New Poets of Native Nations Women’s Scholarship

The NPNN scholarship application remains open! This a FULL scholarship.

While this scholarship aims to lower financial barriers for those who want to participate in a workshop at the Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference, it will be awarded based on literary merit. This scholarship is open to application to any of the workshops: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Any woman who is an enrolled member or citizen or descendant of an enrolled member of a Native Nation is eligible to apply for this scholarship.

This full scholarship waives all conference fees including manuscript consultation and housing. A modest stipend will be provided upon arrival to Bemidji to help with books and daily expenses. No transportation costs are covered. One scholarship will be awarded.

This scholarship is funded through a generous donation of royalties from sales of the anthology, New Poets of Native Nations, edited by Heid E. Erdrich and published by Graywolf Press.

To Apply: Submit 5- to 10-pages of poetry or 10- to 20 pages of prose and include in scholarship application a one-page (double-spaced) statement of eligibility and what you hope to gain from the conference. Please include your name and page numbers on each submission. There is no application fee.

The scholarship recipient is ineligible for other discounts. Previous scholarship recipients are ineligible for this scholarship for three years.

LINK TO NPNNWS ONLINE APPLICATION

Partnership Opportunities

MNWC works with educational, institutional, and tribal partners to help aspiring writers who show promise to attend the conference and work with our award-winning writers. We have collaborated with MFA programs of national stature, regional tribal governments, local writing groups, and regional arts organizations to help fund worthy candidates.

This year, we are offering a $200 registration discount on the cost of a workshop to MFA students who are funded in part by an established institution and accepted into one of our  workshops. Partnership scholarships are available until workshops are filled. 

• Individuals or institutions interested in a partnership opportunity should contact MNWC Coordinator Mathew Hawthorne at writersconference@bemidjistate.edu at their earliest convenience.

To Apply: Submit 5- to 10-pages of poetry or 10- to 20-pages of prose and include in scholarship application a one-page (double-spaced) statement of eligibility and what you hope to gain from the conference. Please include your name and page numbers on each submission. There is no application fee.

The scholarship recipient is ineligible for other discounts.

LINK TO PARTNERSHIP ONLINE APPLICATION

MNWC Workshop Scholarships

We accepted workshop scholarship applications through March 1, 2024.

Congratulations to our scholarship winners: Christina Clark (poetry), Elizabeth Carls (CNF), Becca Tab (hybrid), and Kim Suhr (fiction)!

One $400 MNWC Workshop Scholarship is awarded toward the conference fee in each of the following genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and hybrid prose and poetry. The participant pays the balance.

While these scholarships aim to lower financial barriers for those who want to engage in this unique arts learning opportunity, they will be awarded based on literary merit.

Honorable Mention scholarships of $200 may also be offered.

To Apply: Submit 5- to 10-pages of poetry or 10- to 20 pages of prose and include in conference application a one-page (double-spaced) statement of what you hope to gain from the conference. Please include your name and page numbers on each submission. There is no application fee.

Scholarship recipients are ineligible for other discounts. Previous scholarship recipients are ineligible for this scholarship for three years.

Scrutchin Emerging Writer Scholarship

The SEW scholarship has been filled.

Congratulations to Nuha Fariha, who will be working with Kazim Ali!

The Scrutchin Emerging Writer scholarship is open to any person who will be 45 years old or younger at the time of the conference and who is also a member of a community of color. We are defining an emerging writer as someone who has published in nationally recognized venues to someone has published their first book within twelve months prior the conference. While this scholarship aims to lower financial barriers for those who want to participate in a workshop at the Minnesota Northwoods Writers Conference, it will be awarded based on literary merit. This scholarship is open to application to any of the workshops: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction.

This full scholarship waives all conference fees including manuscript consultation and housing. A modest stipend will be provided upon arrival to Bemidji to help with books and daily expenses. No transportation costs are covered. One scholarship will be awarded.

This scholarship is funded through a generous donation from a past MNWC attendee. It is named for Charles W. Scrutchin, an African American lawyer who came to Bemidji in 1898 to establish a law office. In 1920 he represented William Miller, one of the accused men who survived the Duluth Lynchings. Scrutchin’s legal work resulted in Miller’s acquittal.

To Apply: Submit 5- to 10-pages of poetry or 10- to 20 pages of prose and include in scholarship application a one-page (double-spaced) statement of eligibility and what you hope to gain from the conference. Please include your name and page numbers on each submission. There is no application fee.

The scholarship recipient is ineligible for other discounts. Previous scholarship recipients are ineligible for this scholarship for three years.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Region 2 Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.