The Robert & Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships for Writers
Deadline: September 1, 2009
GUIDELINES
Fellowship Description
The Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowship Fund, established at the Foundation in 2003, provides up to three $25,000 artist fellowships each year, rotating among composers, writers, and visual artists on a three-year cycle. In all three disciplines, the fellowships will be awarded to emerging and mid-career Rhode Island artists whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity, rigorous dedication and consistent artistic practice, and significant artistic merit.
The 2009 Fellowships will be in the literary arts. The 2010 Fellowships will be in the visual arts and the 2011 Fellowships will be in musical composition.
MacColl Johnson Fellowships provide significant financial support to Rhode Island artists to enable them to concentrate time on the creative process, personal and professional development, expand their body of work and explore new directions. The Fellowship honors and enhances public recognition of local artists producing work of high aesthetic quality.
The MacColl Johnson Fellowships are unrestricted, however Fellows are expected to devote concentrated time to their work during the term of the Fellowship and engage in activities which further their artistic growth. Examples include the creation of new work, the purchase of computer equipment, travel, or research and development of artistic endeavors.
An out-of-state panel of qualified published authors and literary professionals will review the applications and work samples, and recommend Fellowship candidates to the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Deadline
The online application becomes available June 8, 2009 on The Rhode Island Foundation website and will be accepted through the deadline of September 1, 2009 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. The application will close electronically at this time and no applications will be accepted after this deadline. We will be unavailable to answer questions after 5:00 PM on September 1, 2009.
Online Application Process
The fellowship application is being accepted electronically through an online submission process and is available on The Rhode Island Foundation website www.rifoundation.org. To access the fellowship website page type MacColl Johnson online application into the search window of the website. Applicants should fully read and understand the guidelines before starting the application.
The application consists of an online form and process to electronically attach supplemental document files. In addition to basic contact information, a Statement of Plan is required in the form and Work Samples, a Work Samples Index, a resume or CV, and when appropriate, Synopses and Context Descriptions attached as instructed. Please review the online application prior to filling it out and prepare and electronically format all the required materials well in advance of the deadline. The application can be completed and edited over multiple sessions by re-entering through an online log-in process at: https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_983. After finally submitting your application you will be able to review, but no longer edit your completed application, from the same link. Upon submitting your application you will receive a confirmation receipt via email which will include the log-on link and a tracking number. The email also will include a copy of the application. Keep this confirmation receipt for reference.
Applicants will not be penalized for omitting the optional information requested in the Artist Profile section of the application, but the data provided helps determine if the fellowship program is attracting a diverse range of applicants and reaching the entire state of Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Foundation seeks for its programs to be inclusive and accessible to all individuals.
Detailed instructions for preparing documents and completing the application are provided further in these guidelines.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be Rhode Island residents 12 months prior to the application deadline, at the time of submitting the application and during the period of the fellowship. If recommended for a Fellowship, applicants will be required to provide two (2) of the following documents as proof of residency:
• a 2008 Rhode Island income tax form or 2008 W-2 Form,
• a RI driver’s license or a RI-issued identification card,
• a lease or mortgage agreement,
• a RI voter registration, and
• a RI automobile registration.
- Eligible writing genres include fiction, poetry, (including spoken-word), playwriting and screenwriting. These genres can include experimental forms or forms that embrace new technologies.
- Applicants must be within the emerging to mid-career stage of their literary profession, regardless of age.
- An emerging writer is considered to be a writer who has yet to make a significant mark in the literary arena, but whose artistic voice is distinct and whose professional work suggests great promise.
- A mid-career writer is one whose body of work has received professional recognition, but is not substantially established in the field, or who had substantial professional recognition at an earlier career stage.
- Applicants must demonstrate that they have met qualifying professional benchmarks as emerging to mid-career writers. Because artistic development is measured differently within each writing genre, selected benchmarks have been provided to define basic eligibility for emerging to mid-career writers in each category. Your literary accomplishments may vary from the benchmarks referenced below, but should include comparable examples. Writers working in a genre previously not explored may be considered eligible as emerging to mid-career.
- Fiction writers and poets should demonstrate a minimum of three (3) discrete works published in literary journals, anthologies, edited web publications to be considered emerging writers and at least one (1) book published by a nonprofit or commercial press to be considered at mid-career. Self-published works do not qualify.
- Spoken-word poets should demonstrate a minimum of three (3) curated public presentations, excluding open-mic performances to be considered emerging writers and an established performance history of at least five (5) discrete works presented in curated public performances, excluding open-mic performances at a range of public venues including, but not limited to, poetry clubs, libraries, community centers, and theatres to be considered at mid-career.
- Playwrights should demonstrate a minimum of two (2) workshopped productions to be considered emerging playwrights and a production history including at least two (2) full stage productions at professional or nonprofit theatres to be considered at mid-career.
- Screenwriters should demonstrate formal training in screenwriting through coursework, script coaching or a film degree program and a track record of executed screenplays that have not yet resulted in produced feature film credits to be considered an emerging screenwriter or have one (1) feature-length screenplay produced or optioned by an entity with at least one produced feature film credit or at least three (3) feature-length, narrative screenplays copyrighted or registered with the Writers Guild of America to be considered at mid-career.
Ineligibility
- Writers who are students enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application are ineligible.
- All forms of nonfiction writing are not eligible for consideration, including documentary screenwriting. Adaptations of any previously written, performed, or filmed work by another artist also are ineligible.
Criteria
- Work Sample submissions must have been created within the past five years.
- Applicants will be evaluated on:
• The quality of their work, literary development and creative contribution to the literary field; and
• Their ability to demonstrate that the fellowship will advance their work and career, and enable the writer to explore new directions, otherwise not financially feasible.
Instructions for Completing and Submitting the Online Application
Enter all requested information on the application form and attach all requested documents where instructed to the application form. Required documents to be attached include:
- Work Samples
- Work Sample Index
- Resume or CV
- Synopsis and Context Description, applicable to writing excerpts.
In formatting the document files that will be uploaded please note that files with certain extension formats such as “exe”, “com”, “vbs”, or “bat” cannot be uploaded. Recommended formats include: “doc”, “xls”, and “pdf”. The total file size of all the documents that will be uploaded cannot exceed 50 MB.
Step-by-step instructions for uploading all attachments are provided on the online application form. If you wish, you can fill out the application over multiple sessions by using the Save & Finish Later function. This saves the application online. In order to access the application again, you will need to create an account and log-on at: https://www.grantrequest.com/SID_983. Be sure that you have access to the electronic/digital files to be attached from the computer you use to complete your application. You will be prompted to locate the documents using a Browser function and then upload the individual files. Work Samples and Synopses and Context Descriptions can be individually uploaded; they do not have to be combined into one document.
Review all information for accuracy before finally submitting your application. After submitting you will be able to review, but no longer edit, your completed application by logging on to your account.
Instructions for Statement of Plan
The Statement of Plan provides the review panel with a fuller understanding of your creative practice as a writer and a frame of reference for your work. Panelists will use this information to evaluate how the MacColl Johnson Fellowship might advance your work and career and enable you to explore new direction and techniques.
You are required to provide responses to three guiding questions on the application form. These responses, which are entered into three different text boxes, constitute the Statement of Plan. There is a 3,000 character maximum for each text box which equals approximately 430 words or ¾ of a single spaced page of a Word document. It is recommended that you prepare your responses in a separate word document for easier editing and character count and then copy and paste the text into the respective text boxes in the application.
Instructions for Work Samples
The review panel will rely on the submitted information you provide to inform their recommendations. You are encouraged to submit your strongest work created within the past five years.
For each genre category, Work Samples must be submitted in typed manuscript format, double-spaced, using 12 point font or larger and having margins at least one inch on all sides. Include a title page for each Work Sample and paginate each Work Sample with your name on each page; e.g. Title one, pages 1-5, Title Two, pages 6 – 12. Scanned or photocopied pages from journals or books are not acceptable. Only Work Samples uploaded to the application will be accepted, with the exception of experimental forms and new technology forms as defined further in these guidelines. Work Samples sent on CDs, DVDs, flash drives, and other digital file devices will not be accepted and render the application incomplete. Failure to comply with the described manuscript and Work Sample guidelines may disqualify entries.
Fiction writers should submit from 20 but no more than 30 pages of writing. You may submit any number of different pieces or excerpts within the 30-page limit. An excerpt of a longer work should be placed in context and a Synopses and Context Descriptions provided for each excerpt. See instructions for Synopses and Context Descriptions below.
Poets should submit from 10 but no more than 15 pages of writing. No more than one poem should be included per page. No recorded audio or visual media will be accepted in place of written poems. Submissions of spoken-word works can provide digital links to performances in addition to manuscripts. Panelists will be instructed to consider all such links as optional to the evaluation process. Spoken-word submissions will be evaluated on literary merit. Directions for providing links to online samples are on the application form. Access to all online material must be free of charge to be eligible. Online accessible Work Samples must be included on the Work Samples Index, clearly identifying the selections chosen for submission.
Playwrights and screenwriters should submit from 20 but no more than 30 page excerpts of two plays or feature-length scripts. Screenplays must be registered with the Writers Guild of America or the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. Excerpts from stage and screen scripts should be placed in context and a Synopses and Context Descriptions provided for each excerpt. See instructions for Synopses and Context Descriptions below.
Experimental form and new technology form submissions, such as e-books, will only be evaluated on their literary merit. Any work published in traditional print format prior to or simultaneous to e-book publishing must be submitted in manuscript format as described above. Work Samples using experimental forms should follow the above manuscript guidelines for the genre that most closely aligns with the work. For submissions exclusively available online or utilizing media other than printed text, digital links for downloading or online viewing of Work Samples are required. Directions for providing digital links are provided on the application form. Access to all online material must be free of charge to be eligible. Include all Work Samples that are not submitted in manuscript format on the Work Samples Index, and clearly identify the selected submission and its online location. A Synopsis and Context Descriptions must be attached for each excerpt of a longer work, following the instructions below.
The review panel will critique no more than the maximum amount of material allowed and the number of pages specified. Do not upload or send reviews, critiques, promotional materials, and letters of reference. They will not be reviewed by the panel and may disqualify the application. Applicants will not be penalized for submitting less material than requested in the Work Samples instructions.
Instructions for the Synopses and Context Descriptions
Excerpts of longer works selected as Work Samples should be placed in context for clarity. For each excerpt submitted, provide a synopsis of the larger piece and a brief explanation of where the excerpt fits within the larger work, as well as why you selected it. Clearly label all synopses and context descriptions with matching titles and dates to the Work Samples they represent. Limit the length of the synopses and context descriptions text for each excerpt to half a page, single-line spacing in 12 point font. Instructions for uploading the Synopses and Context Descriptions are provided in the application.
Instructions for the Work Samples Index
List all the Work Samples submitted with the application on the Work Samples following the headings on the Work Samples Index form which is on the Robert & Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships page of The Rhode Island Foundation website.
Questions about the fellowship or application process?
Many general questions about the MacColl Johnson Fellowships are addressed in the Frequently Asked Questions on Robert & Margaret MacColl Johnson Fellowships on The Rhode Island Foundation website.
For additional information, questions about the online application process, your eligibility for this fellowship, eligibility of work samples or if you lack the technology to comply, contact Daniel Kertzner, Grant Programs Officer, dkertzner@rifoundation.org or (401) 427-4014. When sending an email please reference 2009 Writers Fellowships in subject heading to assure a prompt response. We will be unavailable to answer questions after 5:00 pm Eastern time on September 1, 2009. |