When I was in my early thirties and getting ready to launch another cross-country move, a friend told me that I was a leaper. “Define that,” I challenged, to which he explained that leapers are the kind of folks who take a chance, put themselves out there for new experiences, explore the fringes of the world.
As of midnight last night there were 65 leapers who grabbed at the chance to be the first Storyknife Fellow for this September’s residency. Applicants range in experience and goals, state of residence and genres. There were even a few applicants from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and plenty from what Alaskans like to call the “Lower-48.” At least 21 states were represented. To each of you who leapt, I want to express my gratitude. I hope that the process of putting together the application was as edifying for you as it has been for me in past. That you learned something about yourself and your work as you considered what to send and how to answer the questions we posed.
Now begins the jurying process. There are five jurors who will be dividing up the work, and each application will be read by a minimum of three people. This process will take two weeks, after which we’ll be notifying applicants of the decisions.
Please know how grateful we are for your belief in Storyknife. We believe in it as well, in the truth that all women’s voices are valuable and that your writing is important to the world.
Storyknife Writers Retreat 