Sandeen Wins SLF 2019 Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants

Del Sandeen is the winner of the Speculative Literature Foundation’s 2019 Diverse Writers and Diverse Worlds Grants. The two $500 grants were awarded for Sandeen’s novel-in-progress. Her fiction has previously appeared in FIYAH Literary Magazine and Magnolia, and she is also the author of three nonfiction books for young adults.

SLF’s Diverse Writers grant is “intended to support new and emerging writers from underrepresented and underprivileged groups, such as writers of color, women, queer writers, disabled writers, working-class writers, etc. — those whose marginalized identities may present additional obstacles in the writing/publishing process.” The Diverse Worlds Grant is “intended for work that best presents a diverse world, regardless of the writer’s background.” Previous winners of the grants include Carmen Maria Machado, Madhvi Ramani, and Gabriel Thibodeau; last year’s winners were Nibedita Sen and LaTanya Lane.

Sandeen said that the grants “provide me the opportunity to purchase any research materials I might need to make my novel more authentic, as well as a few craft books that I believe would help me improve my writing. As a working parent, it’s difficult for me to attend out-of-town conferences and workshops, but with this award, I can now at least attend an online class/workshop that will benefit me.”

  • Honorable Mentions for the 2019 Diverse Writers Grant were Jazmyn Taylor, Nigel Stone, and Angela M. Sanchez.
  • Honorable Mentions for the Diverse Worlds Grant were Amanda Wenger, Angela M. Sanchez, and Sibylla Nash.

Sandeen’s website is here.

[Via Locus Online.]