SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT WINNER

For Immediate Release: Nov 26, 2013

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that Daniel Jose Older is the winner of the 2013 Gulliver Travel Grant.

Older's novel, "The Book of Lost Saints," weaves post-revolutionary Cuba with present-day New Jersey, tied together by unsettled ghosts drawn to the music of a culture that has evolved without them. Older will use the $800 grant to travel to Cuba to research prisons that Cuban political prisoners were held in.

The Travel Grant judges said of Older's entry, "Wonderful narrative voice: playful, engaging, quick, and written with a seriousness, humor, and a storytelling acuity not often seen."

Also shortlisted were: Akwaeke Emezi, Russell Nichols, Eden Robins, Oksana Marifioti, and Alina Rios, for their outstanding submissions, which made the selection of the eventual winner a difficult but enjoyable process.

 

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION

PO Box 1693 

Dubuque, IA 52004-1693

info@speculativeliterature.org - http://www.speculativeliterature.org/

 

2011 Gulliver Travel Grant

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT WINNER

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION
PO Box 1693
Dubuque, IA 52004-1693

info@speculativeliterature.org - http://www.speculativeliterature.org/

For Immediate Release: Nov 1, 2011

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that
Ibi Zoboi is the winner of the 2011 Gulliver Travel Grant.

Zoboi will use the $800 grant to travel to Haiti and the Dominican
Republic to research her YA dystopian novel set in both countries. She
was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and had always loved the magical
aspects of the Haitian literary tradition. She has been published in
Crossed Genres, Haiti Noir, and Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, among
others.

The Travel Grant judges said of Zoboi's entry, "The sample story was
provocative and haunting, and stayed with us for weeks after reading
it. This, combined with the knowledgeable treatment of the subject and
the compelling project idea, made it a clear winner."

Also shortlisted were: Tiffani Angus, Lillian Cohen-Moore, Hunter
Liguore, Kirsty Logan, Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Sandra McDonald, Kate
Milford, Trina Phillips, and Hilary Smith, for their unique and
thought-provoking submissions, which made the selection of the
eventual winner a difficult but enjoyable process.

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PR Contact: Corie Ralston press@speculativeliterature.org

The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit
organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers,
editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span
the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging
from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to
folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern
mythmaking -- any literature containing a fabulist or speculative
element.

Speculative Literature Foundation announces Older Writers Grant winner

Press Release #33

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION
PO Box 1693
Dubuque, IA 52004-1693

info@speculativeliterature.org - http://www.speculativeliterature.org/


For Immediate Release: June 1, 2011

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES OLDER WRITERS GRANT WINNER

The Speculative Literature Foundation is pleased to announce that its eighth annual Older Writers Grant is to be awarded to Shauna Roberts. The $750 grant is intended to assist writers who are fifty years of age or older at the time of the grant application, and who are just starting to work at a professional level.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Roberts grew up in nearby Beavercreek. From childhood, she dreamed of writing fiction, but that dream took a back seat to her nonfiction writing career and other activities when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2000 and died soon after. With a keener sense of her own mortality, Roberts joined the New Orleans chapter of the Romance Writers of America and a critique group. There, she began squeezing in time between magazine articles to write short
stories and work on a novel.

In 2009, Roberts attended the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers' Workshop. Just a couple of years later, she was accepted as an associate member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Recurring themes in her novels and short stories include loss, prejudice and tolerance, and social issues such as class, sex, and religion. Roberts also enjoys reworking old ballads and folk tales. A former Katrina refugee, Roberts has recently written several short stories set during the aftermath and failure of the federal levees in New Orleans. “Bosphorus Dreams,” which was Roberts’ entry for the
Older Writers Grant, will be the first of those stories to be published. Slated to appear in the anthology, A Quiet Shelter There, it is scheduled for publication in fall of 2011 by Hadley Rille Books. The anthology is edited by Gerri Leen and will benefit an animal shelter.

Grant Administrator Malon Edwards said of Roberts’ entry, “Bosphorus Dreams”: “Judith is an emotionally-fragile woman in the beginning of the story, but through curt and witty dialogue with cats and a gradual bolstering of her confidence, she gains emotional strength. By the end of the story, she’s more than just a grieving woman who has fled New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina for Istanbul. She’s a woman who has saved a city.”

Honorable Mentions for the Older Writers Grant go to Marcelle Dubé, Anne Pillsworth, Ada Milenkovic Brown, F.J. Bergmann, and Lou Antonelli for their intriguing and entertaining submissions, which made the selection of the winner a competitive but enjoyable process.

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The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern mythmaking–any literature containing a fabulist or speculative element.

More information about the Speculative Literature Foundation is available from its web site (http://www.speculativeliterature.org/) or by writing to info@speculativeliterature.org.

SLF's 2011 Older Writers Grant

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2011 OLDER WRITERS GRANT

The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for the 2011 Older Writers Grant. The grant of $750 is available to any writer of speculative literature of 50 years or older at the time of application who is just beginning to work professionally in the field. There are no restrictions on the use of the grant money.

The grant will be awarded by a committee of SLF staff members on the basis of interest and merit. Applicants are asked to submit a brief autobiographical statement, a writing sample, and a bibliography. For full details on how to apply for the grant, please see the SLF web site: http://www.speculativeliterature.org/Grants/SLFOlderWriters.php, or email olderwriters@speculativeliterature.org. Applications must be received by March 31st 2011. The successful applicant will be announced on June 1st 2011.

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The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern mythmaking -- any literature containing a fabulist or speculative element.

2010 Gulliver Travel Grant

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION
PO Box 1693
Dubuque, IA 52004-1693

info@speculativeliterature.org 

http://www.speculativeliterature.org/

For Immediate Release: October 12, 2010

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2010 GULLIVER TRAVEL
RESEARCH GRANT WINNER

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that
its 2010 Gulliver Travel Research Grant has been awarded to author
Joel Arnold. The $800 grant will be used to help Arnold to travel to
Wyoming and Montana to research his Native American steampunk novel,
"Coyote Steam".

One of the judges said of his writing sample: "This story had
uncomfortable subject matter – racism, bodily mutilation, and painful
legacies. It took effort to get through it...I thought I knew where
Arnold was going...but then he went somewhere entirely different and
resolved the story in a way that was both powerful and poignant. Days
later, I was still thinking about it."

Arnold's stories have appeared in Pseudopod, Chizine, and Weird Tales,
among others, and he has published several short story collections and
three novels.

This year there were many excellent entries. Four Honourable Mentions
were given:

Rob Davies
Nalo Hopkinson
Kate Milford
Michael Swanwick

The Gulliver Travel Research Grant is awarded to assist a writer of
speculative fiction in his or her research. As in previous years, the
2010 grant of $800 is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or
other expenses relating to the research for a project of speculative
fiction. The grant is awarded by a committee of Speculative Literature
Foundation members on the basis of interest and merit.

The grant is named after Gulliver, a character in the 1726 story
"Gulliver's Travels" written by Jonathan Swift. The story represents
one of the earliest examples of fantasy travel.

Applications for the 2011 Gulliver Travel Research Grant will open on
July 1, 2011.

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PR Contact: press@speculativeliterature.org

Speculative Literature Foundation's Travel Grant

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE GULLIVER TRAVEL GRANT

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2010

The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) is accepting proposals for the Gulliver Travel Research Grant from July 1st 2010 until September 30th 2010.

SLF travel grants are awarded to assist writers of speculative fiction (poetry, drama, creative nonfiction) in their research. They are not currently available for academic research. We are currently offering one $800 travel grant annually, to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses.

PLEASE NOTE: This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. If you're not sure what areas that term encompasses, we recommend referencing our FAQ (question #2) on the web site.

Travel Grant Application Procedures

Send the following three items to travel@speculativeliterature.org as attached .doc or .rtf files in one e-mail:

1. A writing sample in the proposed genre (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction)

2. A bibliography of previously-published work by the author (no more than one page, typed); applicants need not have previous publications to apply

3. A one-page written description of the project in question (maximum
500 words). Please include: Where you intend to visit (be as specific
as you can), when you intend to travel (including the completion
date), and what you will gain from field rather than desk research via
a library or the internet

If awarded the grant, the recipient agrees to write a brief report of their research experience (500-1000 words) for our files, and for possible public dissemination on our website.

Travel may take place from any country to any country, or internally within a country; the grants are unrestricted. Funds will be disbursed in U.S. currency (but can be sent through PayPal if that is more convenient for international recipients).

The grant recipient will be announced by October 15th. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by that date.

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The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern mythmaking–any literature containing a fabulist or speculative
element.

More information about the Speculative Literature Foundation is available from its web site: http://www.speclit.org/

Speculative Literature Foundation Announces Older Writers Grant Winner

For Release: June, 2010

SPECULATIVE LITERATURE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES OLDER WRITERS GRANT WINNER

Mario Milosevic wins the Speculative Literature Foundation’s Older Writers Grant

The Speculative Literature Foundation is pleased to announce that its seventh annual Older Writers Grant is to be awarded to Mario Milosevic. The $750 grant is intended to assist writers who are fifty years of age or older at the time of the grant application, and who are just starting to work at a professional level.

Born in Italy, Milosevic grew up in Canada, graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in philosophy and mathematics, and now lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States with his wife, writer Kim Antieau. He started writing stories when he was nine years old, began submitting to magazines when he was fourteen, and hasn't stopped since.

Milosevic has published poems, articles, and short stories, and his first novel, Terrastina and Mazolli, has been available for a couple of years. He describes most of his work as exercises in conditional reality, creating narratives that look at the world from a slightly (and sometimes not so slightly) skewed perspective, which may explain how he got it into his head to write about the states unmoored and floating in the ocean. He has found the science fiction and fantasy genres very accommodating to his take on storytelling.

Grant Administrator Malon Edwards said of Milosevic’s entry, “The Untied States of America”: “Susie’s story of post-apocalyptic survival is admirable, considering her loss. Her husband has died a violent death and her son has left her to find adventure amongst the floating states. She’s lonely and sad, but she’s also appreciative of what she has and hopeful for the future. If there are more people like Susie out there, this new America will overcome its difficulties and persevere.”

Honorable Mentions for the Older Writers Grant go to Michele Cashmore, April Grey, Lynne MacLean, Ada Milenkovic Brown, and J.A. Huets for their entertaining submissions, which made the selection of the winner a difficult but enjoyable process.

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The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

"Speculative literature" is a catch-all term meant to inclusively span the breadth of fantastic literature, encompassing literature ranging from hard and soft science fiction to epic fantasy to ghost stories to folk and fairy tales to slipstream to magical realism to modern mythmaking–any literature containing a fabulist or speculative element.

More information about the Speculative Literature Foundation is available from its web site (http://www.speculativeliterature.org/) or by writing to info@speculativeliterature.org.

The 2009 Gulliver Travel Grant Has been Awarded

The Speculative Literature Foundation Announces the 2009 Gulliver Travel Research Grant Winner

(excerpted from the SLF's press release)

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that its 2009 Gulliver Travel Research Grant has been awarded to author Caren Gussoff. The $800 grant will be used to help Gussoff to travel to western Washington State in order to research the setting of her near-future novel "The King of Seattle".

Gussoff's stories have appeared in Abyss & Apex, PodCastle and Fantasy Magazine, and in several Seal Press anthologies. Her novel explores a post-pandemic Puget Sound, in which mental illness is a communicable disease.

This year the competition was especially fierce, with many excellent entries. Five Honourable Mentions were given:

Nisi Shawl
Jeremy Smith
Livia Llewellyn
Emily Jiang
Nadia Kalman

The Gulliver Travel Research Grant is awarded to assist a writer of speculative fiction in his or her research. As in previous years, the 2009 grant of $800 is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other expenses relating to the research for a project of speculative fiction. The grant is awarded by a committee of Speculative Literature Foundation members on the basis of interest and merit.

The grant is named after Gulliver, a character in the 1726 story "Gulliver's Travels" written by Jonathan Swift. The story represents one of the earliest examples of fantasy travel.

Applications for the seventh annual Gulliver Travel Research Grant will open on July 1, 2010.

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PR Contact: press@speculativeliterature.org

The Speculative Literature Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interests of readers, writers, editors and publishers in the speculative literature community.

Speculative Literature Foundation Announces 2008 Gulliver Travel Research Grant Winner

This press release arrived in my mailbox over the weekend:

The Speculative Literature Foundation is delighted to announce that its 2008 Gulliver Travel Research Grant has been awarded to author Alaya Dawn Johnson. The $800 grant will be used to help Johnson to travel to Mexico City and other historical sites in Mexico, to research a novel.

Johnson’s stories have appeared in Fantasy, Interzone and Strange Horizons, and have been reprinted in both the SF and Fantasy Year’s Best anthologies edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer. Her first novel was published by Agate Publishing in 2007, with the sequel due in 2009.

“Alaya’s fiction is lean and muscular but bejeweled with strangeness,” said Colin Harvey, author of Blind Faith, editor of Killers, and the Foundation’s UK travel grant juror. “Within that strangeness, though, beat human hearts. Her characters love and grieve, are bitter, generous or ashamed -as real people are. Her proposal was detailed, her fiction compelling. She is a worthy winner, and we look forward to reading the completed novel.”

“Alaya's sample was a compelling slice of a brutal and beautifully realized world. The characters are fierce, tragic and brave, and events in this tantalizingly short piece hint at the complexity to come: one gets the sense that the threads of art, love, and ambition will weave together into a deeply passionate novel about human existence,” said Corie Ralston, the Foundation’s Managing Director.

The Gulliver Travel Research Grant is awarded to assist a writer of speculative fiction in his or her research. As in previous years, the 2008 grant of $800 is to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other expenses relating to the research for a project of speculative fiction. The grant is awarded by a committee of Speculative Literature Foundation members on the basis of interest and merit.

The grant is named after Gulliver, a character in the 1726 story “Gulliver’s Travels” written by Jonathan Swift. The story represents one of the earliest examples of fantasy travel.

Applications for the sixth annual Gulliver Travel Research Grant will open on July 1, 2009.

The Gulliver Travel Research Grant

Here's an announcement from the Speculative Literature Foundation:

The Speculative Literature Foundation is accepting proposals for the Gulliver Travel Research Grant from July 1st 2008 until September 30th 2008.

SLF travel grants are awarded to assist writers (speculative fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction) in their research. They are not currently available for academic research. We are currently offering one $600 travel grant annually, to be used to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses.

Our travel grants will be awarded by a committee of SLF staff members on the basis of interest and merit. Factors considered will include:

· a writing sample in the proposed genre (up to 10 pages of poetry, 10 pages of drama, or 5000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction); please note that the writing sample must be a solo work (work completed only by the applicant).

· a bibliography of previously-published work by the author (no more than one page, typed); applicants need not have previous publications to apply.

· a one-page written description of the project in question (maximum 500 words) Think about

- Where you intend to visit (be as specific as you can)

- When you intend to travel (including the completion date)

- What you will gain from field rather than desk research via a library or the internet

If awarded the grant, the recipient agrees to write a brief report of their research experience (500-1000 words) for our files, and for possible public dissemination on our website.

PLEASE NOTE: This grant, as with all SLF grants, is intended to help writers working with speculative literature. If you're not sure what areas that term encompasses, we recommend referencing our FAQ (question #2).

Travel Grant Application Procedures
1. Send the three items listed above to our travel grant administrators, Colin Harvey and Tiffany Jonas, as an attached .doc or .rtf file in one e-mail, to travel@speculativeliterature.org. Include a brief cover letter with your name and contact info (e-mail, phone in case of emergency). If you have questions, direct them to that same address.

2. You may apply for travel to take place at any point in the following year (from October to the following October).

3. Travel may take place from any country to any country, or internally within a country; the grants are unrestricted. Funds will be disbursed in U.S. currency (but can be sent through PayPal if that is more convenient for international recipients).

4. Travel grant applications will be considered from July 1st to September 30th, annually. Applications received outside that period will be discarded unread.

5. The grant recipient will be announced by October 15th, annually. All applicants will be notified of the status of their application by that date.