Bennington Writing Seminars

10/06/2026

We’re heading to ALTA49, the largest gathering dedicated exclusively to literary translation, taking place October 21–24 in Portland, Oregon. Each year, the conference brings together hundreds of literary translators, writers, students, readers, teachers, publishers, and other professionals from across the U.S. and around the world to share ideas and make connections.

Bennington Writing Seminars is proud to sponsor ALTA49! If you’re attending, come meet us during the ☕ Coffee Break ☕ on Friday, October 23, at 10:15 a.m. and learn more about our new dual-genre concentration in literary translation. We’d love to see you there!

https://vist.ly/5mb3a

10/06/2026

“I’m astounded and inspired by the quality and variety of the nominations we’ve received for this anthology, and I can’t wait to share these remarkable stories with the reading public who have waited so long for the revival of this iconic annual collection.” —Robin Miura, editor of New Stories from the South

Happy Publication Day to fiction faculty Emily Nemens, whose story “Asymptotes” (originally published in Story) appears in NEW STORIES FROM THE SOUTH, an anthology out today from Blair Publisher:

https://vist.ly/5m8bp

10/06/2026

"Galvin's gripping narrative—intertwining the lives of a radicalized veteran and an innocent immigrant caught in the blast—reveals the human toll of extremism." —Mitchell Zuckoff, author of "13 Hours and Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11"

Congratulations to Kevin Galvin, MFA ’25 (Fiction), on the publication of his book, TROUBLED TIMES: The Boston Courthouse Bombing of 1976, now available from Brandeis University Press:

https://vist.ly/5m88y

10/01/2026

"The present moment is brief and sudden, and it’s really all we have: the feel of our feet on the ground, the endless stream of thoughts in our heads, and the visions before our eyes."

Director of Special Projects and poetry faculty Craig Morgan Teicher shares his poetry picks for this month in Literary Hub:

The present moment is brief and sudden, and it’s really all we have: the feel of our feet on the ground, the endless stream of thoughts in our heads, and the visions before our eyes. We live…

09/29/2026

Thinking about an MFA in Writing, or know someone who is? 📚

Save the date and join us for the Bennington Writing Seminars Virtual Open House on January 27, 2027, from 2–3 pm ET.

Meet faculty and a recent graduate, learn about the application process and our four genres, and ask your burning questions about the program and residency.

Can’t make it? The session will be recorded and shared with everyone who registers:

https://vist.ly/5kaq5

09/25/2026

"In Disenchanted, Kaycie Hall examines love, friendship, motherhood, and desire with honesty and precision. This is a truly beautiful debut." —Chelsea Hodson, MFA '17, author of Tonight I'm Someone Else

Congratulations to Kaycie Hall, MFA '22 (Nonfiction), on the publication of her essay collection, DISENCHANTED! It is now available from Autofocus Books.

https://vist.ly/5ju7n

09/24/2026

“A blend of journalism, nature writing, essay, personal history, and love letter to the land, This Patch of Earth is an invitation to witness the subtle and profound changes taking place in our own backyard.”
—Amber Caron, MFA '16, author of Call up the Waters

Congratulations to Daryln Brewer Hoffstot, MFA '16 (Fiction) on the publication of her essay collection, THIS PATCH OF EARTH: Observations on a Rural Life, now available from Stackpole Books.

https://vist.ly/5jpd4

09/22/2026

If for some reason you missed nonfiction faculty member Joshua Wheeler’s THE HIGH HEAVEN in hardcover, good news: it’s now available in paperback from Graywolf Press! 🌕

“An astonishing novel, a tour de force. Not since Lee K. Abbott has a writer heard the music of the hinterlands so keenly and put it on paper with such exuberance, such glee, such grace. Joshua Wheeler’s talent is searing.” —Claire Vaye Watkins

https://vist.ly/5jdna

09/10/2026

Happy Publication Day to John West, MFA '18 (Nonfiction)! His book, THE INTERNET WILL DIE, AND SO WILL YOU: On Learning to Live in Our Digital Age, is out today from Here Below Books.

"[West's] wide-ranging meditations, which touch on everything from Bach to TikTok, will appeal to readers who want to search for meaning rather than scroll for distraction." —Publishers Weekly

https://vist.ly/5hyd3

09/07/2026

Fiction faculty member Moriel Rothman-Zecher on what makes a piece of writing feel alive. ✨