The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience invites applications for its fulltime residential fellowships, which support outstanding writing on American history and culture by both scholars and nonacademic authors.
The Center’s Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year 2012-13) in a restored circa-1735 house in historic Chestertown, Md.
Applicants should have a significant book-length project currently in progress. The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas. It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways the questions that preoccupied the nation’s founders have shaped America’s later history. Work that contributes to ongoing national conversations about America’s past and present, with the potential to reach a wide public, is particularly sought.
Please note that neither the fellowships nor the Starr Center have any political agenda or orientation. We encourage a broad reading of such terms as "founders" and "founding ideas."
Applications from published writers and established scholars are welcome. Dissertation projects will not be considered; first book projects are likewise discouraged, unless the applicant has an otherwise extensive publication history. Candidates who have completed the majority of their research and are focused on the writing phase of their projects are especially encouraged to apply.
The C.V. Starr Center, located at Washington College in Chestertown, Md., is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past, and to promoting excellent writing on history, for general as well as academic audiences. The 2012-13 Patrick Henry Fellow will maintain fulltime residence in Chestertown throughout the term of the award, although short-term research travel is permitted. (Chestertown is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, approximately 90 minutes from Washington and Philadelphia, and three hours from New York City.) The fellow will teach an undergraduate seminar at Washington College in the spring semester and give at least one public lecture or workshop related to his or her work. In addition to use of the fellowship residence (which is large enough to accommodate a family), the fellow will also receive office space in the 18th-century waterfront Custom House, home of the C.V. Starr Center. The fellowship must begin before September 17, 2012.
Applications should include the following:
1. A cover letter;
2. The applicant’s curriculum vitae, including a list of past publications,as well as the names and telephone numbers of at least three references;
3. At least one substantial sample of the candidate’s writing (published or unpublished);
4. A short (1-2 paragraph) description of a course that the candidate might teach;
5. A brief but persuasive narrative description of the work-in-progress, its potential contributions to ongoing national conversations or debates, and the candidate’s plan for his or her fellowship year.
The deadline for applications for the 2012-13 Fellowship is February 15, 2012. For more information, visit the Starr Center’s website.
Support for the C.V. Starr Center Fellowships at Washington College comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Starr Foundation, the HodsonTrust, the Barksdale-Dabney-Patrick Henry Family Foundation, and other donors and friends.
The Patrick Henry Fellowship is cosponsored by the Rose O’Neill Literary House.
Questions may be directed to Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus at [email protected].
Applications may be submitted via e-mail to [email protected], or mailed to:
Director
C.V. Starr Center Fellowships
The Custom House
101 S. Water St.
Chestertown, MD 21620
All e-mail correspondence must include at least a CV and cover letter.