The Institute of American Indian Arts is offering its first-ever Sherman Alexie Scholarship for a student in its Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing program.
To apply for the scholarship the student must complete an application to IAIA’s MFA program. The creative writing sample required by the application will serve as the student’s entry for the scholarship. IAIA’s MFA faculty will do an initial screening of the creative writing samples, and the winner of the scholarship will be selected by Alexie himself.
“Sherman Alexie has been deeply involved with the MFA program since its inception,” said Jon Davis in a prepared release. Davis is the director of IAIA’s MFA program. “This scholarship is a natural next step and a terrific opportunity for a Native student writer.”
According to the release, the judging for the scholarship will be blind, all names will be removed from the creative writing samples. Students need to pay close attention to the page limits because additional pages over the limit will not be read, according to the release.
The winner will receive a scholarship of $7,500 per semester for four semesters, for a total of $30,000. Of the $30,000 awarded, $24,000 will be applied to tuition. The remaining $6,000 will help pay for travel, lodging, books, and meals during the five residencies in Santa Fe, N.M., according to the release. The student must remain in good academic standing throughout the two-year program.
Deadline to apply is May 24 at 5 p.m., Mountain Standard Time. Late entries will not be accepted. The winner will be announced on June 9. Finalists may also be offered scholarships. The winner must enroll for the July 22-29, 2017 pre-fall semester residency, according to the release. All entrants will be notified by email.
Eligibility
All applicants must be enrolled members of a Native American tribe or First Nation; proof of enrollment will be required.
Sherman Alexie
Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award for Short Fiction, a PEN/Hemingway Citation for Best First Fiction, and the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Sherman Alexie is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and performer who serves as program consultant and workshop leader for the IAIA MFA program, according to the release.
He has published 26 books including his soon to be released memoir, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” He also wrote and co-produced the film “Smoke Signals,” which won the Audience Award and Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, according to the release.
A Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, Alexie grew up in Wellpinit, Wash., on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Alexie has been an urban Indian since 1994 and lives in Seattle with his family, according to the release.
For more information about the scholarship, contact Jon Davis, Director IAIA MFA Program at (505) 424-2365 or jdavis@iaia.edu.
By
Osage News
Original Publish Date: 2017-05-02 00:00:00
