Scholarships

2008 Scholarship recipients:

Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Fiction - Heather Swartz
Leo Love Merit Scholarship in Poetry - Marco Dominguez
D.H. Lawrence Fellowship - Nancy Pagh
Hispanic Writer Award - Benjamin Garcia
Native Writer Award - Oscar Hokeah
Taos Resident Award - Jessica Wilbanks

Taos Summer Writers' Conference has a number of scholarships to provide support for talented writers. The application process for all awards begins in December, but each scholarship has different requirements and processes so please read the documentation carefully. If you have further questions about our scholarship programs, or if you wish to donate to the scholarship funds, please contact us at the address listed below.

D. H. Lawrence

The original D. H. Lawrence Fellowship was established in 1958 to sustain a living tradition of artistic creation at the D. H. Lawrence Ranch, located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains some 20 miles north of Taos, New Mexico. Over the years, dozens of poets, fiction writers and dramatists enjoyed a month of quiet writing time amid the great natural beauty of the Ranch. Unfortunately, in 1992, the Fellowship had to be suspended because of the deteriorating condition of the writer's cabin and an uncertain water supply. While the Ranch remains open to visitors during the day, housing a writer-in-residence still is not feasible.

However, the Taos Summer Writers' Conference is pleased to announce that the D. H. Lawrence Fellowship has been reinstated in modified form (as of the July 2000 Conference). The Fellowship is awarded to an emerging writer of fiction or poetry with one book in print or at press. The D. H. Lawrence Fellow will receive tuition remission for one weekend or week-long workshop (a value up to $600), lodging at the Sagebrush Inn or Comfort Suites, and two meals a day (breakfast and lunch). In return, the Fellow contributes to Conference activities and gives a formal reading.

D. H. Lawrence Fellows include Kelly Magee of Columbus, Ohio (2006); Carl Marcum of Chicago, Illinois (2005); Lisa Goett of Taos, New Mexico (2004); Sarah Jane Smith of Miami, Florida (2003); Andrea Hollander Budy of Mountain View, Arkansas (2002); Pamela Gemin of Oshkosh, Wisconsin (2001); and Charlotte Holmes of State College, Pennsylvania (2000).

The next application period for the D.H. Lawrence Fellowship is Dec. 2007-April 2008.

Application Procedure for D.H. Lawrence Fellowship

1. Send a vitae and a brief letter of application along with a recent sample of your work. Manuscripts and supporting materials will be returned.

2. The deadline for application is April 15, 2008 (postmark). The decision will be posted on the Conference web site. A committee composed of faculty and graduate students from the Creative Writing Program at the University of New Mexico will select the recipient.

3. Send application materials to:

Taos Summer Writers' Conference
Attn: D.H. Lawrence Fellowship
Sharon Oard Warner, Director
Department of English Language and Literature
MSC03 2170, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Top

Leo Love Merit Scholarships in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction

The two Leo Love Merit Scholarships--awarded in poetry and fiction/nonfiction--are available to any potential Conference participant. They provide tuition remission for a week-long workshop or partial tuition for a master class (a value of $600), and do not cover transportation or lodging costs.

You must register for the Conference (including paying the deposit) to apply for a scholarship. (By the time we make the scholarship awards, we anticipate that many of the workshops will be closed. Thus, those applying for scholarships should be planning to attend the Conference, regardless of the outcome of the competition. Please consider the scholarships as meritorious awards, not as financial aid.)

Application Procedure forLeo Love Merit Scholarships

1. Submit 10 pages of prose or poetry, along with your registration form. Manuscripts and supporting materials will not be returned.

2. The deadline for application is May 15, 2008 (postmark). The decision will be posted on the Conference web site by June 1, 2008. A committee composed of faculty and graduate students from the Creative Writing Program at the University of New Mexico will select the recipient.

3. Send application materials to:

Taos Summer Writers' Conference
Attn: Leo Love Merit Scholarship
Sharon Oard Warner, Director
Department of English Language and Literature
MSC03 2170, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Top

Native Writer Award in Poetry or Fiction

The Native Writer Award, established in the memory of native author and former colleague Louis Owens, offers tuition support for one weekend or week-long workshop (a value up to $600) and paid lodging to any Native American who is resident of New Mexico. The award recognizes excellence in fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, and may apply to a weekend or week-long workshop. Applicants may apply in more than one genre but are eligible for only one award. Unlike the fiction and poetry scholarships, applicants for the Native Writer Award do not need to be registered for the Conference before applying.

Top

Hispanic Writer Award in Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry

The Hispanic Writer Award is open to any New Mexican resident of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish heritage. The award provides tuition remission for one weekend or one week-long workshop (a value up to $600) in fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, plus paid lodging. Applicants may apply in more than one genre but are eligible for only one award. Unlike the fiction/nonfiction and poetry scholarships, applicants for the Hispanic Writer Award do not need to be registered for the Conference before applying.

Top

Taos Resident Award in Poetry or Fiction

The Taos Resident Writer Award offers tuition support for one workshop to a resident of Taos (or the Taos vicinity). The award recognizes excellence in fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, and may apply to a weekend or week-long workshop (a value up to $600). Applicants may apply in more than one genre but are eligible for only one award. Unlike the fiction/nonfiction and poetry scholarships, applicants for the Taos Resident Writer Award do not need to be registered for the Conference before applying.

Top

Application Procedurefor Native Writer Award, Hispanic Writer Award and Taos Resident Award

1. Submit 20 pages of prose or poetry, along with a short cover letter indicating the name of the award and describing your writing interests and why you want to attend the conference. Manuscripts and supporting materials will not be returned.

2. The deadline for application is May 1, 2008 (postmark). The decision will be posted on the Conference web site. A committee composed of faculty and graduate students from the Creative Writing Program at the University of New Mexico will select the recipient.

3. Send application materials to:

Taos Summer Writers' Conference
Attn: (Indicate name of award)
Sharon Oard Warner, Director
Department of English Language and Literature
MSC03 2170, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

Top

A Room of Her Own Foundation Scholarship

Since its beginning A Room of Her Own Foundation (AROHO) has given almost $500,000 to creative women through our $50,000 Gift of Freedom awards, scholarships, retreats, public readings, the AROHO Book Club, and our customized web-based resource center.

AROHO has hosted over 200 women writers at our unique retreats that feature a world-class faculty, and we have sponsored approximately $50,000 in scholarships for women writers to attend our retreats as well as other intensive writing programs.

AROHO promotes the interests of our community of women writers by sponsoring and supporting national writing programs and journals, including the National Poetry Slam and the AWP National Conference, the American Academy of Poetry, Poets and Writers, and Creative Nonfiction.

Dedicated to furthering the vision of writer Virginia Woolf, AROHO continues to change the lives of creative women by rewarding and showcasing their important voices to our own community as well as the marketplace. AROHO is committed to bridging the often fatal gap between a woman’s economic reality and her artistic creation.

The A Room of Her Own Scholarship is for a woman resident of New Mexico who has not yet been published in a nationally known venue. The scholarship reimburses tuition for one weekend or a week long workshop (value up to $600) and does not cover transportation or lodging costs. Preference will be given to candidates who have compelling financial needs.

Application Procedure:

Write a cover letter of no more than two pages addressing:

Your writing history.
Your writing goals.
Your potential benefit from this scholarship.
A personal statement regarding financial need.

Send a recent writing sample of your work (maximum 10 pages).

Note: All applications will be reviewed anonymously. Make sure that your name and contact information appear only on a preface sheet and not on the cover letter or writing sample.

Applications must be postmarked on or before April 7, 2008. The recipient will be notified by May 1.

Mail application to:

Taos Summer Writers Conference Scholarship
A Room of Her Own Foundation
PO Box 778
Placitas, NM 87043