The conference is committed to diversity and celebrating the wide range of writers and backgrounds across the writing community. Our commitment to inclusion begins with our application readers — a diverse group that changes year to year.

The first evening of the conference, we meet for a discussion on the ethics of workshop, in which we examine how we can all help foster a welcoming, inclusive environment for writers.

Statement of Inclusion

The Sewanee Writers’ Conference seeks to foster an inclusive environment for its participants, faculty, visitors, and staff. We believe in the values of respect, equality, diversity, and honest discourse. We welcome attendees of all races, ethnicities, sexual and gender orientations, and those with disabilities.

Our commitment to these principles forms the bedrock of this writing community and reflects our ambitions for the writing community as a whole.

Code of Conduct

In our commitment to these values, we would like to share our Code of Conduct. All members of our community agree to this as part of the hiring or admission process.

Commitment to Sustainability

Just as we ask our community to agree to and uphold our values, we feel that it’s important for the conference to be a responsible member of the world at large. We are committed to environmental stewardship and sustainability and recognize the importance of providing eco-friendly resources to reduce our impact on the environment. These include:

Our sustainability plan aims to empower the SWC community by acknowledging our place in the world among natural communities.

Statement of Nondiscrimination and Related Commitments

The Sewanee Writers' Conference proudly supports a diverse community of writers dedicated to developing their craft and is committed to providing a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere for all. We have up-to-date diversity and harassment policies which follow best practices focused on training for all faculty and staff. We provide complaint reporting information to all writers regarding the University of the South's Non-Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Policy; and have a Conference Deputy Title IX Coordinator. We conduct all conference activities with compassion and a generosity of spirit.

University Commitment

The University of the South stands firmly for the principle that its employees, students, and participants of university-sponsored programs have a right to be free from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, pregnancy and childbirth, and genetic information, and free from sexual misconduct in its educational programs and activities and with regard to employment. The University is committed to sustaining a community in which the dignity of every individual is respected. Key to this value are efforts to nurture an environment of civility and mutual respect and to foster a culture of reporting concerns so that the University can respond promptly and equitably whenever an incident occurs. All employees, students, and participants of university-sponsored programs also have the right to be free from harassment and retaliation.

Related Commitments

The University is also committed to free expression. Speech not specifically directed against individuals in a harassing way may be protected by traditional safeguards of free speech, even though the comments may cause considerable discomfort or concern to others in the community.

Conference Acknowledgements

Conference Land Acknowledgement

The conference gathers on the land of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Shawnee, and many other tribes. Middle Tennessee was a fertile hunting ground for many nations. We honor the indigenous people who occupied this land, those who live here now, and the generations to come. We acknowledge the atrocities that occurred as their land was stolen from them. We also recognize the barbarous forced removal and many who suffered and died on the Trail of Tears, which passes through our community.

The University of the South Statement on Developing Land Acknowledgement

The University of the South is situated on land sacred to numerous Indigenous tribes. As part of its commitment to Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation, the University, through its Indigenous Engagement Initiative, is reaching out to tribal representatives to build a mutually respectful and sustainable community. Initial efforts have underscored the importance of deep listening and deference to tribes through a mindful and holistic process of exploring shared history and discovering common goals, including how tribes would prefer to be acknowledged. It is the University's goal that specific acknowledgment, in whatever form it takes, will ultimately comprise only a small part of a healing and shared future.

Statement of Slavery Acknowledgement

The University of the South acknowledges its racist past and that slavery cannot be separated from our history or founders. We recognize how many of us have benefitted from racist policies and institutions and that the brutal legacy of slavery still persists today. We believe in a New South, exemplified by our University's motto Ecce quam bonum, and firmly acknowledge that our vision is only achievable if we support the past, present, and future Black members of our community in meaningful ways.