Martha’s Vineyard, MA / November 2, 2017 –
The science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres derive their strength from the full community of writers who tell their stories. The faculty and alumni of the Viable Paradise workshop believe that diverse voices need to be heard, and there are stories, styles of storytelling, and points of view the field has yet to fully promote. We want to help see that change and are proud to put our conviction into practice by offering the Viable Paradise Writers-of-Color Scholarship.
Photo credit: Sarah Goslee
Thanks to the generous support of the class and faculty of Viable Paradise 21, we are offering two half-tuition scholarships for students of color who will be attending the class of Viable Paradise 22 in 2018.
Here’s how the scholarship will work: When our application period opens on January 1, 2018, students who apply to VP22 will be able to simultaneously apply for the Writers-of-Color Scholarship. Once all applications have been reviewed, the workshop will randomly award half-tuition scholarships to two accepted students who have applied for the scholarship.
When we initially told the class of VP21 about our plans for this scholarship, they generously met our fundraising goal within forty-eight hours (because they are awesome). And with their support, the Viable Paradise board of directors is also announcing a stretch goal for our fundraising efforts:
Should we raise a total of $2,600 via our web site, we will not only award two half-tuition scholarships but also fully fund both scholarship students’ travel to and from the workshop on Martha’s Vineyard.
ETA (December 28, 2017): Thanks to the generous support of the Viable Paradise community, we have been able to expand the scholarship. We will now also sponsor scholarship students’ travel to and from the workshop on Martha’s Vineyard.