About
The Newberry Crime Writing Workshop (NCWW), an intensive 4-week writers’ workshop for developing crime and mystery authors, taught by major figures in the field. The inaugural workshop will take place July 6-31, 2026, on the historic campus of Newberry College.
Workshop
July 6, 2026 – July 31, 2026
Application Period
Feb. 1, 2026 – Mar. 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Eastern)
Notification of Acceptance
April 15-30, 2026
Tuition and Housing Fees Due
2 weeks after acceptance (April 15-30)
Withdraw with Full Refund
May 31, 2026
Waitlisted Applicants Accepted
May 1- June 15, 2026 (as spaces open)
How to Apply
To be notified when applications are open, complete this form.
Applications open Feb. 1, 2026 – Mar. 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Eastern).
To apply, you must complete the workshop application form and pay the application fee. All are submitted online.
Fees
Application Fee: $30 - The fee is non-refundable and is due with the application.
Workshop Fee (Tuition, Room, and Board): The 2026 tuition is $4,000 and is due 2 weeks after communication of acceptance to the workshop (April 15-30). The fee includes semi-private accommodations. The housing period begins at 2 p.m. on the first day of the workshop and ends at 12 p.m. on the last day. If financial aid has been allocated via the Newberry Workshop, the amount will be reduced from the total fee.
The workshop fee is fully refundable if the participant withdraws in writing by the deadline specified at the top of this page. We may be able to refund part or all of the workshop fee after the deadline if someone on our waitlist agrees to take the space. There will be no refunds after June 15.
If you need technical assistance with payment, please contact the Workshop coordinator at CrimeWritingWorkshop@newberry.edu
You must finish your application in the application portal and submit payment by March 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Eastern) to be considered for the 2026 workshop. We do not accept late applications. We strongly advise you to finish your application early. Do not wait until the evening of March 15.
FAQs
NCWW is an intensive, in-person, one-month workshop focusing on fundamentals particular to the writing of crime, mystery, and suspense fiction. It takes place on the historic campus of Newberry College, in Newberry, SC. Instructors will include experienced writers in these fields, all with significant histories of publication. There will also be a public reading opportunity for participants.
Workshop participants will be selected from applicants who demonstrate the potential for successful writing careers, based on writing samples with an application. While published authors are welcome, the workshop is targeted at writers in the developmental, early to middle stages of their writing careers. However, we believe that anyone eager to share work with a community of fellow writers and to respond to and encourage one another’s work may be a welcome member of the community we are attempting to build.
A different professional writer or editor conducts the workshop each week. About fifteen participants are housed in college apartments, and classes are held in seminar facilities. Lunch and dinner are provided in the college dining hall, and continental breakfasts with coffee will be available as well. The writers-in-residence live nearby and are continuously available to students. Mornings are devoted to critiquing manuscripts in a workshop setting. Afternoons, evenings, and weekends are devoted to individual writing, conferences with the current writer-in-residence, social activities, and the completion of class assignments.
Tuition and fees for the 2026 Workshop will be $4,000, payable within two weeks of acceptance (April 15-30). This will include the workshop experience, housing in one of the college’s newer residence halls, and meals. A limited amount of financial aid may be available to students of remarkable promise, from underrepresented communities, or with a connection to Newberry College.
Founded in 1856, Newberry College (“Home of the Wolves!”) is a liberal arts-centered college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college serves about 1,500 students in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate disciplines. The college is in historic Newberry, SC, about 35 miles from the state capitol in Columbia, about an hour’s drive from Greenville/Spartanburg International Airport, and about two hours from Charlotte, NC. The city has a population of about 10,000 people, and offers a variety of shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities within a mile of campus.
ADA accommodations will be provided to students as needed. Please be sure to disclose any accommodation requests during the application process.
