The Cohort

Thursday Cohort Dates:
These cohorts meet from 5-6:30 p.m. PST on Thursdays between Jan. 22 and April 9.

Sunday Cohort Dates:
These cohorts meet from 8-9:30 a.m. PST on Sundays between Jan. 25 and April 12.

* Note: Depending upon interest for each day/track, we may have multiple cohorts running during any given day/time.

Applications are open now through Nov. 30 via an interest form on Submittable.

There is no formal application process for The Cohort, as we want to welcome back any and all Seventh Wave alum who might be interested in the program. There is, however, an interest form that will help us better understand each prospective resident’s scheduling availability, interests, and hopes for the 12-week program. This will ensure that we can match residents with writers and artists who have similar goals, questions, and backgrounds. All of our offerings — be it our annual literary magazine or Community Anthologies program — are designed to create safe spaces for those who participate, especially folks from marginalized communities. Given that this program is a cohort-based experience that brings together 6-8 writers and artists from all over the world, our interest form also ensures that residents are aligned with our ethos of collaboration.

What information is required to participate in The Cohort?

• General information: This includes things like your name, email, time zone, the cohort/track(s) you are available to join, and a confirmation that you agree to the community principles of this program.
• A statement of interest: There will be a few questions that help us get a better understanding of who you are as a writer: what your primary genre(s) is/are; where you’re at in your creative trajectory; what backgrounds and identities you’re bringing to the page; and what kind of accountability you’re most interested in. Though we’ve worked with you before in the past, things may have changed since we were last in touch, so this portion of the interest form helps us get reacquainted with you and your work.
• Sample work/portfolio: You will be required to submit some kind of sample work. This does not have to be a published piece. In fact, we encourage you to submit whatever you are working on these days, however unformed or rough. Because this program is not a workshop and does not include publication, we highly encourage you to submit something that you feel best illustrates your writing practice. We primarily want to get a sense for who is in the room so we can properly match you with other residents. Please submit no more than 10 pages of sample work.

• Oct. 10: Applications open for The Cohort
• Nov. 30: Application deadline
• Dec. 15: All residents informed of their cohort assignment
• Dec. 22: Deposit due to reserve a spot
• Jan. 20: The Cohort Tuesday cohorts kick off
• Jan. 22: The Cohort Thursday cohorts kick off
• Jan. 25: The Cohort Sunday cohorts kick off

The Cohort, which is only open to Seventh Wave alum, is a partially self-guided accountability program that focuses on developing creative discipline and expanding literary friendships. The program includes:

• Three “core” sessions: Each month, there will be one week of “core” sessions, which will be facilitated by a Cohort Guide, revolving around a different aspect of the creative practice (ie. how to find accountability in our writing lives, when to share pages with others, or what to look for when submitting to publications or residencies). This will be held with the Seventh Wave-curated cohorts.
• “Satellite” sessions: Outside of the monthly “core” sessions, the other sessions each month will be primarily focused on generative accountability — a chance for residents to co-write and hold space for their own work. To offer flexibility and the option to expand their practice, all residents are welcome to join any of these “satellite” sessions for those three weeks.
• The Accountability Guide: All participating residents will also receive the “Accountability Guide,” a document that showcases wisdom and know-how from our Seventh Wave community members. This digital resource will be something residents can hopefully refer back to for inspiration from time to time, a blueprint of different ways to shape a creative practice.
• Directory of residents: Folks participating in the residency will also have the opportunity to opt into a directory of The Cohort residents that helps deepen and further connections beyond the 12-week program. This will include things like whether folks are looking for buddies to exchange pages with, or if they’re situated in a certain city/area, tidbits of information that can help residents build more literary friendships.

• Cost. This program costs $395, which is roughly $33 per session. Residents are allowed to join as many additional “satellite” sessions as they’d like during the 12-week period.
• Financial aid. Due to the nature of this program and the lower price point, there will not be any financial aid available at this time. We do, however, offer payment plans as a way to offset costs.
• Confirming your spot with your deposit. Upon being confirmed to partake in the program, you will have one week to secure your spot by signing the contract and making your deposit (20% of the total fee, or $80), which will then go toward the total cost of the program. If you do not reserve your seat within one week, you will be forfeiting your spot.

A note on price: We conducted extensive research on pricing for a program like ours. We worked closely with our team and advisory board, surveying the industry to ensure that our program and pricing is equitable and accessible. We are also committed to appropriately paying our staff for the time and talent it takes to run this program, and so while we will always do what we can to make our programs available and accessible to the public, we are also committed to ensuring that our nonprofit appropriately values the work that goes into making this program possible to begin with.