The Associates of the Boston Public Library is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2018–2019 Writer-in-Residence fellowship program. Projects eligible for this program include fiction, non-fiction, a script, or poetry works, intended for children or young adults. The program guidelines and application form are available online at www.writer-in-residence.org. Submissions are due by April 5, 2018.
The Associates’ Writer-in-Residence fellowship provides an emerging author with the financial support and dedicated time needed to complete one literary work within a nine-month period. The recipient is awarded a $20,000 stipend and receives a private office in the Boston Public Library’s Central Library in Copley Square. Authors are provided with a forum to promote their finished work and have opportunities to establish connections with writers, publishers, and the community through participation in Library events. The winner is selected by members of the local literary community, via a blind judging process. The program is funded thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.
“The fellowship is more than just a place to work and a stipend, it’s a call to arms,” says 2014–2015 recipient Natalie Coward Anderson. “The sense of momentum makes you realize you can actually do this. And the knowledge that you’re being trusted to be a “real” writer—you just can’t put a price on it.”
The residency has enabled several talented children’s authors to launch their literary careers, including Elaine Dimopoulos, Hannah Barnaby and Sarah Winifred Searle. Going into the program’s 15th year, alumni have published, or are in the process of publishing, 31 books. Alum Annie Hartnett (2013–2014) wrote Rabbit Cake during her residency, which received rave reviews and praise, including being named a Best Book of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews. City of Saints and Thieves, written by Natalie Coward Anderson (2014–2015) while she was in residence, was not only highly praised, but the film rights have been purchased by Universal Pictures, led by actress Kerry Washington. 2015–2016 alum Jennifer De Leon recently sold her debut novel, written during her residency, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From to Atheneum.
About the ASSOCIATES OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Associates of the Boston Public Library is an independent nonprofit dedicated to conserving the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections of rare books, manuscripts, works of art, musical scores and other items of historic significance. The Associates is working to ensure continued public access to these irreplaceable treasures by underwriting their conservation, cataloging, digitization, and exhibition. Through these efforts, the Associates aims to help the Boston Public Library fulfill its most essential mission of providing top quality, free educational resources to the public, as well as preserving knowledge, culture, and history for the benefit of all.
Since its founding in 1972, the Associates has been the creator and underwriter of a wide array of programs, including: Literary Lights (an annual black tie dinner honoring outstanding New England authors); the Hundred-Year Retroactive Book Award competition; art and architecture tours; readings; lectures; curatorial evenings designed to enhance public awareness of the Library’s holdings; exhibitions; musical performances; and discussions of current events featuring key decision makers. To learn more, visit http://www.AssociatesBPL.org, www.Facebook.com/AssociatesBPL, www.Twitter.com/AssociatesBPL, and www.Instagram.com/AssociatesBPL.
About BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Boston Public Library provides educational, cultural and civic enrichment, free to all, for the residents of Boston, Massachusetts and beyond, through its collections, services, programs, and spaces. Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features a Central Library, twenty-five branches, a map center, business library, archival center; extensive special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints; and rich digital content and online services. The award-winning renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, completed in 2016, together with new, renovated and historic branches, provide a transformed library for the next generation of users. Boston Public Library enriches lives, hosting thousands of free educational programs and exhibitions, and providing free library services online and in-person to millions of people each year. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
