Both published and unpublished writers are welcome to apply for Writespace’s Emerging Writer Fellowships. Special consideration will be given to outstanding candidates from historically underrepresented populations.
Beginning in 2019, as part of Writespace’s commitment to encourage and support new voices, every year they will award Emerging Writer Fellowships to two exceptionally talented writers selected from the Houston community. Efemena Emonefe and Reverie Benedetto are the Writespace 2019 Emerging Writer Fellows.
About why she writes, Efemena says: "What’s it like to code-switch from AAVE to American English and then to Nigerian Pidgin? How does it feel to be tormented for being too black for the black folks, not African enough for the Nigerians, and just a plain ol’ nigger to everybody else? This is the lens of how I see the world — constantly shifting my perspective to make sense of what surrounds me. Through my writing, I’ll tell the stories for those who dare not speak because the weight of fear overpowers them. I'll tell these stories because our narratives have been washed out and destroyed time and time again."
On the importance of seeing yourself in books, Reverie says: "As a bisexual and non-binary person, I feel as though these identities (among other LGBT identities) have been suppressed and erased from a lot of early literature. I believe that it's important for people to see LGBT characters in various media forms, including literature, as it is a reminder to real-life LGBT people that their identity matters and is socially acceptable."
Both published and unpublished writers are welcome to apply for Writespace’s Emerging Writer Fellowships. Special consideration will be given to outstanding candidates from historically underrepresented populations. Applicants must live within sixty miles of Writespace and provide proof of demonstrated financial need.
Over the course of one year, each recipient of the Writespace Emerging Writer Fellowship will be eligible to receive at no cost:
Four multi-week Writespace workshops (four to ten sessions each)
Six one-day Writespace workshops
Seven-day pass to Writefest, Writespace’s flagship literary festival
Four consultation sessions with Writespace Director Elizabeth White-Olsen or Writespace Associate Director Cassandra Rose Clarke (optional).
One Writespace membership.
The 2020 application portal will open in December 2019 or January 2020.
Writespace is a Houston grassroots literary arts organization, founded in April of 2014 by writers, for writers. Through their weekly writing workshops led by some of Houston's finest writing teachers, they seek to give writers who can't afford to earn an MFA in creative writing the same high-quality training and mentorship opportunities available through MFA programs.
