Scholarships Info

Apply for the 2011-2012 Steinbeck Fellows Program

Program Description:

The Steinbeck Fellows Program of San José State University (SJSU), which was endowed through the generosity of Martha Heasley Cox, offers new writers of any age and background the opportunity to pursue a significant writing project while in residence at SJSU. The emphasis of the program is on helping emerging writers, which generally means someone who has had some success, but has not published extensively, and whose promising work would be aided by the financial support and sponsorship of the Center and the Unviersity’s cretive writing program.

The Steinbeck Fellowship Program is named in honor of author John Steinbeck and is guided by his lifetime of work in literature, the media, and environmental activism. The program offers the opportunity to interact with other writers, faculty and graduate students, and to share their work in progress by giving a public reading once each semester during the fellowship. The fellowships afford a stipend of $10,000. Housing assistance is available, depending upon need. Residency in the San José area is required during the academic year (approximately 1 September – 20 May).

Fellowships Offered:

Currently, SJSU offers one-year fellowships in Steinbeck scholarship and in creative writing, including drama, creative nonfiction, and biography. In awarding fellowships, the selection committee considers the quality of the candidate’s proposal and any factors that would lead to expectations of future publication and other achievement. The creative writing fellowship does not require that there be any direct connection between Steinbeck’s works and that of the applicant. Applicants who are enrolled in a graduate program of study must furnish evidence that they have completed all coursework, except any course registration associated with a thesis.

Stipend:

The fellowships afford a stipend of $10,000. Housing assistance may be available. Residency in the San José area is expected during the academic year.

Application Checklist:

* Proposal or Prospectus for Work to be Written (one to three pages describing your project and how you hope to use your time)
* Resumé
* Three Letters of Recommendation
* Writing Sample (no more than thirty pages)
* Stamped Self-Addressed Envelope

Deadline:

Postmark of 2 January 2012

Announcement of Awards:

By 15 March 2012

Address all application materials and questions about the program to:

Steinbeck Fellows Program
Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies
San José State University San José, CA 95192 0202

Paul.Douglass@sjsu.edu
Phone: 408-808-2067
Fax: 408-808-2069

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