Writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction whose work explores diaspora should consider submitting to the Lando Grants from the de Groot Foundation by February 5. Three grants of $7,000 each will go to authors writing about “the issues and challenges of immigration, migration, and/or the refugee experience.” Three additional awards, called Lando Writer of Note Grants, of $1,500 each will also be awarded.
Using only the online submission system, submit a writing sample of five pages (graphic novelists may include up to 10 pages of prose and graphics), a brief bio, and a personal statement with a $22 entry fee. All writers currently engaged in a writing project are eligible. Visit the website for the required entry form and complete guidelines.
The Lando grants are named for Barry Lando, an investigative journalist and former producer of 60 Minutes, who is collaborating with the de Groot Foundation to offer the awards. In a statement, Lando says the prize draws attention to “one of the gravest problems facing the world today—the enormous rise in refugees and migrants fleeing catastrophic conditions in their homelands, desperate to start new lives in the globe’s more stable, prosperous nations. My goal is to encourage emerging authors to examine—via fiction or nonfiction, any aspect of this on-going challenge, from its varied causes to its impact in the ‘developed’ world. I am particularly interested in discovering potential authors and researchers with fresh ideas for solutions.”