Funding for Writers of Colour to Attend Milford SF in 2017 – Applications Invited Now.

FUNDED PLACES FOR TWO SF WRITERS OF COLOUR (BME) AT THE 2017 MILFORD SF WRITERS’ CONFERENCE

9th to 16th September 2017

Applications remain open until the end of February 2017
Successful applicants will be notified in March 2017
Download information and an application form
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Due to the generosity of the committee of the 8Squared Eastercon, and an anonymous (writer) donor, Milford SF Writers’ Conference is able to offer two funded places for self-identifying science fiction/fantasy writers of colour, i.e. of black or minority ethnicity, to attend the 2017 Milford SF Writers’ Conference in the UK from 9th – 16th September. Writers from all over the world (far and near) are invited to apply as long as they write in English. Applicants must be ‘Milford qualified’ (i.e have at least one SF story sale to a recognised market).

The bursary will cover the cost of the conference fee and full board accommodation (i.e. room and all meals). The bursary value is £610. The bursary does not cover the cost of transport to or from the conference from either inside or outside the UK. The location is Trigonos, Nantlle, North Wales (9 miles south of Caernarfon).

This funding is intended to be an encouragement and not a quota. We only have two bursaries available, however we operate an equal opportunities policy so all SF/F writers who are ‘Milford qualified’ are welcome to apply for the full-price Milford SF Writers’ Conference places subject to availability. Bookings for the 2018 event are already coming in.

MILFORD is a gathering of authors who write speculative fiction (in its widest sense). It is not a school for beginners; there are no “teachers” or “students”. It is not an elitist in-group. Invitations are extended to any SF author – from relative newcomers to those may only dimly recall what rejection slips look like. Generally the workshop includes some writers who have not attended a previous Milford, and they are particularly welcome. The language of the conference is English, so all work must be submitted for critique in English. Some attendees are novel-writers, others specialise in short stories

The conference is the longest-running SF writers’ event in the UK. It has been a regular and almost annual occurrence since 1972, drawing members from Britain, Europe, America and Australia. Over the years it has moved venue several times, but has been in its current location since 2004. It has settled into a comfortable, workable format: demanding and exhausting, but also convivial. In short, it’s a social as well as a literary event–a chance to connect with other writers.

Many famous names have passed through Milford in its (more than) four decades: Anne McCaffrey, Brian Aldiss, Bruce Sterling, Charles Stross, Chris Priest, Diana Wynne Jones, George R.R. Martin, James Blish (the founder of Milford in the UK), John Clute, Neil Gaiman and Samuel R Delaney. More recently Alastair Reynolds, Gaie Sebold, Jaine Fenn, Karen Traviss, Kari Sperring and Liz Williams.