Who couldn’t use a little extra time or money to start or finish a writing project? Learn tips and tricks for your next funding application—and what makes a successful ask, for writers at every level.

For All Writers

Live on Zoom | Saturdays, November 7 & 14 | 3-5 pm Eastern

Most writers would benefit from more support for their writing—whether a travel grant to research your latest piece, a one-month residency to draft new pages, or a fellowship to pay your bills while you finish a manuscript. But how do you find those opportunities? And once you find them, how do you figure out if it’s worth your time (and application fees!) to apply? 

Chelsea Biondolillo will share tips and tricks for finding fellowships, grants, and residencies to support a wide range of projects and writers at every level. We will go over the language of applications—how to know if you are “emerging” or “mid-career,” or if your work is “innovative” or “enduring,” the difference between honoraria and stipends, and how to determine the actual costs of attending a “free” residency. 

Bring your application drafts and conundrums to share during the second week; we will live-edit participant application materials to show how small changes can improve your application’s readability, tailoring, and effectiveness. You will leave with a handout full of resources, improved confidence for navigating applications, and a clearer sense of how to get the support your work needs.

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Over these two weeks, you will …

• DISCOVER ways to get external support for specific projects or your writing life
• EXPLORE resources for fellowships, residencies, and grants to enrich your writing process or practice
• LEARN to “read between the lines” of official application guidelines to find the right resources for your project or goals
• PRACTICE writing a statement of purpose or cover letter
• WATCH as participant work is live-edited to improve tailoring, and apply those edits to your own work

Schedule

Day 1

Intros / course intro / go over schedule 
Grant, fellowship, residency—whats the difference?
The application trinity: Cover letter, statement of purpose, writing sample
Prompt (artists statement)—10 min break
Intro homework / options for feedback (work submitted by Thursday night is eligible for live edit) / review how to give feedback

Day 2

Check-in—what opportunities did folks find?

Discussion: on “reading between the lines” of calls for entries 

Prompt (the paramedic method of revision)—10 min break

Live editing of participant work

Q & A

This course is for writers who are …

• planning their next (or first!) application season
• ready to apply for a funding opportunity and needing a little more confidence
• who want their application materials to stand out and impress selection committees
• unsure why their past applications weren’t successful
• with an active project, looking for funding to help continue it
• planning a project that could benefit from funding during research or development
• who could use some time away to work on a piece of writing (either as a funded staycation or residency)

Closed captioning is available. ✔
Think you might miss a class? No worries, replays will be available. ✔

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Known for packing her courses with deep knowledge, actionable information, and fun facts, Chelsea Biondolillo is a collage artist and the author of The Skinned Bird: Essays and two prose chapbooks, Ologies and #Lovesong.

Her essays have been collected in Best American Science and Nature Writing 2016, The Lyric Essay as Resistance, and How We Talk to One Another: An Essay Daily Reader and is forthcoming in The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing the Lyric Essay.

Chelsea’s paper and mixed media collages have been shown in Oregon, Washington, and New York. Her image and text essay, “Weeds” was the winner of CRAFT Literary’s inaugural hybrid writing contest. She has a BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. She currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Testimonials from past students

“I was too intimidated to apply for writing residencies in the past. Chelsea’s ‘Art of Applying’ workshop gave me the tools and encouragement I needed to create a compelling application. I was just awarded my first residency ever, thanks in large part to what I learned from her.” ~ S LeDuc

 “I took an online workshop with Chelsea two years ago. As a fiction writer venturing into nonfiction, I needed a lot of guidance, and I got it. Chelsea’s lessons and feedback  were immensely helpful to me. An essay I began in that class was later accepted by a well known online magazine. I still go back to the material Chelsea provided as support when starting new projects. I can wholeheartedly recommend Chelsea as a mentor and teacher. ” ~ L Doyle

“I took Chelsea’s intensive flash nonfiction class and was deeply impressed by her commitment, feedback, and warm teaching style. The class was online, but Chelsea managed to create a respectful and intellectually stimulating sense of community.” ~ J Zarankin

THE FINE PRINT

We understand that life can get in the way of your plans. We want you to be able to get the most out of your course, and our refund policy is designed to balance your need for flexibility with our deadlines and obligations to our teachers.

Before the class, you may request a refund less a $10.00 processing fee.

Please keep in mind that no refunds or credits will be issued after class begins.

Questions? Please email Info@writingcraft.com

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