Please review the Open Call guidelines below before submitting your application for consideration.

Critical Writing is a year-long program for writers to practice the art of cultural criticism and textual media in a small cohort setting. The program began in 2011 to facilitate meaningful exchanges between writers and artists, wherein writers pursued the underlying themes and ideas that inform Session projects toward the mutual production of new works.

Art writing at Recess is playful, responsive, and experimental, with an emphasis on storytelling that champions the subjective voice. Although texts are typically developed in essay format, there is an open invitation to bend the genre and twist the form in order to build a narrative world that is fitting for the development of new writing.

The program is open to participants at any stage of their writing practice. Participating writers will publish two web-based texts on Recesses website throughout the course of the program. Writers are expected to develop their writing assignments within a 8 to 10 week editorial timeline. Writers are supported in their writing production via monthly cohort engagements and one-to-one editorial workshops.

⋅ Applications Open: Monday, March 30 at 10:00am EST

⋅ Virtual Info Session: Monday, April 13 at 6:00pm EST

⋅ Application Deadline: Thursday, April 30 at 11:59pm EST

⋅ Applicant Interviews: Early June

⋅ Decisions Announced: July