Thanks so much to all of you who sent me those sweet little get-well notes! That was very kind of you. I'm still a bit under the weather but I wanted to pass along a couple opportunities for you to think about. I also wanted to say something about grant rejections and why, even if you get rejected, good things sometimes occur.
Recently I was notified that while I was in the last batch of writers considered for a large fellowship, I did not make the final cut. Okay, well, try again next time. I wasn't upset at all, just slightly disappointed. But then I got a lovely email from one of the judges who said that after the judging process, he asked if they would reveal the name of the person who wrote the piece I submitted. Long story short: he's not only an author who I've always wanted to read and whose last book I had literally just ordered but he also happens to review books for several major magazines and newspapers and he is interested in reviewing mine when it comes out. A similar thing happened a few years ago with another large fellowship. I didn't get it but one of the judges also tracked me down afterward and said she was an editor for a literary journal and would I be interested in submitting a piece. So you see, gentle readers, sometimes even rejections can turn into something quite positive. The point is that you are putting yourself out there and getting others who are movers and shakers in your genre to see your work. This is a good thing.
Another thing that happened this past week is that Mira's List was listed in a collection of websites and organizations that give funding or offer funding info to Massachusetts artists. So for those of you in my home state, check this link out: http://bit.ly/dwakn9
Okay, on to a couple other things. Here is a very unusual large grant that is based not on a specific discipline but rather on an artist's creative process. It's called the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize and it is offered every two years from the University of Oklahoma's College of Arts and Sciences. The award is also called the Creativity in Motion Prize. The award is for $40,000 and is not for a completed project but, as I said, how amazing the artist's creative process is. The deadline is August 31st. If they are doing things the way they have in the past, it means a letter of intent and then if they like your idea, they ask you to apply. But double-check all this on their website: http://cim.ou.edu. You may also request application materials by contacting Kristi Morgan at (405) 325-2347 or email her at: kcain@ou.edu.
(UK ARTISTS/WRITERS etc.) Turn2us: Turn2us is a new independent charity that helps people access the money available to them - through welfare benefits, grants and other help. Their free, accessible website is a comprehensive and invaluable resource that helps you find sources of financial support, quickly and easily, based on your particular needs and circumstances. https://www.turn2us.org.uk
(WRITERS) The Author's Foundation Grants: The Foundation provides grants to writers to assist them while writing books. There are two rounds of grants each year, awarded in the summer and in the winter. The next closing date for applications is 30th September 2010. To apply the author must meet one of the following conditions:
1. The author has been commissioned by a commercial British publisher to write a full-length work of fiction, poetry or non-fiction and needs funding (in addition to the publisher's advance) for important research, travel, or other more general expenditure.
2. The author is without a contractual commitment by a publisher but has had at least one book published commercially by a British publisher, and there is a strong likelihood that their next book will be published in Britain.
For more info, please go to: http://www.societyofauthors.
There are lots of residency deadlines coming up and many, many grant applications due in September. If you are thinking about applying for a major fellowship or grant in September, or a residency for that matter, now is the time to start that process and to get the word out to those people who will write recommendation letters for you.
More posts soon....I'm off to nap!
Cheers,
Mirabee