The Nook Farm Writers Collaborative
To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement.
The Nook Farm Writers Collaborative is a six-week paid summer creative writing apprenticeship at The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford under the guidance of writing teachers Victoria Nordlund and Jamie Pisacane, program coordinator Grace DiModugno, and the museum’s Associate Director for Education Dr. Erin Bartram. The program is inspired by Mark Twain’s life as a working writer, someone who wrote in a variety of genres and cultivated a range of skills in order to sustain a career in a challenging publishing world.
Each day of this on-site program begins with an hour of writing in Mark Twain’s historic house, as well as daily writing instruction from the program’s teachers and guest workshops from novelists, poets, editors, journalists, screenwriters, and others. Each participant will produce a polished individual portfolio and the program will culminate with a public performance of individual and collaborative works at the museum. Participants will also edit and publish the the summer issue of the Collaborative’s literary journal Journey 75, drawn from the work produced during the program.
The 2026 program runs June 24-July 30. Please read the eligibility requirements below carefully before completing your application:
- Participants must be between the ages of 14 and 18 when the program begins on June 24, 2026.
- The program meets on-site at The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford. Participants must be able to be at the museum Monday-Wednesday and Friday each week of the program from 9 AM to 3 PM; Thursday is a work from home day except for 7/30, the last day of the program.
- Participants must be able to commit to the full six-week program to be considered for acceptance.
- Participants will each receive an $800 stipend, payable in two installments, contingent on attendance and successful completion of the program.