Two Opportunities for Writers I Thought Worth Publicizing Here

The lack of diversity in the time traveling world is the reason filmmaker Koji Sakai and  New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky Heidi Durrow are putting together an anthology, Time Traveling is Not for Everyone, that explores the other side of time traveling.

We want to hear your time traveling story. From your perspective—whatever that might be. We are looking for writers to submit proposals for short stories (five to ten thousand words) featuring a character from an underrepresented community traveling to some time period before this one.

The deadline for proposals is February 14, 2015. EXTENDED TO MARCH 1, 2015.

What we are looking for in your proposal:

• One page proposal featuring a main character from an underrepresented community going back to a time period other than ours
• Writer biography or resume
• Writing sample

Please send your proposals or questions to: Time.Traveling.4.All.of.UsATgmailDOTcom

The Creative Team behind: Time Traveling is Not for Everyone.

Heidi Durrow is the New York Times best-selling author of the The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, the winner of the PEN/Bellwether prize. She is the founder of the premiere book, film and performance festival, the Mixed Remixed Festival, which features stories of the Mixed and multiracial experience.

Koji Steven Sakai has written four feature films that have been produced, Haunted Highway,The People I’ve Slept With, Monster & Me, and #1 Serial Killer. His screenplay, Romeo, Juliet, & Rosaline, was optioned by Amazon Studios. His debut novel, Romeo & Juliet Vs. Zombies, will be released in the spring.

The SLF Working-Class / Impoverished Writers’ $750 Grant

Working class, blue-collar, poor, and homeless writers have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction, due to financial barriers which have made it much harder for them to have access to the writing world. Such lack of access might include an inability to attend conventions, to purchase a computer, to buy books, to attend college or high school, to have the time to write (if, for example, you must work two jobs simply to pay rent and feed a family, or if you must spend all your waking hours job-hunting for months on end). The SLF would like to assist in finding more of these marginalized voices and bringing them into speculative fiction.

You are eligible for this grant if you come from a background such as described above, if you grew up (or are growing up) in homelessness, poverty, or a blue collar / working-class household, or if you have lived for a significant portion of your life in such conditions, especially if you had limited access to relatives/friends who could assist you financially. We will give preference to members of that larger pool who are currently in financial need (given our limited funds). Please note that while we are based in America, and some of our language below reflects that perspective, this grant is available to international writers; please assess your own situation as appropriate for your home country.Please note that, unlike our other grants, you may receive this grant anonymously or pseudonymously. Application materials will be kept confidential to the grant committee and SLF staff.

What Do We Mean By Working-Class / Impoverished?

Here are some examples; they are not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to offer some guidelines to help you determine if you might be eligible. We mean to cast a wide net for this grant, so if you think you might be eligible, you probably are. If you have specific questions about your financial situation’s applicability, please don’t hesitate to write to us and ask.

You would potentially be eligible for this grant if any of the following apply:

• you’re American, and qualify for the earned income credit,
• you’ve qualified for food stamps and/or Medicaid for a significant period of time,
• you live paycheck to paycheck,
• your parents did not go to college,
• you rely on payday loans,
• your children qualified for free school lunch,
• you’re currently being raised in a single parent household,
• you’re supporting yourself and paying your own way through college,
• you’ve lived at or below 200% of the poverty line for your state for at least one year,