Art Omi: Writers

2027 Residency Dates

Writers Spring Session One: April 2–27
Writers Spring Session Two: April 30–May 25
Translation Lab: September 3–15
Writers Fall Session One: September 17–October 12
Writers Fall Session Two: October 15–November 9

About the Open Call

Through a competitive jury process, residents are invited to attend Art Omi's residencies at no cost to themselves, except travel expenses.  Art Omi offers residents the time and space to hone their own craft while cultivating a vibrant community.

Comfortable, beautiful lodgings and dedicated workspaces are nestled among the rolling meadowlands and woodlands of Art Omi’s 120-acre campus, located in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley, two-and-a-half hours north of New York City. Residents are nourished with fresh, prepared meals and immersed in a dynamic creative ecosystem flourishing at the intersection of nature, art, and architecture in our Sculpture & Architecture Park.

Art Omi: Writers invites authors to attend residencies across four sessions in the spring and fall. The program’s strong international emphasis highlights global literary voices and sparks cultural cross-pollination. Daytime is reserved for writing and quiet activities, while evenings are more communal. A program of weekly visits brings guests from the New York publishing community. Noted editors, agents, and book scouts gather to share dinner and conversation on both creative and practical subjects. Readings welcome the public to experience finished and in-process work by residents. All text-based projects are eligible—including but not limited to fiction, nonfiction, theater, film, and poetry.

Full details on application requirements and requested materials can be found on the application portal, linked above.

APPLICATION FEE: $15
This application fee covers the cost of administration to process applications.

Open Call | Art Omi: Writers and Translation Lab 2027

Art Omi: Writers Translation Lab invites teams of translators and writers to a special 12-day intensive residency for in-person dialogue about text-specific questions. Translation Lab is open to translators of any language into English, along with the writers whose work is being translated. Centered around an integral stage of refinement, this is a unique opportunity for collaboration, emphasizing translation as a means of cultural exchange. 

We have changed the Translation Lab Open Call to June for 2027, and future years, to offer a longer period of time for accepted international program participants to apply for Visas.   

Applications are now closed! Thank you to all who applied!

DECISION NOTIFICATION: September 30, 2026

Art Omi: Writers and Translation Lab 2026

Art Omi: Writers 2026 takes place over four sessions, two in the Spring and two in the Autumn, while Translation Lab takes place during one session in September.

Writers Spring Session 1: April 1–27

Writers Spring Session 2: April 30–May 26

Translation Lab: September 9–21

Writers Fall Session 1: September 24–October 15

Writers Fall Session 2: October 21–November 18

About

Art Omi: Writers hosts authors and translators from around the world for residencies throughout the spring and fall. The program’s strong international emphasis provides exposure for global literary voices and reflects the spirit of cultural exchange that is essential to Art Omi’s mission.

Guests select a residency of approximately one month in either the spring or autumn, with ten writers at a time gathering to live and work in a rural setting overlooking the Catskill Mountains. Daytime is reserved for writing and quiet activities, while evenings are more communal. A program of weekly visits brings guests from the New York publishing community. Noted editors, agents, and book scouts are invited to share dinner and conversation on both creative and practical subjects, offering insight into the workings of the publishing industry, and introductions to some of its key professionals. Readings throughout the year invite the public to experience finished and in-process work by writers and translators in residence.

Art Omi: Writers welcomes published writers and translators of every type of literature. All text-based projects—fiction, nonfiction, theater, film, poetry, etc.—are eligible. International, cultural, and creative exchange is a foundation of our mission, and a wide distribution of national background is an important part of our selection process.

All residencies are fully funded with accommodations, food, local transport, and public programming provided. However, please note that Art Omi: Writers does not provide travel funds. We have some limited travel funds available for those who find it a barrier to participating in the program, reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Erin Edmison, Art Omi: Writers Residency Program Director, at eedmison@artomi.org for more details.

Notable alumni include:

• Joseph O'Neill, author of Netherland, which won the Pen/Faulkner Award
• Aleksander Hemon, author of The Question of Bruno, recipient of a "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation
• Gary Shteyngart, bestselling author of The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Absurdistan, and Super Sad True Love Story
• Susan Choi, bestselling author of American Woman and inaugural recipient of the PEN/W.G. Sebald Award
• Goce Smilevski, author of Freud's Sister, which won the European Union Prize for Literature
• Jan Brandt, bestselling author of Gegen Die Welt (Against the World)
• Buket Uzuner, international bestselling author of Istanbulians
• James Hannaham, author of Delicious Foods, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Hurston-Wright Award
• Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin which won the National Book Award
• Kiran Desai, bestselling author of Inheritance of Loss, which won the Man Booker Prize
• Shehan Karunatilaka, author of Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Matthew, which won the Commonwealth Prize
• Mikhail Shishkin, bestselling author of The Taking of Izmail, which won the Russian Booker Prize

Translation Lab

In September Art Omi: Writers hosts an annual Translation Lab, in which English language translators are invited to work alongside the writers whose work they translate. The focused residency provides an integral stage of refinement, allowing translators to dialogue with the writers about text-specific questions.

Following in the tradition of the Art Omi: Writers residency as started by Heinrich Maria Ledig-Rowohlt, the Translation Lab emphasizes translation as a means towards cultural exchange. It serves as an essential community builder for English language translators who are working to increase the amount of international literature available to American readers, as it is currently estimated that less than three percent of all books published in the United States are translated works.

The residency is a rare and unique opportunity for writers and their translators to work together, considering that most writers never meet their translators in person. All text-based projects—fiction, nonfiction, theater, film, poetry, etc.—are eligible.

Accommodations & Facilities

Art Omi is located two and a half hours north of New York City in the historic Hudson River Valley. Named for the hamlet of Omi, which is within the town of Ghent, New York, Art Omi is also near to Albany and Hudson, which offer train connections thirty or fifteen minutes' drive from campus, respectively.

The facilities, situated on three hundred acres of open land, include a large two-story barn with indoor studios; contemporary residence buildings designed with a vernacular reference to local barns, surrounded by abundant perennial beds, expansive lawns dotted with fruit trees, adjacent to The Sculpture and Architecture Park. Residents receive private bedroom accommodations with shared bathrooms and common areas.

A Federal Period farm house serves as a gathering center, providing a full kitchen and library; while the front porch overlooks rolling hills and the majestic outline of the Catskill Range. A swimming pool, bicycles, WiFi access and a computer with printing capability is available on the premises.

Columbia County, and the nearby Berkshire Mountains, are popular destinations because of their historical, natural and cultural riches. From bird sanctuaries to modern dance, presidential mansions to farmer’s markets, the environs offer a singular blend of rural quiet and cultural stimulation. Staff and friends in the neighborhood are often available for excursions of interest to residents. The local library has a modest collection, but is a member of the Mid-Hudson group, calling on the resources of libraries within much of eastern New York.

Questions?

See Residencies FAQs

Alumni

SPRING 2026 | SESSION 1

SPRING 2026 | SESSION 2

TRANSLATION LAB 2025

FALL 2025

SPRING 2025

FALL 2024

SPRING 2024

TRANSLATION LAB 2024

FALL 2023

SPRING 2023

Visit the Art Omi Alumni Directory to view the full list of past Art Omi: Writers and Art Omi: Translation Lab Residents.

Board

Program Board

Advisory Board

*In Memoriam

Art Omi: Writers Supporters

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