SLF Working Class Writers Grant Application Form

Since 2013, the Working Class Writers Grant has been awarded annually to speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers which make it hard to access the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to purchase a computer, books, and tuition, or to attend conventions or workshops. Often, these writers, many of whom work more than one job, have less time to write. The SLF seeks to bring more of these marginalized voices into speculative fiction. This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. Speculative literature spans the breadth of fantastic writing, encompassing literature ranging from hard science fiction to epic fantasy, including ghost stories, horror, folk and fairy tales, slipstream, magical realism, and more. Any piece of literature containing a fabulist or speculative element would fall under our aegis. You would potentially be eligible for this grant if any of the following apply: -you qualify for government assistance (food stamps, Medicaid, tax credits, free school lunch) for a significant period of time -you live paycheck-to-paycheck -your parents did not go to college -you rely on payday loans -you’re currently being raised in a single parent household -you’re supporting yourself and paying your own way through college -you’ve lived at or below 200% of the poverty line for your state for at least one year -you’ve experienced stretches of time when food was not readily and easily available Unlike our other grants, you may choose to receive this grant anonymously or pseudonymously. Please note that the goal of these grants is to help as many writers as possible, so recent winners can reapply but will be considered low-priority within a 2-year window of winning. Given our limited funds, we will prioritize applicants currently in financial need.

Name

Email Address

Project Title

Which grant(s) are you applying for?

Diverse Writers Grant

Cover Letter

Please include a personal statement (not to exceed 750 words) explaining why you qualify for and what you hope to accomplish with the help of this grant. A bibliography of previously published work may be included if applicable and will not count toward the requested word limit. Applicants need not have prior publishing credits to apply.

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Writing Sample

Please send your best work — up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction. If you are sending a segment of a novel, novella, or novelette, include a one-page synopsis as the first page of the document. The submitted work must be speculative, as defined above.

Attach file

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First Round VOTE

Second Round Assignment

First Round Notes

First Round Assignments:

I have read and understand the SLF definition of speculative fiction, and assert that this project fits within the guidelines.

SLF grants are ONLY applicable to works of speculative fiction. You can find the definition here (FAQ #2) https://speculativeliterature.org/faq/#2.-What-is-speculative-literature-anyway?

Second Round VOTE

FINAL ROUND VOTE

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Second Round Notes

FINAL ROUND NOTES

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Final Round Assignments

Tiebreaker VOTE

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Tiebreaker

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