“I was astounded by all the incredible readings, lectures and craft classes. I loved how varied they were, moving between poetry, non-fiction, and fiction and they always seemed to circle around themes I had seen in the stories in workshop as well as larger issues of the environment and our place in nature. Hearing so many varied and fascinating pieces of work gave me new insights into my own. I feel I left the conference with a deeper appreciation for nature, for animals and for the climate!”
Nicholas Tolkien
Santa Barbara, CA
Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference
The 13th annual Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference is a week-long session designed to hone the skills of people interested in producing literary writing about the environment and the natural world.
Directed by Megan Mayhew Bergman, the conference is cosponsored by the Middlebury College Environmental Studies Program and the Franklin Environmental Center.
Overview
The conference, based on the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference model, incorporates small, focused workshops coupled with specialized classes centered on the craft of writing. Workshops are limited to ten participants so that each manuscript receives individual attention and critique. All participants also meet individually with their workshop leader to amplify and refine what is said in the workshop itself. The manuscript packet of student writing is available to each workshop group in the weeks leading up to the session in order to allow time to read and prepare.
Established editors, literary agents, and publishers give presentations on placing work in magazines and navigating the environmental book publishing world and also meet with participants individually and in small groups.
Participants include writers of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction whose work engages with or advocates for nature and the environment as well as environmental professionals, journalists, and teachers, who would like to explore and strengthen their writing in a literary context. For those who would like to learn more about environmental and nature writing who do not wish to receive feedback on their own work, an auditor option is available.
The 2026 Session
This year’s conference will take place at the Bread Loaf Campus of Middlebury College in Ripton, Vermont from Sunday, June 14 to Saturday, June 20, 2026. Find out more about dates and fees.
Our faculty are acclaimed nature and environmental writers including poets Jennifer Chang, Joseph O. Legaspi, and Amber Flora Thomas; fiction writers Ramona Ausubel and Nina McConigley; and nonfiction writers Ben Goldfarb, Helen Macdonald, and Abe Streep. In addition to their literary accomplishments, each faculty member has been specifically chosen for their skill at guiding developing writers. Find out more about faculty and guests.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is limited, but thanks to support from Middlebury College and also many donors and former Bread Loafers who have contributed over the years, financial aid is available for both published and unpublished writers. Financial need has no bearing on decisions, except as noted. Find out more about financial aid.
Though it’s possible for a former financial aid winner to apply again in a subsequent year, please note that the admissions board gives preference to first-time financial aid applicants.
Apply
Applicants choose to apply as a contributor with a manuscript to a Fiction, Poetry, or Nonfiction Workshop. Applicants can also choose to apply as auditors. See Application and Acceptance Information.
What Past Participants Say:
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“I felt like I got the first-ever honest feedback on my work. I found the workshop engaging and inspiring. On several days, I rushed back to my room, eager to return to my manuscript with ideas for revision.”
Jennifer Handy
Iowa -
“I found the instructional aspects of the conference to be challenging in a way that was both affirming and encouraging of growth. I left the conference with a sense of direction for my work that I didn’t have before.”
Elizabeth Levinson
Chicago, IL -
“It’s nearly impossible to commune with this many individuals who share such a similar sense of purpose and drive to contribute to the world in this way. How wonderful that Bread Loaf has created a healing space where we can meet to be inspired by each other, out of love, to share work, to have hope in ourselves and each other.”
Dan Murphy
Beacon, NY