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The C.V. Starr Center Fellowships at Washington College

Patrick HenryThe C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience invites applications
for its fulltime residential fellowships, which support outstanding writing on American history and culture by both scholars and nonacademic authors.

The Center’s Patrick Henry Writing Fellowship includes a $45,000 stipend, health benefits, faculty privileges, a book allowance, and a nine-month residency (during the academic year 2010-11) in
a restored circa-1735 house in historic
Chestertown, Md.

Prospective recipients of the Patrick Henry Fellowship should have a significant book-length project currently in progress.  The project should address the history and/or legacy – broadly defined – of the American Revolution and the nation’s founding ideas.  It might focus on the founding era itself, or on the myriad ways
the questions that preoccupied the framers have shaped historical developments between the 18th century and the present. Work that contributes to ongoing national conversations about America’s past and present, with the potential to reach a wide public, is particularly sought.

Applications from published writers and established scholars are welcome. Dissertation projects will not be considered; first book projects are likewise discouraged, unless the applicant has an otherwise extensive publication history. Candidates who have completed the majority of their research and are focused on the writing phase of their projects are especially encouraged to apply.

The C.V. Starr Center, located at Washington College in Chestertown, Md., is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to fostering innovative approaches to the American past, and to promoting excellent writing on history, for general as well
as academic audiences. The 2010-11 Patrick Henry Fellow will maintain fulltime residence in Chestertown throughout the term of the award, although short-term research travel is permitted. (Chestertown is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, approximately 90 minutes from Washington and Philadelphia, and three hours from New York City.) The fellow will teach an undergraduate seminar at Washington College in the spring semester and give at least one public lecture or workshop related to his or her work. In addition to use of the fellowship residence (which is large enough to accommodate a family), the fellow will also receive office space in the 18th-century waterfront Custom House, home of the C.V. Starr Center. The fellowship must begin before September 8, 2010.

Applications should include the following:

  1. A cover letter;
  2. The applicant’s curriculum vitae, including a list of past publications,
    as well as the names and telephone numbers of at least three references;
  3. At least one substantial sample of the candidate’s writing (published or unpublished);
  4. A short (1-2 paragraph) description of a course that the candidate might teach;
  5. A brief but persuasive narrative description of the work-in-progress, its potential contributions to ongoing national conversations or debates,
    and the candidate’s plan for his or her fellowship year.

Questions may be directed to Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus at jtitus2@washcoll.edu.

Deadline for the 2010-11 Fellowship is February 15, 2010. Applications may be submitted via email to starr_center@washcoll.edu, or mailed to:

Director
C.V. Starr Center Fellowships
The Custom House
101 South Water Street
Chestertown, MD 21620

All email correspondence must include at least a CV and cover letter.

Support for the C.V. Starr Center Fellowships at Washington College comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Starr Foundation, the Hodson Trust, the Barksdale-Dabney-Patrick Henry Family Foundation, and other donors and friends.

The Patrick Henry Fellowship is cosponsored by the Rose O’Neill Literary House.