Announcing the 2026-2028 Generations in Dialogue Literary Cohort
Applications Now Available for the 2026-28 Generations in Dialogue Literary Mentoring Program
The Fr. James L. Heft, SM Generations in Dialogue Program (GID), part of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC, is a two-year, funded program, which will bring together emerging writers and well-established writers—together comprising a group of poets, fiction writers, creative nonfiction writers, and essayists of varying cultural and religious backgrounds.
Program components include semi-annual retreats (honoraria & travel expenses provided), a supportive community offering encouragement and feedback on participant’s work, and consideration of important issues facing writers in the age of A.I.
Led by poet Laura Reece Hogan, the cohort will focus on the role of human thought and creativity and consider questions such as: What is it about literature that demands fresh human thought? Why does the evolving literary tradition need contributions from the lived, diverse experience of writers to move forward? How do we sustain human-based literary traditions, protect literary works from unauthorized A.I. infringement, and intentionally cultivate human-created literature? We are moving forward into a new world of A.I. assistance in every quadrant—how best can we do that as creators of the written word?
A Catholic approach to these topics prioritizes the human being. As we see in the work of authors as varied as Dante and Joyce, the Catholic literary tradition values the human experience, from moments of suffering and loss to moments of transcendence and joy. This tradition fosters an approach that is grounded in the daily reality of our lives and yet reaches for the sublime and otherworldly.
The Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies will advance and promote the creative work and public profile of participants, as well as elevate their perspectives and voices in a world where they are increasingly needed.
We hope you will consider joining us!
Applications are available at the link below and are due April 1, 2026. Questions? Email iacs@usc.edu.
Meet the 2026-28 Lead Scholar-Poet
Laura Reece Hogan
Adjunct Faculty, Poetry, Whitworth MFA in Creative Writing Program
Whitworth University
Research areas: Poetry, Nonfiction, Spiritual Theology
Laura Reece Hogan is the author of Butterfly Nebula (Backwaters, University of Nebraska Press, 2023), winner of the Backwaters Prize in Poetry, Litany of Flights (Paraclete Press, 2020), winner of the Paraclete Poetry Prize, the poetry chapbook O Garden-Dweller (Finishing Line Press, 2017), and the nonfiction spiritual theology title I Live, No Longer I (Wipf & Stock, 2017), which won four first-place Catholic Press Association awards. She is one of ten poets featured in the anthology In a Strange Land (Cascade Books, 2019) and serves on the executive board of Red Hen Press and the poetry advisory board of Wildhouse Press. She is the first-year poetry mentor in the Whitworth University MFA in Creative Writing Program. She will serve as the senior scholar/mentor in the Generations in Dialogue Program at the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California for the 2026-2028 cohort. Her poems have appeared in The Christian Century, America Magazine, Crab Creek Review, Smartish Pace, Sojourners, First Things, U.S. Catholic, Sugar House Review, Scientific American, RHINO, Connecticut River Review, Verse Daily and elsewhere.
Learn about Generations in Dialogue
