The Manuscript Lab at Beyond Baroque returns for its third year in a row. This year, eight poets will be accepted to revise and complete their first manuscripts over the duration of eight in-person sessions. Hosted by author Sara Ellen Fowler, this program is an opportunity to learn with and from an intimate cohort and analyze what compels a successful first book of poetry–the hows and whys of architecture, craft, and thematic energy.
Application materials will be reviewed by a committee of four local writers, with an eye toward strong formal and thematic engagements in the writing sample and clear creative goals. The application, which includes a 10-15 page work sample, is due on January 12, 2027, at 11:59 PM PST. The poets selected to participate in the program will be announced on February 1, 2027. The Manuscript Lab is offered at a low cost of $495, and will run from February 13 - April 3, 2027.
About Sara Ellen Fowler
Sara Ellen Fowler’s first book, Two Signatures (University of Utah Press, 2024), was selected by Joan Naviyuk Kane as the winner of the Agha Shahid Ali Prize. Her work has been published in The Offing, Poetry Daily, Cream City Review, and X-TRA, among others. Sara teaches undergraduate creative writing, most recently at the University of La Verne, and she is the founding instructor for Beyond Baroque’s Manuscript Lab. A recipient of a 2023 California Arts Council Emerging Individual Artist Fellowship, she holds a BFA in fine art from Art Center College of Design and an MFA in creative writing from the University of California, Riverside.
Apply Here