Bennington Writing Seminars

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Amy Raasch, MFA '24, for being selected as a Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center 2026-2027 Linda J. Albertano Poetry Fellow! 🎉

The Linda J. Albertano Poetry Fellowship is an annual fellowship honoring the late poet and performance artist Linda J. Albertano. Established in her memory, the fellowship supports emerging women and non-binary poets committed to artistic experimentation and the development of their artistic practice.

https://vist.ly/55vw9

05/28/2026

If you're in town this weekend, check out BeHeard.World at Bennington Theater!

VAE brings back Boston based beHeard.World as they perform this Sat. May 30th at 7:30pm on stage at the Bennington Bennington Theater. The Boston Globe says “One of the 10 not-to-be-missed dance performances". "Belonging and Othering" is a collaborative of nine dancers/choreographers, three poets and two filmmakers who have created a piece where “belonging” and “othering” intersect, opening a window into underlying parts of tribalism and bias that keep us divided. The multi-media performance piece will screen seven local storytellers who have experienced being “othered.” The storytellers will focus on racism, gender bias, immigration prejudice and LGBTQ issues. They include an African American man, a trans man, a gay man, Black woman and an Asian immigrant—all who have firsthand experience with these challenges.
"Hop, Twist and Turn, But Look Super Cool”.
NY Times. TICKETS AT: https://tickets.benningtontheater.org/event/belonging-and-othering-ddqhwk

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Jefferey Spivey, MFA candidate in Fiction/Poetry, on being selected as a finalist for the DAG Prize for Literature from the DAG Foundation for his hybrid novel-in-progress, “Fatherwife.” 🏆

Now in its second year, the DAG Prize awards $20,000 to an early-career prose writer whose work expands the possibilities for American writing. The DAG Prize celebrates bold, innovative writing and supports under-recognized authors working on their second prose project.

https://vist.ly/55mds

05/26/2026

"A standout debut with an impeccable voice. This is a memorable story about music, love, and self-discovery. I was hooked from page one."
—Emily Austin, author of Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead

Happy Publication Day to Benny Peterson, MFA '18! 🎉 Their debut novel, THE MAIDENHEADS, is now available from Dutton:

https://vist.ly/55hmj

05/26/2026

"Deeply personal and engaging... A powerful reminder of the enduring importance of preserving our history and sharing our stories." —Elliot Page, actor and author of Pageboy

Happy Publication Day to nonfiction faculty member Hugh Ryan MFA '09! His memoir, MY BAD: A Personal History of the Q***r Nineties and Beyond, is out today from Bold Type Books. ✨

https://vist.ly/55h5i

05/21/2026

Critically acclaimed, award-winning authors and faculty of the Bennington College Writing Seminars will offer an evening reading series during the MFA program's summer residency. Here's our stellar lineup:

✨ Thr, Jun 4: Peter Cameron, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, and Taymour Soomro
✨ Fri, Jun 5: ’Pemi Aguda, Jai Chakrabarti, and Garrard Conley
✨ Sat, Jun 6: Rick Barot and Stacey D’Erasmo
✨ Sun, Jun 7, Afternoon: Alumni Fellows Claressinka Anderson MFA ’22, Jayson Greene MFA ’21, and Liesl Schwabe MFA ’05
✨ Sun, Jun 7, Evening: Thomas Grattan, Paul Lisicky, and Devon Walker-Figueroa
✨ Mon, Jun 8: Monica Ferrell and Wayne Koestenbaum
✨ Wed, Jun 10: Lance Richardson and Laura van den Berg
✨ Thr, Jun 11: Katy Simpson Smith, Craig Morgan Teicher, and De’Shawn Charles Winslow
✨ Fri, Jun 12: Sheila Heti and Randall Mann

This series is open to the public in person and virtually: https://vist.ly/54zba

05/15/2026

"Humorous in a real and candid way, even those who’ve never had a celebrity close call will find her tales relatable on many levels." –Natalie Musgrave Dossett, Laramie Book Awards, Grand Prize-winning author of Sarita

Happy Publication Day to Lisa Johnson Mitchell, MFA '18! Her book, HAIRBRUSH WITH FAME, is now available from Finishing Line Press:

https://vist.ly/54b8s

05/13/2026

"Desire rattles in the chambers of these poems, drawn from myth and history, from autobiography and imagination, refining images and insights. What erudite and exuberant work!" —Richie Hofmann, judge for the Tupelo Press Snowbound Chapbook Prize

Congratulations to Nina C. Peláez, MFA '24! Her chapbook IN THE HOUSE OF MEN has been selected as the winner of the 2026 Snowbound Chapbook Prize and will be published by Tupelo Press. 🎉 🏆

https://vist.ly/532hn

05/11/2026

🗓️ Save the date! 🗓️

Have a friend, student, workshop peer, or fellow writer who keeps asking you about Bennington's MFA in Writing program?

Invite them to join our Virtual Open House on July 29 to learn more about the Bennington Writing Seminars, meet faculty and alumni, and ask questions about applications, genres, residencies, and the low-residency MFA experience.

Can’t attend live? A recording will be shared with all pre-registered participants: https://vist.ly/53s6h

05/08/2026

Short reviews of recent releases.

05/07/2026

Looking ahead to the Summer 2026 term, we’re grateful for the writers and educators who shape our MFA community.
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This summer’s MFA in Writing faculty brings together a wide range of returning and new voices across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, whose work continues to shape the possibilities of contemporary literature.
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We look forward to gathering on campus in June. 🌿☀️

Learn more about our faculty: https://vist.ly/53dbk