The fellowship program
Sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the Texas Institute of Letters, the Dobie Paisano Fellowship Program provides solitude, time, and a comfortable place for Texas writers or writers who have written significantly about Texas. The retreat is on a 250 acre ranch about twenty minutes west of Austin. Here J. Frank Dobie's ranch house sits below a wall of cliffs and near a clear, beautiful creek. The house is furnished simply and comfortably, with modern conveniences. Utilities, internet, and phone service are provided, though the fellow must pay for long distance telephone service.
At the time of application, the applicant must meet one of the following requirements: (1) be a native Texan, (2) have resided in Texas at least three years at some time, or (3) have published significant work with a Texas subject. Those who meet requirement 1 or 2 do not have to meet the Texas subject matter restriction.
There are two distinct fellowships - one for a period of approximately six months with a stipend of $3000 a month (the Jesse H. Jones Writing Fellowship); one for a period of four months with a stipend of $5000 a month (the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship). The fellowships are available to both creative writers and writers of non-fiction. Non-fiction should be written for the general audience.
The Jesse J. Jones Writing Fellowship will be aimed at, though certainly not limited to, writers who are early in their careers and who would benefit from an extended period at the ranch. Demonstration of prior publishing and critical success is not expected, though, as in the past, many applicants will indeed have such a record. Any writer at any level of success (including those with strong publishing records) is eligible for the Jesse Jones Fellowship.
The Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship is aimed at writers who have already demonstrated some publishing and critical success. This may or may not be writers a little later along in their literary careers. The definition of "publishing and critical success" will be determined by the judges each year, but, in general, we would expect at least one critically well-received book, or an impressive list of published essays, articles, poems, stories. etc. The decision of the judges will be based on the quality of the writer's past work and the potential for future excellence. Of course, the writer's suitability for ranch life is always taken into account. We will be asking this writer to give a reading or talk at UT during the residency. There will be separate judging panels for each award. You may apply for each award.
Unfortunately, because of needed repairs and renovation to the ranch house, the time period each fellow will have at the ranch ranch for this next cycle (2009-2010) will be limited, perhaps severely. And we won't have an estimate of how much time that will be until the fall of 2008. We will update this Web page as soon as we know. Each fellow will, however, receive the full amount of the fellowship. We sincerely apologize for this change, but, alas, it could not be helped. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Director Michael Adams at adameve@mail.utexas.edu.
Applicants may apply for both awards.
The application fee for each award is $20. If you are applying for both the Jesse H. Jones and the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship, the fee will be $30. If applying for both awards, check the appropriate box at the top of the Ralph A. Johnston Memorial Fellowship application page, and include only one check with the Ralph A. Johnston Fellowship materials. Each application and its accompanying materials must be mailed in separate packets. There will be different judges for each fellowship.
Read the letter from the President of the Texas Institute of Letters if you are planning to apply. The letter is in .pdf format. To access this letter you need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
A detailed history of the project can be found in The Handbook of Texas Online under "Paisano Ranch."