Application process

APPLICATIONS FOR 2024 ARE NOT OPEN YET. Please do not send any application materials until we have updated the submission form.

Can writers apply? Not yet! TESS is currently designed for academics in environmental fields who want to learn literary techniques and apply them to works-in-progress. This does not mean that academics who have been published cannot apply. They can! We just don’t work with professional writers. But check back. We have plans. Questions? See our FAQs.

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Submission requirements:

  1. Title of your project
  2. One paragraph describing what your project is about, then:
  3. The first five pages (preferably) of your project or the first five pages of a chapter
  4. A VERY short bio. Please include a website or online location where we can find more of your work — just the highlights please — we are more interested in your writing than your career
  5. One paragraph describing your writing goals, TESS goals, or publishing goals

What we seek: TESS is designed for scholars of all disciplines and levels of writing experience. To participate, you do need a project or manuscript in development, a project that seeks to find a broad audience, and a project tied to environmental themes–fiction or nonfiction. We are looking at the strength and promise of your writing and project, rather than fulsome arguments or narrative arcs, so if your writing sample is cut off mid-chapter or mid-paragraph, or even mid-sentence, it’s ok. Also, we realize (and expect) writing samples to be drafts or excerpts from longer projects, so no need to explain this to us in your submission.

Formatting your submission: Submit the required documents in the above order, in a single PDF. Please format using a normal 12 point font, normal margins, and double-spaced lines. The total application should not exceed 14 pages, ten of which are the first ten pages of your project or chapter as outlined above. Every page should include project title, page number, and your first initial and last name in the footer or header. Submissions incorrectly formatted, fail to include all required components, and/or exceed the page limit may not be eligible for consideration.

Please note: except for a limited number of small grants, we will be unable to provide housing or transportation stipends in 2024, but will provide accepted participants with suggestions for places to stay in the Providence area. TUITION IS FREE. We are working hard on having a more robust financial aid package in coming years.