John Dos Passos, author of the U.S.A. trilogy and many other works, first visited Key West in the
1920s and told his friend Ernest Hemingway about the place. He met his wife Katy at the
Hemingways' -- the couple rented this house at 1401 Pine St., then the outskirts of town,
during the winter of 1934.
Financial Assistance for Writers
Joyce Horton Johnson Fiction Award
Marianne Russo Scholarship
Scotti Merrill Memorial Scholarship
We have three named scholarships whose purpose is to recognize excellence in a manuscript submission from a new or emerging writer. This year we are particularly interested in receiving submissions from writers of history and historical fiction. The three named scholarships will provide full tuition to either session of our 2009 Seminar and the workshop program. In addition, these scholarships may provide support for travel, lodging, and living expenses while in Key West and an opportunity to appear on stage at the Seminar.
The Joyce Johnson Fiction Award is supported through the generosity of Joyce Johnson, a Key West resident. The Scotti Merrill Memorial Scholarship is named for Scotti Merrill, a Key West resident and long time friend of the Seminar who died in 1999. Funding for this scholarship has been generously provided by The Dogwood Foundation in Scotti's memory. The Marianne Russo Scholarship is named in the memory of Marianne Russo, a devoted friend of the Seminar who died last year. This scholarship is generously funded by The Rodel Charitable Foundation-Florida.
In addition to these scholarships, we do have a very limited amount of financial assistance available to writers who would otherwise not be able to attend the Seminar or writers' workshop program.
Application Procedures
- Provide us with a sample of your writing (no more than ten pages or five poems, please). It is best if you send your writing sample as an email with an attached word document. Let us know if this is not possible, and we'll make special arrangements.
- Provide us with the names and emails of two people who are familiar with your writing and would be willing to speak about you and your work. If possible, at least one of these should be a teacher. (Please tell these people we may be contacting them; sorry, we can only communicate by email.)
- Please answer the following questions or provide the requested information (email is fine).
a. Are you applying for financial support for just the Seminar? Just the Workshop? The Seminar and the Workshop? How much assistance do you require? Do you also need help with lodging? How much can you afford to pay on your own?
b. Tell us about yourself, your interests, your educational background, your writing.
c. Tell us why you want to attend the Seminar/Workshops and what you hope to get out of the experience. Which core workshop, if any, would you like to attend? How did you hear about the Seminar?
d. A brief statement of financial need.
e. When do you need to know if you will be receiving assistance?
Deadline for all requests for financial assistance is September 30, 2008. We will announce the winners of the named scholarships no later than October 31, 2008. All other assistance will be awarded on a "rolling" basis until funds are depleted. We therefore encourage early, complete applications.