2025 Mentoring Retreat
New York, NY
July 27th- August 1st , 2025
About the Retreat
Indigenous Nations Poets (In-Na-Po) is hosting its fourth annual week-long retreat for emerging Native poets July 27th- August 1st , 20225 in New York City. The retreat will offer sixteen Indigenous fellows an opportunity to study with a distinguished poetry faculty and become a part of an exciting community of Native writers. This cohort will include at least 8 new and up to 8 returning applicants.
All 16 poets will be awarded a full fellowship that will cover travel, room and board, as well as tuition.
The five-day gathering will create a space for inspiration, set aside dedicated time for participants to develop their craft and offer guidance on the practice and business of poetry.
About In-Na-Po
Founded in 2020, In-Na-Po—Indigenous Nations Poets—is a national Indigenous poetry community committed to mentoring emerging writers, nurturing the growth of Indigenous poetic practices, and raising the visibility of all Native Writers past, present, and future.
In-Na-Po recognizes the role of poetry in sustaining tribal sovereign nations and Native languages.
In-Na-Po is proud to be a member of The Poetry Coalition, a national alliance of nearly 30 independent poetry organizations dedicated to working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. The Poetry Coalition and its programmatic efforts are supported by the Academy of American Poets with funds from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Application Details:
Eligibility:
The application window opens March 14, 2025 with an April 14, 2025 application deadline. Fellows will be announced on May 5, 2025.
Applicants will be selected on the strength and promise of the work submitted and the likelihood that the applicant will benefit from and contribute to the retreat community.
All applications will be reviewed and judged by In-Na-Po Board members.
Eligible applicants:
● Must be an emerging writer; publication history is not required
● Applicants must be 21 years of age or over
● All applicants are expected to be able to attend the full duration of the 5-day retreat ●
Must be members of tribal nations within the United States and its trust territories (including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Chamorros, and American Samoans). The application does not need to include documentation, but we ask for honesty and integrity in your application. In-Na-Po defines “membership” according to the following guidance:
The work of In-Na-Po supports the sovereignty of Native Nations determining their citizenship, and we understand Native identity and citizenship to be a complex and evolving matter. We are inclusive of Native writers who are citizens of their Native Nation or community, as well as those who may not be enrolled but are actively participating and working towards the survival and continuance of their Nation(s) and who can demonstrate a familial connection, or descent through lineage. Because we do not want to perpetuate false claims of citizenship or representation of any connections to Nations without the Nations' consent and collaboration, poets should be able to provide proof through documentation or via a narrative of membership that is supported by their family lineage and by their Native community.
Application Instructions
Please submit the following materials by 11:59 pm EST on April 14, 2025
Submit all materials through the Indigenous Nations Poets web portal.
Supporting documents can be submitted in PDF or Word format.
Please include your last name in the file name(s).
Please email annie@indigneousnationspoets.com with any questions.