The Distinguished Artist Award in
Creative Writing
Information about
Award in Creative Writing
The Distinguished Artist Award in
Creative Writing
The awards are
scholarships for $2500 per year, renewable for four years, if the recipient
maintains a 3.0 grade point average and enrolls in a creative writing class each
year.
The awards are
extremely competitive—we offer only four each year, so inevitably some very
good writers are disappointed. But we
think there is value in applying even for those who are not selected, since it
gives faculty a chance to get to know them and their work before they arrive on
campus and begin taking creative writing courses here.
Below is an
application for the award. The writing
sample and 500-word essay are the most important factors in the selection
process. Your previous academic record
is not as important as your future promise and ability to express yourself with
words.
Please don’t
hesitate to call the English department office (616.395.7620) or David Klooster,
Chair of the English Department (616.395.7619), if you have any questions.
Comments from Current Recipients
— The DAA program has been great. I knew I wanted to be a writer before coming to Hope College, but getting the scholarship kind of gave me an "in" in the department, and I've loved all of my writing classes so far. I have definitely kept up with those, being a writing major. I've had a great experience as a DAA. —Corrie Smith ’06
— The DAA Creative Writing program allowed me to take Poetry 355 as a freshman, which has been an amazing experience so far. The class far exceeds any expectations I had of what a poetry class would be like; every day I learn a new application of meter, scansion, or form as it applies to the writing of contemporary poetry. I was initially nervous about presenting my poetry to a class, but the workshop sessions have proved to be an exhilarating experience, with classmates giving intelligent, insightful critiques of my work and constructive suggestions for revision. It is a unique experience to be involved in the creation process of the poetry of seven other people. I am glad that the DAA opened the door for me to dive into this upper-level creative writing course in my first term at Hope. —Bethany Richardson’09
— I was planning on majoring in English or communications, so the English with a writing emphasis major seemed like a good track to head for given I already needed to take writing classes and had AP credit for lit classes. . . . The best opportunity being a DAA opened up for me was that it gave me a place the 255 poetry class the first semester of my freshman year. I couldn't have asked for a better first experience of writing at Hope. I was very seriously considering transferring, but the poetry classes I took helped me through the year and made me realize that I belong at Hope. . . . Thanks for offering this award; I probably wouldn’t have chosen to come to Hope if I hadn’t received it, and I’d be missing out if I wasn’t here. —Anna West’08
— When I came to Hope as a DAA recipient, I knew I would have an immediate connection in the English department since I would be taking a lot of writing courses. I also thought professors might recognize my name ahead of time, which can never hurt! Beyond that, I thought professors might expect higher quality work in their classes from me since I had been awarded the scholarship.
I was able to take English 255, Beginning Poetry, my freshman year, a course which I later learned was hard to get into even for seniors and which always has a wait list. I met the other DAA recipients in this class. It was nice to connect with other first-year writers as well as be in a class of mixed ages. Another great result of being awarded the DAA scholarship was that I got an email from Heather Sellers the summer before freshman year regarding the Visiting Writers Series. I emailed her back about my interest and have been involved with the series ever since.
I am very involved with the English department. I am an English major with a writing emphasis, I continue to be heavily involved in VWS as a student intern, and I work in the department office three days a week. — Kristin Olson ’07
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Please print out this
application form and mail it with your materials.
To apply for the
Distinguished Artist Award in Creative Writing, please submit the following
materials:
ü This completed application form, typed or neatly printed.
ü A two-page (500 word) essay answering the questions at the end
of this application.
ü A letter of recommendation from a teacher, writer, or other
person familiar with you and your writing.
ü Up to ten (10) typed manuscript pages of your creative
writing. You may submit in only one
genre, OR you may provide samples of more than one genre. Do not exceed the page limit. Double space your writing (poems may be
single spaced). One poem per page
(though longer poems may, of course, carry over to additional pages). Use a
12-point font and one-inch margins.
NOTE: Submit your
best work. Proofread carefully. Please
do not send papers on literary topics written for an English class—we are looking
for a sample of your imaginative creative writing. Call Myra Kohsel at 616.395.7620 if you have any questions.
Please type or print legibly:
Name__________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________
City, State,
Zip___________________________________________________________
Home Telephone ________________________________________________________
Email address _____________________________ Year of high school graduation______
Have you studied creative
writing _____, or do you plan on studying creative writing ______?
Titles of the pieces of
writing you are submitting with this application:
| In a 500
word, typed, double-spaced essay, please tell us ü What are
the strengths and the weaknesses in your writing? ü What are your particular strengths and weaknesses in giving and receiving criticism on writing? Please
make sure you place your name, address, and phone number in the upper left
hand corner of the first page of your essay.
Do not use a cover sheet; do not staple. |
Please paperclip (do not
staple) your application packet together, with this form on top. The deadline for receipt in our office is
Distinguished Artist Award in Creative
Writing
Hope College Department of English
Materials will not be
returned—please do not send your only copy.
Please do not fax materials;
please do not email entries.
We will acknowledge receipt
of your material by postcard. Please let
us know if you do not receive an acknowledgement.