Autumn Online Workshop

Executive Director Lance Cleland and Director of Online Programs A.L. Major hosted a virtual Open (Tin) House to discuss our 2024 Winter Online Workshop, including our new scholarship policy, our post-workshop programming and our reading fellows. You can view the recording here.

Our Autumn Online Workshop consists of curated workshops, industry panels, craft lectures, agent meetings, affinity groups, social hours, and, of course, online karaoke.

Before the official workshop, enrolled participants will have the opportunity to attend multiple pre-workshop events including: (1) a guest agent panel, (2) guest editor panel, (3) a query letter: do’s and don’ts session. 

Additionally, every enrolled participant will have the opportunity to meet with one guest agent for ten minutes.

Each workshop will have no more than ten participants. Enrolled participants will have access to a private Slack, which will open in September.

Faculty talks and readings will be recorded, as well as our industry panels. The recordings will be made available to participants after the Autumn Workshop concludes.

In an effort to continue to support our community, alums will have access to select craft intensives and panels throughout the year for free. 

The tuition covers the entire cost of these offerings.

To give better access to the types of craft lectures and industry talks that will be presented during our conference, we offer lecture passes allowing non-enrolled writers to attend faculty talks and guest panels. 

Pass holders will get access to lecture recordings post-workshop. Recordings will be available for up to two months after the workshop. 

You can purchase a lecture pass here.

We ask for one unpublished writing sample. For short fiction/novel/nonfiction, 4,000 words or less.

For our hybrid workshop with Porsha Olayiwola, applicants can submit four poems, totaling no more than eight pages OR five pages of a play OR a mix of both that does not exceed 10 pages.

If you have previously been accepted/attended, please do not apply with the same sample. A different excerpt from the same project is acceptable. Once admitted, you will have the opportunity to workshop a different manuscript.

In addition to the writing sample, the application includes several questions about your project.

Applicants must be 18 years of age to apply.

International writers may apply.

There is no cap on the number of Tin House Workshops you may attend. 

Applications are read by a board composed of Tin House Workshop staff and Tin House Reading Fellows. Acceptance is based on the strength and promise of the writing sample and how much the board feels an applicant might benefit from the Workshop and contribute to the community. All applications are evaluated through the lens of our Core Values.

An individual may receive a scholarship to attend our Autumn Online Workshop only once. However, an individual who receives a scholarship to attend our Autumn Online Workshop is still eligible to apply and receive a scholarship to attend our in-person programming (Summer or Autumn Workshop). We ask only that Autumn Online Workshop scholars wait a year to apply for a scholarship i.e. you can accept a scholarship to attend the 2025 Autumn Online Workshop and apply for a scholarship to attend the 2026 Summer Workshop. Autumn Online Workshop scholars can still apply to attend the Summer Workshop within the same year as a general applicant. 

In addition to this, all 2025 scholars and participants are eligible to apply to be a 2026 – 2027 Reading Fellow. 

Applicants who have received a online seminar or craft intensive scholarship are still eligible to receive a scholarship to attend our Autumn Online Workshop.

All scholarship applicants are considered for general admission i.e. you do not need to submit a separate general application. Tin House former faculty, and Tin House Books authors may not apply for scholarship but they can for general admission.

We will award two general scholarships for our 2025 Autumn Online Workshop. Scholarships cover the total cost of tuition. In addition to our general scholarships, Tin House Workshop will offer the following other awards:

BIPOC Scholarship
This award is open to anyone identifying as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.

Debut 40 Scholarship
This award is intended for writers over forty years (by May 1, 2025) who have not yet published a book (chapbooks do not count against this requirement).

North American Indigenous Author Scholarship
This award is open to any author identifying as Native American and/or Indigenous in North America. Please note that all application fees for our 2025 Autumn Online Workshop will be waived for North American Indigenous Authors. Email workshop@tinhouse.com to secure a waiver.

Own Path Scholarship
Open to any writer who does not have an MFA or is currently enrolled in an MFA Program.

Parent Scholarship
This award is intended to help support parents/guardians who have at least one child under the age of eighteen.

Scholarship for Trans Writers
This award is intended for a writer who is trans.

Southwest Asian and North African Writer Scholarship
Open to any author identifying as Southwest Asian and/or North African.

Without Borders Scholarship
This award is intended for any writer who was born outside of the United States.

The application does not require any self-identifying information related to the award, nor do applicants need to apply with projects that speak to the scholarship they are applying for. We announce Scholars after the conclusion of the Workshop. Our announcement does not delineate by specific scholarship.

Flexible payment plans are available as well.

Fee waivers: Through our Pay It Forward program, Tin House offers a limited number of application fee waivers. We will distribute these waivers on a first-come, first-serve basis. As an applicant, you will have the ability to help cover the cost of another writer’s application fee through this same program. All excess application funds will go towards additional 2025 scholarships. For inquiries, please email workshop@tinhouse.com with the subject line “Autumn Online Workshop Fee Waiver.”