Fellowships
Charles Wallace India Trust Fellowship in Creative Writing
The University of Chichester is delighted to have been selected by the Charles Wallace India Trust to offer a Writer’s Fellowship.
The University has joined an elite group of institutions who cooperate with the Charles Wallace India Trust, to welcome an Indian writer to the UK and provide them with an opportunity to spend time at a British university, devoting themselves to their own writing and contributing to the life of the host institute.
The successful applicant will be based in the English and Creative Writing Department at the University of Chichester for up to three months. The institution has a thriving literary community, with an annual programme of talks by leading writers, editors and agents. Many of its students have gone on to publish their work with leading UK publishers. Its academic staff are highly qualified and experienced individuals, many of whom are practising and published poets, novelists and dramatists.
Who is the fellowship for?
The fellowship is awarded by the University of Chichester and the Charles Wallace India Trust to an individual who:
- Is an Indian citizen, domiciled and resident;
- Has completed university-level education in the field of literature and/or has between five and seven years of professional experience;
- Has a clear proposal stating what they plan to do at the University of Chichester and how they hope to use the experience on their return to India;
- Has not been given a Charles Wallace India Trust grant within the previous five years.
What is its value?
The Charles Wallace India Trust currently pays £1227 a month to the writer to cover all accommodation, living and local travel costs. The Fellowship is for up to three months. International return fares are also covered.
"The Charles Wallace fellowship is a blessing for any Indian writer who is awarded it. It offers, of course, what any writing fellowship ought to: time away from the day job and the daily routine to focus on writing. What makes this particular one special is the University of Chichester and its department of English Literature and Creative Writing, to which the fellow is attached.
"The university – and the department – is small enough for the experience to be intimate. It allows the fellow to settle in and have a social life with academics and fellow writers, and – should they be on their own – the warmth offered by being surrounded by friends.
"There is a real sense of being part of a community, which ought to help any writer. Should the fellow wish to engage with students, there is that opportunity as well. I did tutorials/discussions with students who were keen on memoir writing. I also gave public lectures and participated in panel discussions hosted by the university. I read from my books. All of these are rewarding experiences for the fellow, not least because they afford the chance to flog a few copies – something no writer can complain about!
"The town, small, compact, with its beautiful cathedral, lovely central pedestrian precinct, and the many walks that are close by, is charming and easy to get used to and get around in. After a day’s work, or even during it, it’s a relief to be able to go for long walks to clear one’s head.
"Away from my day job, immersed in my own writing and reading (the university has a fine library) in a setting both congenial and pretty, I got a fair amount of work done in my two-month stint as a Charles Wallace India Trust fellow. Or at least I got more done than I would have in six or eight months at home. Perhaps it is safe to say that I made progress enough to realise that what I was working on has achieved the critical mass that is needed for it to survive.
"My only regret was that my tenure wasn’t longer. You can have too much of a good thing. But I believe that the next fellow will have that too.”
- Soumya Bhattacharya, Charles Wallace India Trust Fellow 2011.
How to apply
Applications will be invited from 1 July to a deadline of 31 October 2011. A shortlist of candidates will be agreed in November. The Fellow will begin work at the University from March or April 2012 (to be confirmed).
Applications in pdf format should include
- a CV
- a statement of about two pages describing what you wish to achieve during your stay at Chichester and how this will benefit your work on your return to India
- two references from referees who know your work well
- examples of your creative writing (which will not be returned)
Please forward applications via e-mail to Dr Diana Barsham, Head of English and Creative Writing, University of Chichester, at d.barsham@chi.ac.uk. For any other general enquiries, please contact Lorna Sargent, Programme Administrator for English and Creative Writing, at charleswallace@chi.ac.uk.
University of Chichester, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 6PE
Telephone: +44 (0)1243 816000