FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2020
WINSTON-SALEM—The North Carolina Writers’ Network offers an annual Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship, in honor of the late poet, editor, and educator.
The Buckner Fellowship, in the amount of $500 awarded to one writer each year, supports North Carolina emerging writers whose work shows promise of excellence and commitment to a literary career.
Applicants must be in the early stages of their careers and will not have had yet the support needed to achieve major recognition for their work. No specific academic background is required or preferred. Each year the program will accept applications from writers working primarily in one of four specified genres, rotated over a four-year cycle.
The 2021 Buckner Fellowship will support an emerging writer of creative nonfiction.
Fellowship recipients will use the $500 award to allay the costs associated with the business of writing: paper, printing, writing supplies, submission fees, research expenses, travel, conference registration fees, etc. In addition to the cash award, recipients will receive a complimentary one-year membership in the North Carolina Writers’ Network, as well as scholarship aid to attend the Network’s annual Fall and Spring Conferences.
Applications will be accepted only through Submittable from May 1 to June 30, annually.
Fellowship applicants must meet the following criteria:
* Writers must have established legal residence in North Carolina for at least one year prior to applying, and plan on residing in North Carolina through the Fellowship year.
* Writers must be between the ages of 21 and 35, as of December 31 of the year in which they apply.
* Students enrolled in degree-granting programs are not eligible to apply, even if the focus of study is not directly related to writing. (If at any point during the judging process an applicant accepts an offer to study in a degree-granting program, please alert NCWN immediately to have the application pulled from consideration.)
* Fellowship recipients should “pay it forward.” Fellowship winners, in the course of their award year, are invited to help at least one other writer, in whatever fashion they see fit (mentoring, critiquing, providing a reference, etc.), carrying on Sally Buckner’s lifelong support of other writers.
* Applicants are required to submit a completed application form and accompanying work sample, letter of support, and vitae by June 30. (For a sample vitae, click here.)
* For NCWN members, there is no cost to apply for the Fellowship; for non-members, the application fee is $10. A committee appointed by NCWN will review applications, and invite finalists to interview (via virtual platform) with committee members. The Fellowship winner will be formally introduced at the Network’s Fall Conference. At the end of the award year, recipients will be required to complete a brief report on writing progress made over the past year.
The Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship seeks to support North Carolina writers as they navigate the challenges (and expenses) of the literary world, honoring and continuing Sally Buckner’s devotion to North Carolina’s literary tradition and community.
The North Carolina Writers' Network connects, promotes, and serves writers of this state, providing education in the craft and business of writing, opportunities for recognition and critique of literary work, resources for writers at all stages of development, support for and advocacy of the literary heritage of North Carolina, and a community for those who write.
For more information about the Sally Buckner Emerging Writers’ Fellowship and NCWN, visit www.ncwriters.org or contact June Guralnick, Fellowship Program Coordinator, at [email protected].
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Charles Fiore
Communications Director
North Carolina Writers' Network
www.ncwriters.org
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