Publishing | Open-Genre | Seminar

2-Week Seminar: Writing Statements of Purpose & Applying for Grants & Residencies

Are you confused, embarrassed, or terrified about writing an artist’s statement? Are you unsure about how to apply for artists’ residencies, grants, or fellowships? Then this two day workshop is for you! We will learn how to write compelling and clear statements of purpose, compose compact CVs, and create strong applications for grants, fellowships, and artists’ residencies. By analyzing successful (and less successful) examples, students will have the chance to brainstorm and create their own templates in class, submit personal statements for feedback, and feel confident in future forays in the wider literary world. We will also discuss tools for managing submissions as well as researching and accessing online writing resources.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

- A solid statement of purpose that can be used as a template for future applications

- Becoming comfortable with researching and applying to a wide variety of grants and residencies

- Access to Catapult's list of writing opportunities and important submission deadlines, as well as a 10% discount on all future Catapult classes

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

- Brainstorming and creating templates for individual statements

- Analyzing statements for strengths and weaknesses

- Writing, submitting, and revising an artist's statement or statement of purpose

- Researching and applying for different grants and residencies

- Working on a compact CV

- Creating and maintaining a system for tracking submissions

Abeer Hoque

Abeer Y. Hoque is a Nigerian-born Bangladeshi American writer and photographer. Her books include a photography monograph, The Long Way Home (2013), a linked story collection, The Lovers and the Leavers (2015), and a memoir, Olive Witch (2017). She has won fellowships from Fulbright, NEA, and NYFA, and her work has been published in Guernica, the Rumpus, Elle, ZYZZYVA and the Commonwealth Short Story Competition, among others. She has BS and MA degrees from the Wharton School, an MFA from the University of San Francisco, and she has held two solo photography exhibitions. More at olivewitch.com

Testimonials

"Abeer practices a very direct and effective approach to writing which can be summed up in her longstanding motto: “clarity first”. Her advice has transformed some of my work from convoluted structures and ideas into very succinct, well-formulated writing. One of the most beneficial aspects of her editorial guidance is that in reworking the pieces, I have emerged with much clearer understandings of my own thought processes. Once Abeer has entered into the process of editing, one can be assured that she will approach it with both honesty and the highest level of expertise."

C.G. BA History and African American Studies, Oberlin College; MA Anthropology of Media, University of London

"Abeer has a sharp eye, and a quick, incisive mind. She has the ability to get to the heart of what you’d like to say, clarify it for both you and your reader, and make it sound elegant. Abeer’s talent and intelligence make it look effortless, though we all know from our own experiences of trying to write a good, clear sentence that it is far from easy. She is a top-notch writer and editor, who can guide you through a project with grace, gentleness, and unrelenting rigour. Whatever you hand her, she’ll make it much, much better."

N.H. Editor and Writer, Vervago, Editor and Proofreader, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Ph.D. English, University of Montana

"Abeer’s Wharton background gives her a superb analytical eye, and her poetry and prose writing experience has made her a master of using language to convey emotion. With Abeer as your editor, you’ll have the best of both worlds. In an essay, every sentence counts, and Abeer will make sure you’re using your words to maximum effect, leaving a lasting impression on readers and setting you apart from other applicants."

S.K. author, BA English, University of Pennsylvania; JD Law, New York University; MFA Writing, University of Iowa; Fulbright Scholar

"Engrossing…Hoque’s writing is an elegant mélange of candor and a strange sense of calmness, which she maintains throughout…An evocative examination of identity and what it means to be true to yourself."

Booklist on OLIVE WITCH

"Hoque is one of the most exciting writers working both in and out of the sub-continent and her fiction is made up of that rare mixture: searingly clean passion alloyed with the courage to take risks with form."

Ruchir Joshi on THE LOVERS AND THE LEAVERS

"Always aware of language and its limitations in fully fleshing out a life lived across cultures, Hoque charts a remarkably intercontinental journey of personal discovery while celebrating hard-won lessons of self-acceptance. A quietly moving memoir."

Kirkus Reviews on OLIVE WITCH