Residency

Aldo & Estella Leopold Residency

Aldo & Estella Leopold at "Mi Casita" in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, 1912. Photo courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

2026 Residency

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2026 Residency season.
Deadline to apply for the 2026 Residency was February 16, 2026 with decisions made late March, 2026.

Announcement + Details

LEOPOLD RESIDENCY

The Aldo and Estella Leopold Residency provides a space for writers and respected thinkers to reflect and write about the relevance of Aldo Leopold’s ideas to 21st century cultural and environmental issues. Two of our summer Residencies are based at historic "Mi Casita," Aldo and Estella's first home in Tres Piedras, New Mexico, and a third July Residency is located at a small casita on the Galisteo Basin. The Residency is for writers who are committed to reshaping the cultural story about the relationship between humans and Nature. In 2026, the Leopold Writing Program celebrates the 14th anniversary of this influential residency.

Residents:

Stay for one month during the months of July or November.
Receive a stipend to help defray travel and living expenses.

Give a public presentation in Taos or Santa Fe.
Provide a short contribution to our newsletter at the conclusion of their stay.

The Aldo & Estella Leopold Residency is for emerging and professional writers from around the country and abroad interested in exploring connections in our communities and cultures, and in our lives and landscapes. Three residents per year are selected from a field of candidates who complete the application process. Applicants should note that the Residencies are remote and the Tres Piedras location does not have WiFi. Additional details about the locations can be found here.

The standard stipend is $1,000 for the month. However, we understand that the nature of this Residency is restrictive for some writers, particularly those who will not be receiving income during their stay. If selected as a 2026 Resident, a resident may provide a letter stating why they have need for a higher stipend. Details shared upon request.

Available 2026 Residency options are:

July 7th - August 7th 2026 at Mi Casita in Tres Piedras
July 2026 at Casita del Norte in Galisteo
November 2026 at Mi Casita in Tres Piedras

HOW TO APPLY

Interested applicants are to submit:

A maximum two-page resume.
A maximum 500-word statement of interest. This should describe how your work at the Residency aligns with the Leopold Writing Program's mission and will extend the legacy of Aldo and Estella Leopold. Please also include how you heard about the Residency Program.
Either in a separate document or in the body of your email, list which months/locations you are able to commit to (July or November) in order of preference.

We do not accept writing samples.

Application assessment criteria can be found here.

Details about Mi Casita can be found at www.rec.gov.
Details about Casita del Norte can be found in the Residency Announcement.

Questions and application materials can be emailed to Program Director Nina Simon at [email protected].

Announcement + DEtails

NOTE: A processing fee of $20 is required to qualify for review, to be submitted at the time of application either online (button below, payment processed via PayPal) or by check to:

Leopold Writing Program
P.O. Box 40122
Albuquerque, NM 87196
Attn: Residency

SUBMIT FEE

Please scroll down for photos and more information about past Residents.

Just as the Aldo Leopold Writing Contest builds a network of students who, because of their writing talent, have the potential to become the next generation’s environmental leaders, the Aldo & Estella Leopold Residency makes that network intergenerational by extending it beyond mid- to high-schoolers to emerging and mid-career professional writers. The two programs dovetail to deepen their combined cultural impact.

Kristina Flanagan

Thank you to our Partners

The trick, I suppose, is to contradict those who say vigilance is not necessary, while at the same time being careful not to declare any particular person or thing the enemy—that religion, this or that political party, a certain constituency, capitalism, this or that head of state. It would be to dismantle the stage upon which any tyrant, any self-anointed claimant to power, performed. It would be to direct the attention of his audience to a place where that tyrant has no authority, no influence.

Barry Lopez, Resistance