Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature and The Writers’ Museum are open to applications for the latest round of their Writer’s Room residency

The Writer’s Room, a paid desk residency designed by Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature and generously hosted by The Writer’s Museum, is now open to applications from published women writers.

This opportunity will provide two writers with a two-month residency each, offering access to a desk in the heart of The Writers’ Museum’s famed collection.

Channel the energy of Scotland’s great writers while you finish a project – or start something completely new, inspired by the sights, sounds and history of Edinburgh’s literary quarter. There is no brief – the time and space are yours to create as you wish.

Eligible writers will be entered into a lottery, with two names selected at random. The selected authors will receive:

• 2 months of access to the desk in The Writers’ Museum, during normal operating hours, which are Wednesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm
• A £1,000 stipend
• Support from the Edinburgh City of Literature team

Former Writer’s Room recipient Vivian Jing Ye commented on her experience:

“The residency provided dedicated time that allowed me to immerse myself in a creative headspace. I made substantial progress on my novel and began working on a new interactive project that benefitted from the natural visitor flow at The Writers’ Museum, which draws a diverse, international audience.”

Gillian Findlay, Curatorial and Engagement Manager from City of Edinburgh Council said:

“The Writers’ Museum is a place where we aim to inspire visitors by showcasing the lives and works of incredible Scottish poets and storytellers, so we are delighted to be partnering with Edinburgh City of Literature once again this year to host the Writer’s Room. Having a writer based in the venue is an amazing experience. It encourages both visitors and staff to reflect on the exhibits on display, and to think about what the Museum should collect in future to be relevant and representative of writers of the future.”

Dr Harriet MacMillan, Director of Edinburgh City of Literature added:

“Writers need time and space to create – we want to facilitate that. What is particularly exciting about this opportunity is that it also means visitors to The Writers’ Museum will get to see a real, living, breathing Edinburgh author at work and become part of their ongoing story. Previous recipients have found writing at the Museum to be so inspiring – we can’t wait to see what emerges from this latest round!”

Applications are now open!

We will continue to accept applications until midnight, Sunday 26th April 2026.

Applicant Criteria

This opportunity is only available to women writers.

• Applicants must be over 18 years old
• Applicants must have an EH postcode
• Applicants must not be enrolled in full-time education
• Applicants must have at least one creative publication to their name (this includes novels, novellas, short stories in a collection, poetry pamphlet, poetry collection, single poem publication in a reputable magazine or journal, creative non-fiction essays, comics and graphic novels).
• Applicants must be available during the residency period, either June–July or September–October 2026

A reputable magazine or journal is one that demonstrates strong editorial standards, transparent and ethical submission practices, and a consistent history of publishing high-quality literary work while maintaining professional engagement with its contributors.

How to Apply

Please complete the following two forms:

• Application Form, including a CV/Writer’s CV
• Optional Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Accessibility

The selected writers must be able to navigate narrow staircases at The Writers’ Museum. The Writers’ Museum is a historic building and is not equipped with a lift. In the future, we hope to provide a space that is fully accessible.

Please also note that the Writer’s Room desk is situated in the main hall of the Museum and interaction with visitors will be unavoidable. We hope that this will be an inspiring experience but understand that this isn’t usual for a residency!

Enquiries

Please submit all enquiries to edinburgh@cityofliterature.com

Edinburgh City of Literature are grateful to the Amazon Literary Partnership and City of Edinburgh Council for their generous support.