The Amy Clampitt Fund seeks to advance poetry and the literary arts by providing poet Amy Clampitt’s prior residence in Lenox, Massachusetts as a place to foster the study and promotion of poetry, and to serve as a peaceful retreat for a Poet-in-Residence to nurture and cultivate their work. Residencies can be for six or twelve months for a single poet, chosen by The Amy Clampitt Committee. The house can accommodate one poet at a time plus family members as described below.

Amy Clampitt was born and raised in New Providence, Iowa, and graduated from Grinnell College. After she graduated, she lived mainly in New York City. Her first full-length collection of poems, The Kingfisher, published in 1983, was followed by What the Light Was Like (1985), Archaic Figure (1987), and Westward (1990). Her last book, A Silence Opens, appeared in 1994.

A 1982 recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a 1984 Academy of American Poets Fellowship, she was made a MacArthur Prize Fellow in 1992. Clampitt purchased a small house in Lenox with part of the award, and lived there briefly. She was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a Writer-in-Residence at the College of William and Mary, Visiting Writer at Amherst College, and Grace Hazard Conkling Visiting Writer at Smith College. Ms. Clampitt died in September 1994. Her husband, Harold Korn, died in March 2001. It is his estate that has established the Amy Clampitt Fund. (A 2014 broadcast of NPR's "Morning Edition" featured Amy Clampitt's story. Listen to it here!)

AWARD

The Residency award consists of the use of the Amy Clampitt House for a 6-month period during the calendar year of 2026. Applicants may select to apply for January to June 2026 or July to December 2026. A monthly stipend of $3,000 is paid to the resident. It is expected that the resident fellow commit to residing in the house full-time, and focus exclusively on their creative work, except for occasional absences.

The Amy Clampitt House is a charming, fully furnished, 3-bedroom, 2-story house in the Cape style in Lenox, Massachusetts. Partners and/or children may accompany the resident so long as the total number of individuals in the house does not exceed five. Pets are not allowed. Smoking is not allowed inside the house. The house is not wheelchair accessible and is located in a quiet, residential neighborhood, a 15-minute walk from the village of Lenox.

Lenox is in rural western Massachusetts, bordering northern Connecticut and eastern New York. It is necessary for residents to make arrangements for their own transportation for the duration of the residency, as public transportation is extremely limited.

ELIGIBILITY

The Amy Clampitt Fund Residency Program encourages individuals from all backgrounds to apply. Poets or literary scholars with professional standing in their fields as well as emerging poets/scholars are eligible for residencies.

Applicant must either a U.S. Citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States with a verifiable United States social security number. If the applicant holds DACA status and are offered residency, they must supply a copy of their DACA authorization, and if it has expired, confirm a renewal application has been filed.

REVIEW CRITERIA

A maximum of 50 total applications will be accepted. We recommend applying early if you are interested.

Deadline

June 15, 2024. If 50 applications are received prior to the deadline, the opportunity will be closed.

Review Criteria

The Amy Clampitt Committee will review requests for residencies according to the following criteria:

• The quality of the applicant’s work.
• The potential impact of the residency on the applicant and the commitment of the applicant to make propitious use of the residency period.
• Applicant’s demonstration of ability to complete their proposed project, as presented.

Notification
Applicants will be informed by Berkshire Taconic of decisions on their applications by October 2024. Reporting Requirements Residents will be requested to submit to the Clampitt program a copy of any work developed during the residency, when/if it is published. Residents are asked to write a brief letter commenting on their overall experience during their stay to share with the foundation and committee.

Contact

Emily Bronson
Senior Community Engagement Officer
for Initiatives & Special Projects
413.229.0370 ext. 109
Email