Submission Requirements
- Writing sample (50-300 pages). This excerpt from your memoir should be a polished and thoughtfully-constructed draft that shows a deep engagement with the material and a sense of commitment to its subject matter. However, we do not expect that this sample is the "final form" of any aspect of the project. The sample should be contiguous pages of your strongest writing from your memoir. (If you are writing a fractured memoir, we understand that the order of the fragments may not indicate final form).
- Project description (300 words or fewer). Please tell us how your memoir unfolds beyond the submitted manuscript pages.
- Personal statement (300 words or fewer). Please tell us what you hope to gain from this course of study and what you hope will be different (or the same) from the way you have studied writing until now, whether that's been in workshops, writing groups, or in a more self-directed way. Include your best estimate of how many hours you will be able to devote to class work each week, not including classroom time and your own writing.
- Recommendation by a GrubStreet instructor or equivalent workshop leader. No letter is necessary. There is a place on the application form to list your recommender's name and contact info.
- Experience in at least one workshop at GrubStreet or an equivalent writing center, MFA program or conference. There is a place on the application form to list the titles & dates of previous workshops.
- If applying for one of our scholarships, you must submit an additional scholarship application. You will also be provided the link to the scholarship application at the end of the Memoir Incubator's online application form. You only need to submit this application once.
- There is no application fee.
- Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by the first week of May. We strongly encourage students to apply as early as possible.
Applications for the Memoir Incubator are now closed. Applications for the next cycle will re-open on January 2025. In the meantime, please keep writing.
Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submission is encouraged. Your application will always be carefully reviewed whenever you apply. All applicants will be notified of their standing by late April/early May of each year.
Please note that the Memoir Incubator will be held primarily in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, with a selection of classes in each phase of the program taking place on Zoom. The full schedule will be available at the time of admission to the program.
Tuition
The entire cost of the program is $8,595 due in full one week before the start of class. Payment plans are availabe with 50% due at least one week before the start of class and the rest usually divided across the first third of the program.
Fellowships are available and based on a combination of writerly promise and financial need. We strive to locate support for our students who need it, and may offer awardees anywhere from 25% to 75% support, depending on our funding year, and the number of successful applicants. You can apply for a fellowship when filling out the Memoir Incubator application.