The process of applying for and winning a grant can seem mysterious. How do you find grants? Who do you have to be to get one?
In this post I am sharing the grant application I submitted to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), which was fully funded in December of 2025. I will use this grant to attend the Zigbone Farm Alum Retreat in March of 2026.
I have included the questions and the rubric provided by MSAC. These helped me to judge for myself the quality of my answers.
This application is in my own words. I offer it not so that you can copy it, but so you can be inspired by it to apply for your own grant.
What separates this winning grant application from my application in 2024 that was not funded is the level of detail. Because I had attended a similar retreat before, I was able to fully describe the experience and what I planned to get out of it.
Grant application by Katherine Pickett
1. Describe the selected Professional Development opportunity you will participate in (including location, date, length, format, etc.). Provide details explaining your artistic practice (including how the public experiences your artistic work) and how the selected opportunity will address identified goals or areas of growth for yourself as an artist.
Excellent to Outstanding – 25 Points Excellent to Outstanding response includes clear, specific, and thorough explanation of the proposed professional development opportunity with detailed explanation of the applicant’s artistic practice and evidence of artistic and/or creative growth FY 2026 Professional Development Opportunity Grant Guidelines – 7
I am applying for a Professional Development Grant in order to attend the Zigbone Farm Alum Creative Writing Retreat taking place March 19–24, 2026, in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland, where I plan to work on the manuscript for The Last Best Days of Caroline Cook, the companion to my debut novel, Debra Lee Won’t Break. While I could escape to a mountain cabin by myself to write at any time, the support of the network of writers, dedicated time with a professional editor, and the hospitality of the hosts make Zigbone stand out as the best investment of my time and money, and worthy of MSAC’s resources.
I am an editor, writing coach, and writer living in Silver Spring, Maryland. I have been an editor for twenty-five years and have published several short memoir pieces in literary magazines, including Lowestoft Chronicle and Grande Dame Literary. I also self-published a nonfiction book (Perfect Bound: How to Navigate the Book Publishing Process Like a Pro) now in its second edition, as well as Debra Lee Won’t Break. The Zigbone Alum Retreat will help me to achieve my next goal: writing and publishing The Last Best Days of Caroline Cook.
The retreat is hosted by Zigbone Farm owner Dena Leibman. The retreat runs for six days on Zigbone Farm, a 40-acre working goat farm. Attendees stay in one of several buildings on the farm. Each full day of the retreat includes group sessions with morning writing prompts and afternoon instruction, led by the award-winning writer and workshop leader Diana Friedman. For these sessions, Diana presents a brief lesson, we apply the lesson through a written exercise, and then several writers share what they wrote. The hands-on nature of the instruction ensures that we know how to implement each technique in our own work. Three meals are provided each day, and dinner is eaten together as a group.
This opportunity is a perfect fit for my artistic practice. I have completed a first draft of my second novel, The Last Best Days of Caroline Cook, and plan to use the retreat to revise the manuscript. Specifically, I am working on crafting a tight plot structure and compelling narrative arc, as well as a proficient use of metaphor. The focus of the novel, a young mother who is dying of cancer, is emotionally challenging, and having space and support during the revision will be essential to crafting the best novel I can.
Included in the retreat is a one-on-one session with Diana, where I can get feedback on my work in progress. This will allow me to receive input and advice from a professional writer and editor to make sure I am taking the best approach. The dedicated space of the farmhouse, combined with a supportive network of writers and professional instruction, make this an ideal location for my writing work. I will have a balance of structured and unstructured time, as well as plenty of outdoor access, ensuring that this will be a productive time.
I attended Zigbone Winter on the Farm Retreat in January 2025, while I was writing the first draft of Caroline Cook. It was a fantastic experience that allowed me to make strides on the manuscript and enhance my network. Contacts I made there attended the book launch for Debra Lee Won’t Break and have been supportive of other endeavors over the past ten months. The 2026 version will offer advanced lessons for writers who have attended a previous Zigbone retreat, to build on those earlier lessons and help attendees grow as writers. As I explain in the next section, the advanced lessons will further support me as a writer.
2. Provide a detailed timeline/schedule describing A. participation in the selected opportunity and, B. your plan to implement what was learned through the experience. In your response consider how the timeline and schedule connects to goals/benchmarks you have determined.
Excellent to Outstanding – 25 Points Excellent to Outstanding response includes clear, specific and realistic timeline demonstrating participation in and plan for use/dissemination of professional development opportunity with thorough descriptions of both phases.
The Zigbone Alum Retreat includes several opportunities for learning my craft and for growing my community. The scheduled events are as follows:
Thursday, March 19: Afternoon arrival, ice-breakers, and dinner as a group
Friday, March 20, through Monday, March 23: Morning generative writing session with Diana, afternoon instruction with Diana, and dinner as a group each day
Tuesday, March 24: Breakfast together and wrap-up
When I am not at a session or eating dinner with the group, I am free to wander the grounds, focus on my work-in-progress, rest, and visit with other attendees. This mix of structured and unstructured time fits my writing needs and allows me to get the most out of the opportunity.
For me personally, I plan to start each morning with my personal yoga routine in the sun-filled loft, then join the group for breakfast and the 45-minute generative writing session. I will then have two hours of free time for revisions and other work. The physical activity and inspiration from the writing prompt will prime me for a productive morning of writing and revisions in the farmhouse.
After lunch I will walk the grounds to get exercise and fresh air, then return to the farmhouse for the 75-minute afternoon writing instruction. I will then apply those new lessons to my manuscript during my afternoon writing and revision session. I will end each day with a healthy dinner with the group. We will talk about our writing wins and struggles for the day, and generally build camaraderie and community.
Once I leave the retreat, I will take the lessons and connections with me. Attendees stay in touch through a Signal chat group, further solidifying the community. Over the past year, the Zigbone community has supported me by coming to my book launch, offering feedback on written work, and celebrating small successes. This has motivated me to keep up my work on my manuscript, and the Zigbone Alum Retreat will enhance these gains.
In addition, I will apply what I’ve learned as I continue to revise my novel. Once this round of revisions is complete, around the end of April, I will send it to beta readers for feedback. I will then revise the manuscript again over summer 2026. I will begin the publication process in September 2026, enlisting the services of professional editors and designers, with the goal of publishing in March 2027. The Last Best Days of Caroline Cook will be published by my company, Hop On Publishing, and will be available through Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, and two local Maryland bookstores, Kensington Row Bookshop and Wonderland Books, as well as Montgomery County Library.
I can also translate these lessons to my work as a writing coach and workshop instructor, disseminating the lessons through my classes, coaching sessions, and books. My coaching clients include a memoirist in Northern Virginia and a novelist in Baltimore. In the spring and fall I teach aspiring authors about writing and publishing through the Writer’s Center in Bethesda. I am also a regular speaker at the MWA Annual Conference and chapter meetings. By honing my own skills through the retreat, I can better support my fellow artists in their practices.
3. Explain why you selected this experience and the process for selecting this specific professional development opportunity. In your response, address the history of success of the opportunity selected and its ability to strengthen your identified area(s) of growth.
Excellent to Outstanding – 25 Points Excellent to Outstanding response includes a selection of professional development source that directly connects to the identified professional development need(s) and has a history of success in the identified area(s) for growth.
I have chosen the Zigbone Alum Retreat based on my experience with the Zigbone Winter on the Farm Retreat in January 2025 and my knowledge of Diana Friedman as an instructor. As noted previously, this retreat has several benefits that other, similar opportunities don’t have.
First, this is an advanced retreat for writers that builds on the lessons from the 2025 retreat, helping me to grow in my craft. For the Zigbone Alum Retreat Diana has prepared new exercises on story structure, character development, narrative arc, the use of metaphor, and the other pillars of storytelling that challenge writers. In addition to these new lessons, I will get to hear from other advanced writers, helping me to improve my own writing. Having published Debra Lee Won’t Break and completed a draft of The Last Best Days of Caroline Cook, I am ready for these advanced techniques.
Second, the retreat includes a one-on-session with Diana, a proven expert in helping writers and an award-winning author herself. Diana gives actionable advice from a wealth of experience, and has helped dozens of writers to achieve their writing goals. By helping me gain clarity on the writing challenges most pressing at the time of the retreat, she can do the same for me.
Third, the setting of the working farm allows me to connect with nature in a way that other retreats do not. I will be able to walk the grounds, visit with the animals, and enjoy the natural habitat at any time. This closeness with nature and opportunity for physical activity will keep me energized as I work through the revisions on my manuscript.
Fourth, all of my meals will be prepared for me. This level of hospitality not only helps the writers to feel comfortable and cared for during the retreat, but more importantly, it frees up huge amounts of time and energy normally spent on meal planning, grocery shopping, preparing meals, and cleaning up after meals. With these basics taken care of, I can truly focus on the task at hand: improving my novel and implementing the lessons I learn from Diana and the other members of the retreat.
And last, what sets this opportunity apart is the generosity of the people who attend. Diana and Dena set a tone of generosity from the beginning, welcoming new and experienced writers and laying down ground rules for support and encouragement. This attitude is taken up by all who attend, and the result is a powerful community of writers helping writers.
4. Provide an overall budget for the Professional Development opportunity you are participating in. In your response, include details for all anticipated expenses for the opportunity, source(s) of funding beyond the MSAC request, and how MSAC funds will be used.
Excellent to Outstanding – 25 Points Excellent to Outstanding response includes detailed proposed PD-specific financial information that indicates realistic expenses for the professional development experience.
The Zigbone Alum Retreat has a straightforward budget:
$1900, This flat fee includes professional group instruction, a one-on-one session with a professional writer, a shared bedroom for sleeping and writing, access to the farm grounds, and three meals a day, plus snacks
$300, Car rental for six days to get to and from the retreat
$50, Miscellaneous purchases (pens, paper, additional snacks)
I am requesting $2,000 from the MSAC Professional Development Grant to cover the retreat fee and part of the car rental. I will pay for the rest of my expenses from my personal finances.
My sincere thanks to MSAC and the Maryland legislature that funded this grant opportunity.
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Katherine Pickett 