The Virginia G. Piper
Fellowship for Cultural Exchange
in the Literary Arts
This fellowship is open to current ASU MFA students, ASU undergraduates in connection with the literary arts, individual Arizona based literary community members, or creative team led by an individual based in Arizona who submit a proposal that supports cultural exchange in the literary arts through either the production of a manuscript or other literary arts based project.
The Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts provides a summer stipend of up to $5,000 (depending on proposed budget) to support a project involving cross-cultural or international exchange. This award is intended to provide financial support for work that will aid the completion of a creative manuscript or other project in pursuit of the advancement of the literary arts. The proposal must involve a cross-cultural or international focus of some kind. Travel is not required but Expenses that can be covered may include work along the borderlands, work with translation or bilingual projects, work with local refugee, tribal, or international communities, for example, or to study at a local archive, or to conduct strategic outreach, programming, or communications, so long as international or cross-cultural exchange or translation is a key aspect of the proposal. Examples of past expenses proposed include, but are not limited to: technology needs such as computers or cameras, book printing and/or design, facility costs, housing, childcare, personal expenses, travel, and research expenses.
The Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts provides a summer stipend of up to $5,000 (depending on proposed budget) to support a project involving cross-cultural or international exchange. This award is intended to provide financial support for work that will aid the completion of a creative manuscript or other project in pursuit of the advancement of the literary arts. The proposal must involve a cross-cultural or international focus of some kind. Expenses that can be covered may include work along the borderlands, work with translation or bilingual projects, work with local refugee, tribal, or international communities, for example, or to study at a local archive, or to conduct strategic outreach, programming, or communications, so long as international or cross-cultural exchange or translation is a key aspect of the proposal. Examples of past expenses proposed include, but are not limited to: technology needs such as computers or cameras, book printing and/or design, facility costs, editing, design services, personal expenses (including paying yourself a stipend), and research expenses. If you are unsure if an expense qualifies, include it in your application anyway.
The Virginia G. Piper Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts provides up to $5,000 in research support. Amount awarded is based on proposed budget outlined in the applicant’s Fellowship Proposal, and on project merit as determined by the application judges. The Fellowship award covers proposed fellowship expenses; any costs that exceed the fellowship amount will be at the applicant’s expense.
The Virginia G. Piper Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts can be awarded to current ASU MFA students, ASU undergraduates in connection with the literary arts, individual Arizona based literary community members, or creative team led by an individual based in Arizona.
A student CANNOT receive the Virginia G. Piper Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts two years in a row.
A student CAN have concurrent applications for both the Fellowship in Literary Arts and the Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts, but can only be awarded one in an academic year.
Students who have applied for and been awarded the Professional Development and/or Creative Engagement Fellowship are still eligible for both the Fellowship in Literary Arts and the Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts.
ASU faculty should apply for our faculty fellowship and are not eligible for this award.
During your Fellowship period, you will be responsible for taking 3 photographs. Within 30 days of the end of the summer, you will need to submit these photos to the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing. Along with the items please include a statement of impact about your research and experience or a sample of your completed writing/project. A Piper Center Staff member may also complete an interview with you about your work and if more documentation of your project has been gathered may request these additional materials. These items will be shared with the Piper Trust who funds the Fellowship and may be published online with the Piper Center.
As a fellowship recipient, you will also have the opportunity to teach a 2-hour free Piper Writers Studio course at some point in the next school year, working with the Piper Center’sCoordinator for Educational Programs. This course will be community-focused, and should reference or incorporate aspects of your fellowship time and studies. The Piper Center staff will provide support in helping you develop this course, as needed. This is a great opportunity to share some of what you’ve learned with the community! If you have other ideas on how you might share your project with our community, feel free to talk to the Coordinator for Educational Programs.
All submissions and references are due by March 5th, 2023.
Files should be titled “LastName Research Fellowship Descriptor” (ex: Smith Research Fellowship Budget.pdf).
To apply for the Virginia G. Piper Creative Research Fellowship, please prepare and complete the following material:
1. Project Title
2. Abstract (200-300 words) and Fellowship Proposal/Vision and Impact Statement (no more than 2 pages, single spaced)
This should be a brief summary of your manuscript project, and the work or research you are planning for it during the fellowship period.
3. Personal Statement
4. Project Timeline
A projected timeline of your project that highlights any expected dates of associated deliverables from your project. This timeline does not have to be exact but should give insight into how you will handle project management aspects of the fellowship.
5. Budget
A detailed outline of all costs you are seeking support for through this fellowship, with justification statements and other documentation provided for clarity as needed. Include backup documentation for expense items to show costs. For example, if seeking funding to support registration, attach a PDF of the website page demonstrating the registration rates.
6. Writing sample
(10 pages of poetry or 10 double-spaced pages of fiction) or other supporting documentation of a past project that highlights your capacity to successfully complete your proposed project.
7. Complete the Application here: Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts
Treat this process as a creative project proposal, and not a job application: you must convince the judges that your unique proposal deserves the fellowship award, rather than trying to meet a certain set of expected criteria.
If necessary, independent judges, external to ASU, will determine the recipient. The fellowship award will be announced in February 2022 and the award will be dispersed in Spring 2022
More Info:
For more information about the Virginia G. Piper Fellowship for Cultural Exchange in the Literary Arts, please reach out Coordinator for Educational Programs, Joy Young, at joyyoung@asu.edu