Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer In Residence Program

Students from Bond Hill Academy (BHA) and Winton Hills Academy (WHA) have a new achievement to celebrate: published authors. Viking war of the clans. And they recently had the chance to share their books with two Cincinnati legends who inspired their work.

NBA Hall of Fame basketball player Oscar Robertson (back, center) was the subject of a picture biography for students from Winton Hills Academy.

The students created and published original picture book biographies about Judge Nathaniel Jones, a civil rights icon and retired judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and NBA Hall of Fame basketball player Oscar Robertson. The book about Judge Jones was written by BHA students and entitled “Judge Jones.” The students from WHA titled their book about Robertson “Big O.”

Dana is a Callaloo Fellow and the author of the chapbook Good Friday 2000. Twice he won the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer’s Residency, and also had residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. The recipient of a fellowship from Virginia Commonwealth University. About Dana Crum. Dana Crum is the author of Good Friday 2000, a poetry chapbook. He won the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer's Residency at the Seven Hills School and had residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

The young authors were recognized and celebrated at an event hosted by the National Youth Foundation and the Cincinnati Public Library, in which the students could personally present their books to Jones and Robertson and donate copies to the library to be introduced into circulation.

Students from Bond Hill Academy presented their book to Judge Nathaniel Jones (center) and Paula Brehm-Heeger (center-right) of the Cincinnati Public Library.

“Childhood literacy is one of the core missions of the library,” said Paula Brehm-Heeger, the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director of the Library. “What better way to inspire kids to read than by making them authors?”

The National Youth Foundation works with educators and community leaders to identify students to participate in its Youth Writing Workshop. In these workshops, students learn the process of working in teams to research, develop, write, edit, illustrate and publish an original book. This particular project was funded locally by Alpha Delta Boulé, the Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Blank Rome LLP and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

Jim Anderson, chairman of the Donald Spencer Reading Academy and chairman of the Alpha Delta Boulé Social Action Committee, shared in his opening remarks at the event that this project was special to him — particularly seeing the stories of two living legends told through the eyes of children. Anderson, who spent 29 years coaching running backs for the Cincinnati Bengals, also shared how fun it was to coordinate with both schools to ensure the books were published just how the student authors intended — just like any coach would.

“In a way, I left one coaching job and took a new coaching job,” he said.

Jim Anderson, former running back coach for the Bengals and current chairman of the Alpha Delta Boulé Social Action Committee, hosted the event.

During the book-writing process, the students spent a lot of time with Judge Jones and Robertson and really got to know them — everything from the challenges and obstacles they have faced, as well as the accomplishments they have achieved.

“The students had the chance to interview Oscar at school,” said Shelby Zimmer, resource coordinator at WHA. “The whole process really helped them bond and come together as a team to write and illustrate the book. We are so proud of them.”

As for the students, the publication of their books is far from the finish line. Students expressed an interest in writing more and growing their skills.

“This is the second book I’ve written, and I want to write more,” one student from Winton Hills Academy said at the book presentation.

View more photos from the event, which included remarks from Dr. Wilson Kwamogi Okello, visiting assistant professor of Black World Studies and doctoral candidate in the Student Affairs in Higher Education program at Miami University, a poem reading from WHA student Nakinah Ward, and music performances by Walnut Hills High School student Amari West.

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Learn more about the National Youth Foundation and the organization’s Youth Writing Workshops at nationalyouthfoundation.org. Ensure your child has a library card by contacting the Cincinnati Public Library at (513) 369-6900 or by visiting cincinnatilibrary.org.

Bond Hill Academy and Winton Hills Academy are Vision 2020 schools. Learn more and keep up with the great things happening at these schools bondhill.cps-k12.org and wintonhills.cps-k12.org.

What next? That question confronts many MFA candidates nearing graduation. The soon-to-be degreed writer has just spent (typically) two years submitting manuscripts to workshops and receiving critiques. She has completed a book-length work and therefore fulfilled the creative thesis requirement. Now she possesses readers' comments on that work, too. It's clear that she must revise to get that first book fully ready for publication. But who can guarantee the time or resources to support this next crucial stage?
Some fellowship and writer-in-residence opportunities allow emerging writers to continue crafting their work, often with both financial and intellectual support. Most offer the comfort and camaraderie of an artistic or academic community, as well. While not all programs require a graduate degree in creative writing, some do; others often expect the teaching ability and level of accomplishment frequently associated with having earned a graduate-level degree. For some programs, in fact, teaching is an integral part of the fellowship.
On this page I will try to keep a comprehensive (and current) list of these opportunities. Please let me know (in comments) about additional programs you think belong here, and/or about any problems you may encounter with the links.
Please note that I am not intending for this list to focus on relatively short-term residencies, or, with one or two exceptions, on programs that seem to expect writers to have published a book before application. If you want to locate more opportunities along those lines, I suggest that you consult the NYFA Source database (which requires free registration) and the Alliance of Artist Communities and ResArtis Web sites.
Note also that deadlines (and application fees, when applicable) can vary and may even change within a given fellowship program from year to year. Be sure to check with each program for updated information, as well as for detailed eligibility and application guidelines.
Finally, recognize that some fellowships are not offered yearly, and some rotate disciplines/area of literary focus (alternating between poetry and prose, for example).
Good luck!
Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowships
Axton Fellowships (University of Louisville)
Bard Fiction Prize
George Bennett Fellowship (Phillips Exeter Academy)
Gaius Charles Bolin Fellowships (Williams College) (added on November 16, 2008)
Children's Writer-in-Residence Program (Boston Public Library)
Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer-in-Residence Program (Seven Hills School; click 'Welcome' and then 'Employment') (added on December 19, 2008)
Emory University Creative Writing Fellowship
Fine Arts Work Center Fellowships
Hodder Fellowships (Princeton University)
Houston Writing Fellows Program (University of Houston) (added on April 9, 2008)
HUB-BUB.COM Artists-in-Residence Program
Richard Hugo House Residencies
Jesse J. Jones Writing Fellowship/Dobie Paisano Fellowship (for writers who are native Texans, have resided in Texas at least three years 'at some time,' or have published work with a Texas subject)
Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts Transitional Residencies (These residencies don't last quite so long as the other opportunities listed here, but I'm including the program because a) the 'transitional residencies' are targeted specifically to recent graduates and b) the KHN Center graciously hosted me for two weeks right after I finished my MFA program.)
Milton Center Fellowship at Image (Seattle Pacific University)
New York University Postdoctoral and Transition Program for Academic Diversity Fellowships(added January 1, 2009)
Olive B. O'Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing (Colgate University)
Pew Fellowships in the Arts (for artists/writers in the Philadelphia area)
Charles Pick Fellowship (University of East Anglia)
Philip Roth Residence in Creative Writing (Bucknell University)
Stadler Fellowship (Bucknell University)
Wallace Stegner Fellowships (Stanford University)
Steinbeck Fellows Program (San Jose State University)
Elma Stuckey Emerging Poet-in-Residence (Columbia College-Chicago)
Teachers & Writers Collaborative Fellowships(added March 6, 2009)
Reginald S. Tickner Writing Fellowship (The Gilman School)
University of Pennsylvania ArtsEdge Residencies(added March 30, 2009)
Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships (University of Wisconsin)
Some opportunities do not maintain 'permanent' Web pages. For example:
Gettysburg College Emerging Writer Lectureship. Look for announcements during the fall semester (for the following academic year) within the employment listings on the Gettysburg College Web site and within the AWP Job List, HigherEdJobs.com, and similar venues.
Summer Residency. Check the Poetry Center of Chicago Web site for updates.
The Herbert W. Martin Fellowship in Creative Writing and Diversity is based at the University of Dayton. Check the faculty job listings at the University of Dayton site for updates (added October 3, 2009)
The Southern Review Resident Scholar. Check The Southern Review's Web site for an announcement of the next application season.