The Workshop

Welcome to The Workshop, a space for creatives to share their works-in-progress with a purposefully curated group of writers, artists, and activists.

Apply now

Ready to start putting your work out into the world, but hoping to do so with the support of seasoned editors and fellow writers? Looking for keen eyes on your piece and thoughtful feedback to help you take it to the next level? Our newest digital residency, The Workshop, is modeled after a series of virtual and in-person workshops that the Seventh Wave has facilitated over the years, which flips the traditional workshop model on its head.

The Workshop takes place over 5 weeks during the summer, with carefully curated cohorts of 7 residents each. Our program is participatory, and cohorts are intentionally genre-agnostic, encouraging cross-pollination for writers across genre and form. Each session is 2 hours long. See more information below.

Is The Workshop for you?

We built this program for writers who are ready to take their work to the next level, but require incisive beta readers in order to do so. This program offers a space for conversation, feedback, and idea exchange to inspire writers to envision new possibilities and areas for growth within their work:

Maybe you have a specific piece that you’re feeling stuck on, and you could really use some vetted, trusted opinions about what is working and where you can dig in further. You want to improve your work on the page, but can’t quite identify what next steps might look like in terms of revision or completion.
Maybe you’re looking to polish up a work sample for applications to grad school, to fellowship opportunities, or beyond. You really want to make that piece shine, but it’s been tough to get it to a good spot on your own. You would love some gentle feedback and encouragement.
Maybe you have a larger project you’re working on — whether that be a novel, an essay collection, a collection of poems, or otherwise — and you would love some feedback on an excerpt as a way to deepen your relationship to the larger work. You would love to see what is landing with folks and gain insight into how different readers are interacting with your work.
Maybe you are feeling removed from writing community and don’t feel like you have trusted people you can exchange pages with, who will hold your work with both care and rigor. One of the hopes of this program is that it nurtures literary relationships that can continue on after the five-week period.
Maybe you’ve been writing for years or decades, but you’ve never actually shared your work before. The thought of submitting work feels daunting, and you’d love a stop-gap to get more comfortable with the act of putting your writing out there. Having a community to cheer you on would be invaluable to building your confidence as a writer.

Program Details

2025 The Workshop Dates

Monday Cohort Dates:

This cohort meets from 5-7 p.m. PST on Mondays between June 16 and July 14.

June 16, Session 1: Introductions, methodology, collaborative vibe setting.
June 23, Session 2: Workshops for 2 residents.
June 30, Session 3: Workshops for 2 residents.
July 7, Session 4: Workshops for 2 residents.
July 14, Session 5: Workshop for 1 resident + debrief/close out.

Saturday Cohort Dates:

This cohort meets from 8-10 a.m. PST on Saturdays between June 21 and July 26 (skip July 5).

June 21, Session 1: Introductions, methodology, collaborative vibe setting.
June 28, Session 2: Workshops for 2 residents.
July 12, Session 3: Workshops for 2 residents.
July 19, Session 4: Workshops for 2 residents.
July 26, Session 5: Workshop for 1 resident + debrief/close out.

Application Process

Applications are open now through May 15 via our Submittable Page.

There is an application process for all of our digital residencies to ensure that participation in our program is not just contingent upon one’s financial resources. For us, “community building” means building community in thoughtful and intentional, inclusive and accessible, equitable and transparent ways. All of our offerings — be it our annual literary magazine or the Community Anthologies program — are designed to create safe spaces for those who participate, especially folks from marginalized communities. Given that this program is a cohort-based experience that brings seven writers and one facilitator into an intimate workshop setting, our application process ensures that residents are aligned with our ethos.

What information is required to submit in your application?

General information: This includes things like your name, email, time zone, the cohort/track you are applying for, and a confirmation that you have read and agree to the community agreements for this program.
A statement of interest (in three fields): There will be three primary text fields for you to fill out: about you, your work, and your hopes for this program. This is your opportunity to tell us about you and your work, why you want to participate, and what you are hoping to achieve during the program. We want to get to know you as a human, as well as a writer. Whereas traditional submissions and applications require “formal bios” for writers, this application process seeks the informal: Where are you coming from, and where are you trying to go? Who are your mentors, near or far? What hurdles are you running into with the particular piece you’d like to workshop with us? These are the primary fields that our selection committee uses to evaluate applications.
Workshop pages: Because this program is geared toward writers who already have a piece (or pieces, if multiple poems) in mind that they’d like to work on, it is required that you upload the pages you’d like to dig into during workshop. Please note: If you are accepted into the program, you’ll have the opportunity to re-upload the piece that you’d like to work on, so if it has changed at all in the time between when you applied and the start of the program, you will be able to share an updated version. Please see our Submittable page for more specifics about page count and word limits for submitted pages.
Financial aid information: If you require some form of financial aid to participate in this program, you’ll be able to let us know. You may also provide context that can help us better understand your circumstances. To note: we offer payment plans for any participating resident to help offset financial burden.

Application Timeline

April 7: Applications open for The Workshop
May 15: Application deadline
May 25: All applicants informed of selection decision
June 8: Accepted applicants share pages for workshop with cohort
June 16: The Workshop Monday cohort kicks off
June 21: The Workshop Saturday cohort kicks off

Program Overview

When it comes to workshopping, we are very big on centering the writer as the expert in the room. Here are a few things that residents can expect from the program:

Seasoned facilitators: All of our facilitators are writers, editors, teachers, and practitioners of craft and story who have led multiple workshops across genre and format, and who are excited to encourage a virtual space that is welcoming, supportive, and rigorous.
Dedicated written and verbal feedback: Each resident will be allotted a 50-minute time slot during the five-week program, during which they’ll be given undivided attention on their workshop pages. Each of their fellow residents will provide written feedback, as well as verbal, real-time responses during the session itself. Residents will also get written and verbal feedback from their facilitator.
An optional one-on-one session: Residents are encouraged to sign up for a one-on-one session with their facilitator following their workshop to debrief about the workshop itself, as well as to chat about actionable next steps with their piece.
Learn how to give critical feedback: Our workshops are intentionally genre-agnostic, and are carefully curated by our team to ensure a breadth of experience, topic, and aesthetic. Through The Workshop, you’ll gain confidence in workshopping different genres and have the opportunity to share resources with your cohort.
Future opportunities: Once you participate in any of our programs, you are then eligible to apply for our in-person residencies, which take place throughout the year, and range from four days to two weeks.

Cost of Program

Cost. This program costs $450, which breaks down to $90 per two-hour session, plus the optional one-on-one meeting with your facilitator.
Financial aid. We do offer limited financial aid for this program, but the amount of aid we’re able to provide depends upon the number of requests and the size of our scholarship fund at that time. Please note: Payment plans are available for any participating resident.
Confirming your spot with your deposit. Upon being accepted, you will have 10 days to secure your spot by signing the contract and making your deposit (25% of your total fee), which will then go toward the total cost of the program. If you do not reserve your seat within 10 days, it will be awarded to the next person on the waiting list.

A note on price: We conducted extensive research on pricing for a program like ours. We worked closely with our team and advisory board, surveying the industry to ensure that our program and pricing is equitable and accessible. We are also committed to appropriately paying our staff for the time and talent it takes to run this program, and so while we will always do what we can to make our programs available and accessible, we are also committed to ensuring that our nonprofit appropriately values the work that goes into making this program possible in the first place.

FAQ

No question is too small; below are a few frequently asked questions.

Will there be a lecture component to The Workshop?

While the primary focus of The Workshop digital residency is workshopping residents’ pieces, the facilitator may choose to bring in some outside resources, teachings, or prompts as a way to bolster the workshop experience itself. There are no formal “lectures,” per se, but there will be plenty of tips and tricks that you can add to your writer’s tool kit.

Do you utilize the "cone of silence" model of workshopping?

No. For those who are unfamiliar, traditional writing workshops often employ a practice known as the “cone of silence,” wherein the person being workshopped is not allowed to speak at all while their work is being dissected by their peers. We believe deeply that the writer is the expert of their own piece, so we approach the workshop space as a conversational one, though residents are welcome to remain silent if they prefer. Each facilitator will help to set the tone and vibe of the workshop during the first session.

Are sessions recorded?

No. In order to preserve the intimacy of our sessions and the privacy of information shared, we do not record any of our sessions, and we also ask that residents do not record anything either.

What happens if I can’t attend a session?

While we do offer transfer seats for our Narrative Shifts digital residency, we unfortunately cannot offer transfer seats if residents have to miss a session of The Workshop, since each cohort will have its own unique focus and cadence. The workshop is an intimate space, and as such, we do expect every resident to attend every session (with the understanding that emergencies do arise). If you have to miss a session, we will be in touch to find a resolution; all residents are required to offer written feedback in addition to verbal feedback during the sessions themselves to ensure that everyone is doing their part to create a rigorous, thoughtful space together.

If I can’t make one of my cohort’s sessions, can I join one of the other cohort’s session that week?

No, unfortunately, we do not offer transfer seats for The Workshop due to the intimate nature of the workshop space.

What happens if I am accepted but then can no longer commit to the five-week program?

We kindly ask that you let us know as soon as possible if this is the case so that we can offer your seat to the next person on the waiting list. A 25% non-refundable deposit is due 10 days after you receive your acceptance, but any other tuition you have paid beyond that will be refunded to you so long as you let us know about your withdrawal prior to the deadline for everyone to re-upload their pages (June 8). If you need to withdraw after that, we unfortunately cannot offer a refund.

How many digital residents do you accept per intake and/or cohort?

Within each intake, we offer two cohorts, and each cohort will have 7 residents, which allows us to facilitate an intimate, focused space that offers ample support for each writer.

Are there any differences between the cohorts?

No. This is simply for scheduling considerations. We offer two cohorts in order to offer two options for meeting days and times, as all of our digital residencies are meant to bring writers from all over the world — and therefore time zones — together.