Lannan Fellows Program

Lannan Fellows around the Lannan Center conference room.

2024-2025 Applications Now Open!
Apply by Friday, Sept. 6th

The Lannan Fellows Program offers students the opportunity to spend a year immersed in the study and practice of contemporary poetry/fiction/non-fiction. Fellows attend the Lannan Readings and Talks series, participate in exclusive seminars where they will meet, interact, and have dinner with acclaimed visiting writers, as well as practice their own creative writing in the spring.

The program runs for the full academic year and has the following requirements:

  • You must be a Georgetown University student to qualify for the fellowship. However, you do not have to be an English major. The fellowship is open to all undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Fellows must attend all Reading and Talks Events, which will be held in-person on the Georgetown University campus. Events consist of a seminar exclusively for Lannan Fellows from 4:30-5:30PM and a public reading from 7:00-8:00PM. The dates of the required events are listed below (please do not apply if you are unable to attend the six seminars/readings on these dates):

    Tues, Oct. 1, 2024
    Tues, Oct. 22, 2024
    Tues, Nov. 5, 2024
    Tues, Feb. 4, 2024
    Tues, Feb. 25, 2025
    Tues, April 8, 2025
  • As a Lannan Fellow you’ll also be expected to attend and participate in the Lannan Symposium on the evening of March 25, 2025 (required) and as your schedule allows on March 26-27th.
  • In the spring 2025 semester Fellows enroll in the Lannan Seminar ENGL-4260 (undergraduate) or ENGL-6500 (graduate), an advanced 3-credit course. The Lannan Seminar meets Tuesdays, 3:30PM-6:00PM in the Lannan Center (New North 408) and in New North 311.

    Course Description: The Lannan Seminar encourages dynamic critical thinking and creativity with a view to examining literary forms and practices; the work of individual authors; the relationship between writing and other arts; and the place of writing in contemporary culture. Fellows study and discuss the work of the year’s scheduled guests in the Lannan “Readings and Talks” series, participate in conversations with the guests, and attend their readings and performances.  Fellows then produce an independent final project (creative or critical) under the guidance of the instructor. There are also opportunities for students to develop and share their own writing in several genres.  Enrollment in this seminar is limited to the Lannan Fellows. Enrollment in this seminar is limited to the Lannan Fellows (please do not apply if you know you will have a conflict with the course in the spring).
  • Fellows are expected to participate fully, including attending required seminars and readings, enrolling in the Lannan Seminar in spring 2025, as well as contributing to fostering a sense of community throughout the entire academic year.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your application via the Google Form linked here.

Please include a writing sample of 3-5 pages. The writing sample should be a piece of original writing of your own in any form. If you haven’t tried to write poetry or literary prose before, you can submit 2-3 pages of a personal essay.

You do not have to have previous experience in creative writing to apply for the fellowship, but you should have a vested interest in writing original poetry or prose. Preferably, you should have had some prior acquaintance with the practice or the study of the literary arts (in or outside of class) in order to benefit fully from the year’s events. You should demonstrate a firm interest in contemporary literature and must show evidence of a serious commitment to independent study.

For questions or further information, please contact Patricia Guzman (Program Manager, Lannan Center).