The Hellbender Gathering of Poets
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
Poetry + Environmental Science + Community =
A joyful rising in our climate-changed world
The inaugural Hellbender Gathering of Poets will take place October 5 - 11, 2026, at the Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC.
Participating in our gathering will include:
- Poetry workshops (5 classes totaling 13 hours).
- Outdoor classes / guided “awe” walks with our ecology faculty (3 classes total).
- Craft talks from our poetry faculty (4 total) as well as a group panel featuring both our ecology and poetry faculty.
- Four nights of readings and book signings, including those by our poetry faculty and our special keynote guest. We’ll also have readings for fellows, interns, and all participants (which may just mean you!) to share their work.
- Invitation to our mid-week dance party celebration.
- Invitation to our ceremonial American Chestnut tree planting.
- Personal time set aside for your writing (8.5 hours)—though you might make far more time, these hours are intentionally set aside to help assure that you’ll have time for your poems.
- All meals from Monday evening to Sunday morning (6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 6 dinners).
- Six-night stay in hotel-style room with private baths, air conditioning, and elevator access to all floors.
For more details about our week together including cost, lodging, and more, please visit https://www.hellbenderpoets.org.
Application Guidelines
To apply to our gathering, you'll be asked to complete and provide the following:
- A short application form providing us with your details.
- A cover letter of no more than one page that tells us a little about yourself and addresses the question of why you want to attend the Hellbender Gathering.
- Five pages of poems.
- A non-refundable application fee of $25. This is to help us cover our administrative costs. Should you end up coming to our gathering, this amount will be credited to your balance.
- Fellowship and scholarship opportunities will appear within the application.