George Mason University

Thesis Fellowship: $10,000 + tuition. To be eligible you must have 9-12 credits remaining to take in your last year.

Completion Fellowship: $10,000 ($5,000 per semester), no tuition waiver. To be eligible you must have at least 12 credits to complete in your last year.

Heritage Writer, for poetry students: $10,000 + tuition. To be eligible, you must have 9-12 credits to complete during your last year.

Note: The primary intent of these fellowships when they were started was to support students while they worked on their theses, so the application process has been tied to or set up to mirror the thesis proposal process itself.

TAs and non-TAs may apply but a student cannot hold two positions or hold a full-time position and receive a major fellowship (these are university rules) so a TA would have to resign that position if he or she were awarded a fellowship; TA’s usually only apply for the Thesis Fellowship or Heritage Writer, which include tuition.

Deadline:  The 2009 fellowships have been awarded and the recipients are listed below. A new deadline will be announced at the end of the year.

To Apply:  Submit applications electronically as an attachment to an email. Please do not attach multiple documents; include all the information below in one attached document. Send an email to writing@gmu.edu by the deadline.

In the application:

• State clearly which fellowship(s) you are applying for.
• Start with a narrative or statement describing your project (thesis idea or proposal).
• Follow that with up to 10-15 pages of poems; or in prose, a book chapter, two short stories or two pieces of nonfiction.

In all categories, the manuscript you submit does not have to be part of the proposed thesis – if you have not yet started drafting the project, you would not have part of it to submit, or if it is not among your most polished work it may not be what you want to submit. Still, you should discuss the project you want to work on in the narrative and submit your best work in the writing sample, simply saying that that’s what you’re doing. Use the two parts of the application to represent your strengths, as well as your plans for new directions.

If you’re submitting poetry, put no more than one poem on a page, with adequate margins and a readable font. You may submit fewer than 10-15 pages of poetry; if you submit more, those beyond 15 may be removed and not read. Be sure your name is on every page and that pages are numbered. For entries with poems, stories and essays, provide a table of contents that includes page numbers. You want to make it easy to find an individual work quickly during discussion.

Fiction and nonfiction manuscripts should be stapled together, with your name on the first page.

In poetry, besides describing your vision for the manuscript, you should explain how the attached poems relate to the final project, how much of the project is drafted, whether any special research is planned, and when you think you will finish the project. In prose, discuss the novel or collection of essays and stories in some detail, explaining how you see it taking shape, how much is drafted, whether special research is needed, and when you expect to finish the draft.

If you are applying for more than one fellowship. Just note on your submission for which fellowships you are applying.

If you are unsure of your eligibility or anything else contact the graduate programs manager.

 

Heritage Fellow 2009-2010: Emily Viggiano

Each year, one MFA student is designated as the Heritage Writer. He or she receives a $10,000 stipend contributed by professor Richard Bausch, who first set up the award. The student also receives a full tuition waiver. The combination of a stipend and a waiver is intended to allow the student time away from other work to just focus on writing.  The current Heritage Chair is Eric Pankey.

Past Heritage Fellows:

Danika Stegeman: 2008-2009, Wade Fletcher: 2007-2008, Scott Weaver: 2006-2007, Meg LeBlanc: 2005-2006, Carrie Pruitt: 2004-2005, Lisa Renfro: 2003-2004, Dani Sandal: 2002-2003, Michael Pabich: 2001-2002, Nelina Cabiles: 2000-2001, Marian Ryan: 1999-2000, Robyn Wright: 1998-1999, Benard Bleske: 1997-1998, Margaret Hutton: 1996-1997, Lisa Page: 1995-1996