Straw Dog Writers Guild, a cooperative organization of working creative writers in Western Massachusetts, will grant an emerging writer of fiction a $3000 stipend and other professional benefits for a full year, beginning in May 2022. Applications are now open.
Now in its second cycle, the Emerging Writer Fellowship Program will award the grant and benefits to a woman or gender expansive writer of color who is based in Western Massachusetts and in the early stages of their career.
The Fellowship was created to help emerging writers negotiate barriers that may prevent them from accessing mentorship and pursuing publication of their work.
The award recipient will receive the grant to cover writing related expenses, along with a membership in Straw Dog through 2023 and access to mentors who can help with the craft of writing, publishing, and promoting their work, or with other needs as determined.
The recipient will also receive a professional website designed by Valley of Writers and three years of web hosting.
The Fellowship includes the opportunity to read their work at Guild events, teach in the Guild’s workshop program, and shape the artistic vision of the Guild as it grows.
Applicants should be 18 years old or older, self-identify as a woman or gender expansive writer of color who demonstrates a passion for writing fiction but has not published a book nor has one under contract. They must currently live in either Franklin, Hampshire, Hamden, or Berkshire County.
The process for application includes the completion of an application form and the submission of a writing sample between November 1 and December 30 of this year. Finalists will participate in an interview with Fellowship Committee members before the recipient is selected.
The Fellowship recipient will be announced by the Committee on March 1, 2022, and the term of the Fellowship will run from May 2022 until May 2023.
For further details and an application form please follow the link below: