What we're supporting

Our purpose is to boost thinking and conversation around care in its many permutations.
Deriving from the German word for grief, care requires effort. It has a little bit of work in it.
Because the folks here at Shannaghe see care as a force in all sorts of human activity—medicine,
justice, education, environmental practice, friendship, and even whether there’s a public park
down the street—the canvas is quite large.

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What we're looking for

In fiction, nonfiction, journalism, poetry, and other forms, we’re looking for writing that notices
where care is or isn’t in relationships among friends, family, co-workers, or strangers; or between
patients and caregivers, or teachers and parents, or human systems and the humans they serve, or
humans and the planet. This means, we want to support work that goes beyond the traditional
narrative of a single illness/treatment. While that tradition is valuable and can be operative in
your work, we’re looking for writing that also employs a wider lens.

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Deadline

Applications open November 1, 2025

Deadline: January 15, 2026

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The fellowship

Two weeks at Shannaghe, a solo experience, in Belfast, Maine, plus stipend. Arrange your
residency dates with Shannaghe.

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The process

• Complete the application for the Fellowship using the form below.

• Provide samples of your work as part of the application. This may be published or unpublished work. 

• Pay the $25 nonrefundable application fee. We accept payments through this site (scroll WAY down). You can also send a check made out to Shannaghe, at 121 City Point Road, Belfast, ME 04915.

• What kind of samples do we need? For writing: 10 pages of poetry or of prose (for prose,
  12-point font minimum, double-spaced, numbered pages), for drama or other forms, 10
  pages, in Word or PDF. Name any attached files LAST NAME, FIRST INITIAL_ and
  then its GENRE (such as Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry. etc): we'll anonymize it from
  there. Please do not identify the work by where it has been published and do make sure to number your pages!​

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Eligibility

You must be 18. Please don't apply if you're a current student or have been a student of the
judge, Steve Langan, within the last year.

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Judging

First round: Shannaghe’s board and friends of the board. Final round: An accomplished judge, to be named. 

Ready? We look forward to seeing your work.

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