Writer in Residence (George Bennett Fellowship)
Read about the Bennett Fellowship in The Exeter Bulletin, Summer 2003
GEORGE E. BENNETT '23, a native of Exeter, was graduated from Harvard in 1927 and taught at the Gilman School before returning to the Academy in 1929 as an instructor in English. During his 37 years at the Academy, he was closely identified with the development of creative writing and was the inspiration for many students who later became professional writers. In 1959, he was named chair of the department of English. In 1961, he was named the 1959 Donner Foundation Professor and in 1962 he became the first Independence Foundation Professor. After a five-year term as chair of his department, he continued teaching until his death in 1965. He was, many will agree, one of the most distinguished teachers of English in the modern history of Exeter. Read about past Bennett Fellows and their works...
Purpose
Qualifications
Housing
Term
Application Requirements
The purpose of the George Bennett Fellowship is to provide time and freedom from material considerations to a person seriously contemplating or pursuing a career as a writer. It provides for one academic year a stipend (at present $13,000.00), as well as housing and meals for this person and family, at Academy expense. As Writer-in-Residence the person shall live in Exeter and, in return for stipend and housing, shall (besides carrying out his or her own literary projects) make his or her self and talents available in an informal and unofficial way generally to students interested in writing and, more specifically, to students in English classes and to members of student literary organizations.The Writer shall not be considered a member of the Academy faculty; she or he shall have no regular or prescribed duties — shall not, for instance, teach (or take classes for an extended period), shall not be asked to coach athletics or dramatics or debating, shall not be a formal adviser to any Academy organization. The Academy house provided shall not contain students. The nature and extent of the Writer's involvement with Academy purposes and with Academy students are to be determined (except for the above prohibitions) more by the Writer's own interest and good will than by Academy demand.
During the tenure of the Fellowship the Writer shall not have any other full- or part-time job, nor be a degree candidate in any college or graduate school.
Qualifications of the Writer-In-Residence
To qualify for the Fellowship, a candidate must have already embarked on a writing project: must have underway a manuscript which he or she needs time, and freedom from material considerations, to complete. The candidate may or may not have encouragement from a publisher, in the form of a cash advance or otherwise. But as a general consideration and guide, the benefits of the Fellowship can be considered as making it possible for a writer not to be obliged to accept an advance, with its inevitable restrictions.
The fellowship has no specific requirements as to sex or age or marital status. The Writer shall be chosen on the bases of (1) the manuscript, with its evidence of literary skill and originality; (2) personal qualities -- devotion to the writer's craft, industry, and integrity; adaptability to the environment of a boarding school in a small town; and capacity for meeting and aiding Exeter students. Of these two criteria, the first is of greater importance.
Preference shall be given to a writer of fiction. A writer of non-fiction will be considered only if her or his work is intended for a general audience and carried out in expectation of a career as a professional writer. Although "Preference shall be given to a writer of fiction," literary non-fiction, poetry, and drama are also eligible; writers of these should not hesitate to apply. As stated above, we choose the Fellow primarily on the basis of the strength of the materials submitted. Only if two manuscripts appeal equally in every other respect is preference given to the fiction manuscript. This has rarely, if ever, occurred.
Although we ask that you have "underway" the manuscript you wish to complete while at Exeter, we understand that this is not always the case. Submit whatever materials you feel best represent you as a writer; the purpose of your statement is to explain the nature of your materials, the degree of finish and relation to the work you hope to do at Exeter. It may be a mixture, including a section of the manuscript you intend to complete as well as other work you feel represents your abilities. It may if you wish include various genres; you may also apply as a fiction writer and separately as a poet, dramatist or writer of literary non-fiction, in which case two application fees, statements, etc. should be provided.
Although we are glad to hear of your successes in publication in journals, we do not in any way consider such successes in making our choice: our own judgement of your work is all that matters. As explained above, any publication of "book-length work with a 'major' publisher" should be discussed in your statement.
Finally, it is the clear hope that the manuscript partially completed at the beginning of the tenure of the Fellowship shall be completed at the end, and submitted to a publisher.
Please do not include art work, tapes, discs or similar material with your application; only the text can be considered.
If you have other question, please do not telephone. Contact us via e-mail at: teaching_opportunities@exeter.edu
The Academy will provide, for the academic year, a house or an apartment (furnished, if necessary), depending upon the needs of the Writer. The Writer and the Writer's family may take meals in the Academy dining hall at no expense while school is in session.
The Fellowship shall be held for the academic year. Between September and June, the Writer shall be in residence whenever the Academy is in session.
By December 1, send to:
Bennett Fellowship
Phillips Exeter Academy
20 Main Street
Exeter, New Hampshire 03833-2460
- The enclosed application, including the names, addresses and telephone numbers of two people qualified to discuss your personal and professional qualifications for this fellowship. Please do not have your college or graduate school placement office send the conventional dossier. We wll not contact those you name as references unless your manuscript reaches the final stage of competition.
- Statement of your own testifying to the appropriateness of the Fellowship to your situation. Please provide specific details as to how the Fellowship would allow you to complete the manuscript, noting your current progress.
NOTE: The committee favors applicants who have not yet published a book-length work with a ’major’ publisher - i.e., a well-financed publisher with national distribution. If your work has enjoyed such publication, your statement should explain why you consider yourself not yet established as a writer or in the genre represented by your manuscript.
- Your manuscript: if prose, about 30 typed pages of recent composition (novel excerpt, or at least two short stories); if poetry, approximately 20 pages. (Manuscripts not postmarked by December 1 or before will not be considered.)
- Application fee, Ten Dollars, check or cash made out to Phillips Exeter Academy.
When you have submitted all of the above, you will be informed that your application is complete. A choice will be made, and all entrants notified by April 15th. There is no need to submit a self-addressed envelope to receive this notification Manuscripts cannot be returned, but will be destroyed.
The manuscripts are the primary basis for the selection of the Bennett Fellow, and each manuscript will receive the careful attention of the selection committee, made up of the members of the Academy English Department. We are genuine in our desire to select the most promising candidate, and we are always conscious that the Fellowship is for a writer at the beginning of his or her career and that much of the material we receive is necessarily unfinished.
via exeter.edu