The Dobie Paisano Fellowships
Paisano Ranch House
The Dobie Paisano Fellowship Program has been changed. Beginning with the current application process, there will be two distinct fellowships: the Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship--for a period of approximately six months with a stipend of $3000 a month; and the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship--for a period of four months with a stipend of $5000 a month. The fellowships are available to both creative writers and writers of non-fiction. Non-fiction should be written for the general audience.
The Jesse J. Jones Writing Fellowship will be aimed at, though certainly not limited to, writers who are early in their careers and who would benefit from an extended period at the ranch. Demonstration of prior publishing and critical success is not expected, though many applicants will have such a record. Any writer at any level of success (including those with strong publishing records) is eligible for the Jesse Jones Fellowship.
The Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship is aimed at writers who have already demonstrated some publishing and critical success. This may or may not be writers a little later along in their literary careers. The definition of "publishing and critical success" will be determined by the judges each year, but, in general, we would expect at least one critically well-received book, or an impressive list of published essays, articles, poems, stories. etc. The decision of the judges will be based on the quality of the writer's past work and the potential for future excellence. Of course, the writer's suitability for ranch life is always taken into account. We will be asking this writer to give a reading or talk at The University of Texas at Austin during the residency. There will be separate judging panels for each award. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Michael Adams, Director of the Dobie Paisano Program.
For the coming year, the Ralph A. Johnston Fellowship will run from September 15, 2008 to January 15, 2009. The Jesse Jones Fellowship will run from February 1, 2009 to July 15, 2009. Length of residency can always be changed due to maintenance or programmatic needs.
Applicants may apply for both awards.
The application fee for each award is $20. If you are applying for both the Jesse H. Jones and the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship, the fee will be $30. If applying for both awards, check the appropriate box at the top of the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship application page, and include only one check with the Ralph A. Johnston Fellowship materials. Each application and its accompanying materials must be mailed in separate packets. There will be different judges for each fellowship
For information regarding the Fellowships, contact:
Michael Adams, Director,
The Dobie Paisano Fellowship Project
The Graduate School 1 University Station
Main Building 101
Austin, Texas 78712 - 0531
512-232-3609; FAX 512-471-7620
adameve@mail.utexas.edu
Or electronically from http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/Paisano.
Applicants will need Acrobat Reader 5.0 or newer to fill out and print the application.
Further information about current fellows, recent publications of former fellows, and history of the fellowships and Paisano ranch can also be found at: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/Paisano.
If you have questions, please call or write the Coordinator at the above address.