Apply Now

General applications for the DISQUIET International Literary Program (taking place June 22-July 4, 2025) are now closed. If you are applying to DISQUIET through Bluegrass Writers Studio, Stetson Sullivan Scholars, or UIC Study Abroad, please follow the instructions below.

Notifications of acceptance will begin in late January and all applicants will be notified by February 17. Please do not contact us for the status of your application unless this deadline has passed.

Looking for contest guidelines? You can find them here.

Application Guidelines

DISQUIET welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and at every stage of their writing life. No prior publication or workshop experience is required. Applicants will be selected on the strength and promise of the work submitted and on the committee’s judgment that the applicant is likely to benefit from and contribute to the program.

Applicants must be 18 years of age by the time of the program. We expect all participants to arrive in Lisbon by Sunday, June 22 and to remain for the duration of the program. Participants should plan to attend all meetings of their core workshop.

If you are a writer of Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) heritage interested in taking part in DISQUIET’s multi-genre Writing the Luso Experience workshop, please complete the free Luso-American Fellowship application on Submittable, or contact disquietinternational@gmail.com for more information.

Your application must include the following:

– A completed application form. You may use either Google Forms or Jotforms to complete the form. If you are unable to use either, please contact disquietinternational@gmail.com.

– A sample of your writing. Please submit between 8 and 15 pages of (double-spaced) prose or up to 5 poems of no more than 18 pages total. This may be published or unpublished work. Please send as an email attachment to disquietinternational@gmail.com. Include your name and the words “2025 Application” in the subject line. If you are applying in multiple genres, please submit one sample for each genre. Applicants selected to participate in the program will have the opportunity to submit a separate manuscript to be workshopped.

You’ll receive an email acknowledging receipt of your application within one week of submitting all materials.

Costs and Deadlines

Tuition is $2200. Depending on outside funding, some full and partial scholarships may become available with details TBA. Applicants are also welcome to enter our contest (deadline January 6, 2025 – see below).   

Participants are responsible for their own travel expenses, accommodations, and meals while in Lisbon

A deposit of $150 is due immediately on acceptance. We require an additional deposit of $300 due March 17. Invoices will be sent out in late March unless requested earlier. The balance of tuition is due April 15.

All deposits are non-refundable after March 17.

Contest and Fellowships

Three full and a handful of partial tuition scholarships are available through our writing contest. Three winners will receive publication and a full tuition waiver; one grand prize winner will also receive accomodations and a $1000 travel stipend. Read the complete contest guidelines here.

Through a grant from the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), four full fellowships, including accommodations and travel stipend, are available to writers of Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) descent to attend our multi-genre Writing the Luso Experience workshop. Details here.