Vancouver-based literary nonprofit Upstart & Crow has launched a new residency for BIPOC writers.

The residency, which includes a $4,000 honorarium and one month of access to the organization’s Granville Island studio, will begin in fall or late November.

Applications are open until Sept. 29 to writers of all experience levels who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour or people of the global majority. Applicants must also be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with a preference for writers who will be “able to make full use of the studio space in person.” A jury comprised of writers Chelene Knight, Eddy Boudel Tan, and Billy-Ray Belcourt will select the recipient.

“Upstart & Crow is rooted in community, and in the belief that now, more than ever, we need as a society to challenge whose stories are heard, and what narratives we’re using to build our collective future,” Upstart & Crow co-founder Zoe Grams said in a press release.

The residency is funded by Vancouver-based creative marketing agency Catalyst Agents.

It is one of several new programs launched by Upstart & Crow this year. In January, the literary nonprofit launched a poet-in-residence program, as well as six $500 grants to emerging poets.

In previous years, Upstart & Crow offered just one residency a year, but a successful fundraising campaign in 2024 allowed for an expansion of offerings. Other residencies offered this year include a climate writing residency, a general nonfiction residency, and a residency for writers who are also parents.