Past eventHeld October 21–25, 2026
Tremont Writers Conference 2026
Small residential writers conference in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with fiction, nonfiction, and poetry workshops.
- Held
- October 21–25, 2026
- Location
- Townsend, Tennessee
- Attendees
- Maximum 25
TL;DR
- Tremont Writers Conference took place October 21–25, 2026 at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Townsend, Tennessee.
- This small, residential writers conference accepted a maximum of 25 attendees in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry cohorts.
- Lodging was in bunkroom-style housing with family-style meals provided; off-site options existed in nearby Townsend.
- The conference is run by Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and Great Smoky Mountains Association, educational partners of the National Park Service.
About
Tremont Writers Conference was a five-day intensive retreat designed for writers seeking focused mentorship in a secluded mountain setting. Participants joined workshop leaders across three specializations: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The conference is jointly operated by the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and the Great Smoky Mountains Association, both educational nonprofit partners of the National Park Service.
Who was in the room
Fiction Writers
Writers developing work in the fiction cohort.
Nonfiction Writers
Writers developing work in the nonfiction cohort.
Poetry Writers
Writers developing work in the poetry cohort.
Featured speakers
1 listedKelli Jo Ford
Fiction Workshop Leader
Venue & travel
Venue
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, 9275 Tremont Road, Townsend, TennesseeGetting there
Shuttle service was available for a modest fee from McGhee Tyson Airport and Knoxville bus terminal on arrival and departure days.
Getting there
Parking was available on campus.
Getting there
Cell service was nonexistent once you entered the mountains.
Questions people ask
8 answeredThe conference took place October 21–25, 2026.
Tremont Writers Conference accepted a maximum of 25 attendees by design.
The conference took place at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont in Townsend, Tennessee.
The conference was organized around fiction, nonfiction, and poetry cohorts.
Attendees were housed in gender-separated bunkroom-style housing in Nancy Caylor Lodge, with family-style meals planned in a shared dining hall, including a cookout on the first night.
Shuttle service was available for a modest fee from McGhee Tyson Airport and Knoxville bus terminal on arrival and departure days. Parking was available on campus.
Off-site lodging was discouraged as the residential experience builds community, though accommodations in nearby Townsend, Tennessee were an option.
It was best for writers who wanted close workshop time in fiction, nonfiction or poetry, since attendance was capped at 25 and the cohorts were led by authors, including fiction faculty Kelli Jo Ford. Writers wanting agent pitches, large networking rooms or their own privacy would have gotten less from it, since it was residential with bunkroom-style lodging, shared meals, and no cell service in the mountains.
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