Archives & Special Collections invites authors and illustrators at the beginning of their career to apply for financial support to assist in the creation of new children’s literature from the James Marshall Fellowship Fund. Fellows are given the opportunity to be inspired by and obtain insight from the original artwork and archives of over 100 illustrators and authors of children’s literature, including the James Marshall Papers, as well as to access the substantial special collections of books for children that make up the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. Applicants are invited to propose projects in which works are written, illustrated, or produced for the entertainment or instruction of children and young adults.
Fellows are awarded $3,000.00 USD. The fellowship is awarded on a competitive basis to applicants who are selected by the Head of Archives & Special Collections and the Archivist for the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection. Criteria for selection include demonstrated significance of the proposed project, necessity of consulting the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection in support of the project, and letters of support.
The James Marshall Fellowship recipient agrees to consult the Northeast Children’s Literature Collection for the purpose outlined in the project proposal and to describe the value of the research experience in relation to the project.
Applicants should submit the following materials with their application:
- brief description (no more than two pages) of the project
- preliminary list of collections to be consulted
- resume
- two letters of support attesting to the value of the project
Deadline: Applications are accepted and reviewed biennially (even years). The deadline for submission is January 30 for research visits between March and February. Applicants will receive written notification, if their proposal is approved, within one month of the deadline. Fellowship funds are paid following completion of the requirements of the fellowship. A minimum period of eight weeks is necessary to process and deliver the award check.
About the James Marshall Fellowship Fund
The James Marshall Fellowship was established in 2004 through the generous gifts of private donors in honor of the illustrator and author James E. Marshall (1942-1992). Marshall spent a good part of his life in Mansfield, Connecticut in a small house in Mansfield Hollow, where he became one of the most distinguished contemporary American children’s book authors and illustrators. A friend to the University of Connecticut, Marshall regularly visited with students in Francelia Butler’s groundbreaking children’s literature course. By the time of his death, Marshall, a self-taught artist, had illustrated and written fifty-four books, and illustrated another twenty-nine books. The James Marshall Fellowship was first awarded in 2008.
For more information, contact:
Archives & Special Collections
University of Connecticut Library
405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205
Storrs, CT 06269-1205
archives@uconn.edu