in a piece of writing we really believe in.
5. While we’d love to compensate you for your beautiful words, we can’t do that.
6. We only accept work via Submittable.
7. Simultaneous submissions are perfectly OK, but please notify us immediately if your work is accepted somewhere else by making a note in Submittable. Previously published work is not accepted.
8. We acquire first North American serial rights for work we publish. All rights revert to the author upon publication. Should your work be subsequently published in a chapbook, full collection, another journal, or anthology, please mention that it appeared first in Rockvale Review.
9. Submission Fee: We charge a $3.00 submission fee for all submissions. All fees go toward supporting our Submittable platform. None of the editors receive any compensation.