Genre-Hopping Lucky Duck writes...
I've studied poetry. I have an MFA and recently
completed a Ph.D. in creative writing. During the
last year of my doctoral studies, I genre hopped and
took two fiction workshops. I loved them. The
instructor encouraged me to pursue a particular story.
I did. Wrote a novel. Signed with a good agent in
New York. And sold my first novel in April to Simon
& Schuster. They just sent me the cover art and the
book will be out in spring. Now I really feel like I
could benefit from some focused time to write and
study fiction. I'm thinking about applying for
fellowships in fiction at Wisconsin, Stanford,
Provincetown, etc., but worry that my degrees or the
novel publication might work against me. I fear that
a committee would look at my application and think
that I should be pursuing the job market and not the
fellowship market. Do you think either the Ph.D. with
the poetry emphasis or the novel publication would
hinder my chances for a fellowship in fiction?
Lucky Duck, the door is definitely shut for you at Stanford and Wisconsin. Those fellowships are for people who have not yet published a book in their genre. Provincetown may be the same. You'll have to turn your attention to the NEA and grants like that.
Congratulations on your book deal. Rock on.
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