"Winning the older writer grant was the all important spark that started the book off, it gave me the confidence I didn't have at the time to think that maybe I did have a good book. The money was invaluable in helping to implement a marketing plan. I will be forever grateful to the Speculative Literature Foundation..."--Karen Simpson, winner of the 2009 Older Writers Grant
"I was so happy to win the Speculative Literature Foundation Older Writers' Grant, especially as it came at a time when I was feeling quite disheartened with my work. The world seemed to be full of younger, more optimistic writers -- I'd been working closely alongside many of them doing an MA in creative writing! But this gave me new heart, and since then my short stories have featured in two major awards in England and I am currently working on a novel set in the drought-stricken world of the near future."
--Hilary Wilce, winner of the 2007 Older Writers Grant
"...the money made it possible for me to get to the UK so that I could launch the itinerant housesitting career that allows me to live and keep writing fiction. So, in a sense, the Gulliver Travel Grant has made it possible for me to write three novels, one novella, and seven short stories. Ask me again, this time next year, and the total will have increased by two more novels and another novella. I am deeply grateful to the Speculative Fiction Foundation."
--Matt Hughes, winner of the 2007 Travel Grant
"The 2008 Older Writers Grant came just in time to help fund my attendance that summer at the Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop, taught by Walter Jon Williams and Kelly Link. Very handy! The workshop itself was wonderful. Since then, I've completed a second fantasy novel, which is just now beginning the submission process. And novel #3 is just getting underway....The grant did come at just the right time, and gave me a little extra confidence when meeting the mostly younger writers at the workshop. And I'm not shy about mentioning it in my query letters!"
--Deborah Roggie, winner of the 2008 Older Writers Grant
"Thanks to the SLF Gulliver Travel Grant, it was made possible for me to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto, Japan, where the anchor story of my second book, a novel-in-stories called The Love We Share Without Knowing, took place. The regions of Japan, like any country, are diverse and have their own local cultures. So it was important for me, setting a book in Japan, to be able to get my hands and feet into the soil of the various regions where the settings of the book take place. Without the Gulliver Grant, I may not have been able to visit all of my book's locales. And because of the Gulliver Travel Grant, I believe the book is better for the firsthand experience."
--Christopher Barzak, winner of the 2005 Travel Grant
"I fell in love with Mexico City from pretty much the cab ride to the bed and breakfast. The chance to travel all over this amazing, vibrant, cosmopolitan city and learn about the Aztec (and other Mesoamerican) architecture that sits side-by-side with the modern was truly eye-opening to me. I came away with so much excitement and inspiration for my novel, and so many new angles to explore...Whether exploring the various ruins in Mexico City proper, or taking buses to neighboring towns to visit lesser-known sites, the travel grant let me get a conception of the world of my novel that would never have been possible from just researching at home. I'm incredibly grateful to the SLF for giving me the opportunity."
-Alaya Johnson, winner of the 2008 Travel Grant
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And of course, if you'd like to donate to support these fine writers and others like them, you could always become a member of the SLF (or donate more). It's tax-deductible in the U.S.!