Lorine Niedecker Writing Fellowship Established

Lorine on Blackhawk Island. Photo courtesy of the Hoard Historical Museum and Fort Atkinson [Wisconsin] Historical Society.

The Friends of Lorine Niedecker and Write On, Door County have established the new, two-week Lorine Niedecker Fellowship, which will be offered every two years to an established or emerging poet who’s familiar with the work of the 20th-century American poet Lorine Niedecker. It seeks to encourage research into Niedecker’s life and writing and to promote new work that deals with the poetry of place.

The fellowship, to be divided between, first, Write On, and then Niedecker’s hometown of Fort Atkinson, includes a $1,000 stipend, a travel grant of up to $800, a food stipend of $200 and lodging. The inaugural fellowship is for April 30 – May 14. During the fellowship period, the fellow will give two public programs, to be arranged by the sponsors, and write one article for the Friends of Lorine Niedecker’s The Solitary Plover.

The successful applicant must show an understanding and appreciation of Niedecker’s work and her place in 20th-century poetry, as well as a publishing history of work in poetry journals, full-length books, chapbooks, monographs and/or academic articles. The application must include 10-12 pages of poetry, a 300- to 500-word statement of purpose, an intellectual autobiography and two references. Links to past publications should be included in the application.

The application is available at writeondoorcounty.org; the application fee is $40. Submissions will be open Oct. 15 – Dec. 15, and the successful candidate will be announced in January 2023.