Become a Dharma Bum: Kerouac Project seeks Writers D/L Friday April 1st
Have you been dreaming about a writing vacation?
Imagine if you had three dedicated months to finish a writing project? All that time for you and your project?
Think about it!
You don’t have to pay rent (get someone to house-sit for you), you don’t have to worry about the utilities, and you don’t have to worry about food—you will receive a food stipend. Here and there, you may be asked to participate in some community activities. At the end of this great writing vacation, better known as a residency, you will perform/read a fantastic reading of your work. Heck, if you want to do other readings or work during this time, it is up to you, as long as you do one thing—write and write and write.
The Kerouac Project of Orlando, Florida is seeking writers for their residencies from June of this year to May of next year (acceptances are sent out in May). Yes, the deadline is near…like this coming Friday, April 1, 2011. But please don’t feel overwhelmed. I am sure that you can make this deadline! Most writers are prepared for last minute circumstances, especially when it involves contests, residencies, and fellowships.
So brush off that manuscript, scrap up 20 bucks from your best friend, wife or significant other, and apply!
As a former writing fellow, it is a very inspirational and awe-striking experience, living in the home where Jack Kerouac penned his famous novel, The Dharma Bums. I did not know a lot about Jack Kerouac before I applied. However, after moving in, I read On The Road and some of the biographies on Kerouac that co-founder Bob Kealing and others had compiled including Bob’s book, Kerouac in Florida: Where the Road Ends.
I learned how Jack Kerouac spent years developing his lucid and iconic—stream of consciousness writing. He spent about 10 years or more developing this method by trial and error, by experiencing and reading about Buddhist techniques, by traveling and just by experiencing life. In this light, he was a visionary because he knew, he was developing a style but he did not know its exact boundaries, it’s feel, but he kept working toward it diligently, page after page—a writer’s true craft.
So that’s what you need to do! Create craft, page after page and finish that project.
Again, Apply by Friday, April 1st, to get the chance to write full time for 3 months. It is an experience that you will always carry with you.
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