The panel has made its decisions. There were many strong applications and it was a tough choice, but the following writers were selected. We look forward to getting to know them at the Winter Getaway, but we asked them to tell us a bit about themselves ahead of time. See what they had to say below.
Toni Brown Memorial Scholarship
Kara Knickerbocker of Conneautville, PA
Kara Knickerbocker is a writer and world traveler from Pennsylvania and the author of the chapbooks The Shedding Before the Swell (dancing girl press, 2018) and Next to Everything that is Breakable (Finishing Line Press, 2017). Her poetry and essays have appeared in: Poet Lore, Construction, Portland Review, and the anthologies Pennsylvania’s Best Emerging Poets, Voices from the Attic, Crack the Spine and more. Her work has received support from the Gullkistan Center in Iceland, and the Arteles Center in Finland. She writes with the Madwomen in the Attic at Carlow University, and co-curates the MadFridays Reading Series. Find her online at www.karaknickerbocker.com.
Maria Picone of Myrtle Beach, SC
Maria S. Picone (she/her/hers) writes, paints, and teaches from her home in South Carolina. Her publications include flash fiction, flash and full-length CNF, poetry, translations, visual art, and hybrid work. Her writing has been published in Kissing Dynamite, Ligeia, *82 Review and others. She has work forthcoming in Whale Road Review, Parentheses Journal and Moonchild Magazine. She is an editor for Chestnut Review, ang(st) and the winnow. As a Korean adoptee, Maria often explores themes of identity, exile, and social issues facing Asians and Asian Americans. She loves to experiment with form and sound and engage with current events and pop culture. She received an MFA in fiction from Goddard College and holds degrees from Princeton University, Rice University, and Western New Mexico University. You can read her work on her website, mariaspicone.com. She also keeps an active Twitter: @mspicone.
Robert Hayden Scholarship
Zoe Briscoe of Warrenton, NC
Zoe W. Briscoe is a junior Creative Writing major at Emerson College. After graduating, she seeks to pursue a career in both fiction writing and academia. In her spare time, she can be found playing Sudoku or watching the latest figure skating competitions.
Aerik Francis of Denver, CO
Aerik Francis (they/them/he/him) is a Queer Black & Latinx poet based in Denver, Colorado, USA. They are a 2020 Canto Mundo poetry fellow and a 2019 Amiri Baraka Scholar for SWP at Naropa. They are also a poetry reader for Underblong poetry journal. They have poetry published or forthcoming in Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Wildness, Santa Clara Review, Ghost City Press, Kissing Dynamite and others. Find them on IG/TW: @phaentompoet
Shannon Wolf of Lafayette, LA
Shannon Wolf is a British writer and teacher, living in Louisiana. She is currently a joint MA-MFA candidate in Poetry at McNeese State University. She is the Non-Fiction Editor of the McNeese Review and she also holds an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. Her poetry, short fiction, and non-fiction (which can also be found under the name Shannon Bushby) have appeared in, or is forthcoming from The Forge and Great Weather for Media, among others.
“The Getaway was the first time I had ever been surrounded by so many other poets. It was the first time I had my poetry discussed. It was the first time, in a long time, I truly felt heard. Every step of the way I was guided with intellect, professionalism and a warm heart. Not even words, my favorite tool, can describe the amount of joy and inspiration I was filled with.”
~ Amira-Sade – 2018 Scholarship Recipient – Poetry Participant
About the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway
Escape the distractions of your busy life. Advance your craft and energize your writing at the Winter Getaway. Enjoy challenging and supportive sessions, insightful feedback and an encouraging community. Learn more
The Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway is presented by Murphy Writing of Stockton University.
