WHAT MAKES THE MARY WITHERS RURAL WRITING FELLOWSHIP UNIQUE?

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship is an innovative alternative to the traditional journalism summer internship, where writers are expected to churn out articles and social media posts daily. The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellow is allowed to focus on two or three longform articles that are published in the Louisville Courier-Journal and given the option to explore and develop other writing ideas along the way.

Winners of the fellowship are awarded a $3,000 fellowship and provided with free housing and office space for the summer. For 12 weeks, the fellow lives at Boyd’s Station, a historic family farm in Boyd, Kentucky, and works out of the Boyd’s Station Gallery in downtown Cynthiana. The winner shares a home with two college photographers who receive the Reinke Grant for Visual Storytelling and Tim Dillon Grant for Storytelling.

The fellowship is directed by Alan Gomez, a former bureau chief and foreign correspondent at USA Today, who serves as the editor/mentor for each winner. The fellow is also supported by a team of editors, mentors, and former fellows who remain a part of the Boyd’s Station family. The fellow also works with an editor at the Louisville Courier-Journal, the largest newspaper in Kentucky, as they prepare each article for publication.

Fellows are encouraged to develop their own story ideas each summer that highlight an aspect of rural life in America. Past fellows have written about the economics, environmental concerns, mental health, and history of people living in Kentucky as they grapple with a fast-changing world.

MARY WITHERS FELLOWSHIP PUBLISHED WORK

THE FAQ's

IS THERE A FEE TO APPLY?

There is NO fee to apply.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY?

Candidates must be college juniors, seniors, recent graduates or graduate students. They must be 21 years of age or older during the time of the fellowship - they can be 20 when they apply but must be 21 by the time the fellowship begins. Candidates must be enrolled in a journalism or communications program, or a related degree program. Previous newspaper journalism internships and/or experience as a journalist on a college newspaper are preferred, but not mandatory.

Most importantly, candidates must be committed to a career in journalism.

WHAT KIND OF HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ARE AVAILABLE?

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient will live in a house at Boyd’s Station FOR FREE. They will share the home with two student photographers who received the Reinke Grant for Visual Storytelling and Tim Dillon Grant for Storytelling. Each student will have their own room and have access to a shared bathroom, kitchen and living room. The home is WiFi enabled (cell service can occasionally be spotty).

Transportation in and around Harrison County is the sole responsibility of each fellow. In such a rural community, there is no public transportation, so a car, valid driver’s license and insurance are required.

ARE FELLOWS PAID?

The fellow will receive a $3,000 fellowship to help pay for food, living expenses and program expenses. They will also be reimbursed for the cost of fuel while reporting from Harrison County. The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient receives free rent for the summer and a working space at the Boyd’s Station Gallery in downtown Cynthiana.

Fellows are responsible for bringing their own car to Boyd’s Station and their own computer to work on. They are also responsible for their own meals. Transportation cost to and from the student’s home to Harrison County is the responsibility of the fellowship recipient.

WHAT ABOUT COLLEGE CREDIT?

Boyd’s Station is happy to work with a fellow’s college or university to help them receive college credits for their work. We can prepare any summaries, descriptions, clips or other supporting documentation to try to fulfill the requirements of any school.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO APPLY?

The application window for the 2025 Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship deadline to apply is Monday, January 6, 2025. Click this link to apply now.

WHEN SHOULD THE RECIPIENT BE IN HARRISON COUNTY?

The fellowship will run for 12 consecutive weeks from May to August. The exact timing of this fellowship is determined by the fellow and program director to best fit the fellow’s schedule, but each fellow is expected to be in Kentucky throughout the 12 weeks. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for family emergencies or other personal matters.

WHAT DOES EACH FELLOW NEED TO BRING WITH THEM?

If you are selected for the fellowship, you will need the following: 

• A car, and valid driver’s license and insurance.

• A personal computer.

• Personal recording devices and/or photography gear (if desired).

• Clothes and shoes that work on a farm. While fellows will spend a lot of time in downtown Cynthiana and can work indoors, it’s expected - and encouraged - that they spend as much time as possible immersing themselves in the community, which means a lot of time on farms and ranches, cow patties included. A good pair of hiking/work boots is highly recommended.

• Health insurance is recommended, but not required.

WHAT KIND OF HOURS WILL THE WRITER BE WORKING?

This is not a traditional internship where a writer is expected to clock in and out at set hours each day. The expectation is that the fellow is self-motivated, will put in a full 40 hours each week and accomplish their goals. It’s up to each fellow to figure out if that means working 9-5 or crafting their own schedule. 

WHAT WILL THE MARY WITHERS RURAL WRITING FELLOW LEARN?

This project is geared towards documenting the people and places of Harrison County, Kentucky while reporting on issues that resonate across the nation. 

WHO WILL MANAGE WHAT THE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT DOES?

The Boyd’s Station Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship program is directed by Alan Gomez, a former bureau chief and foreign correspondent at USA Today. He will supervise the fellow’s program and work hand in hand with the fellow to conceive each story, prepare a reporting plan, guide the reporting and edit each story. Alan resides in Miami, so fellows communicate with him through weekly video calls and frequent emails.

But that’s just part of the experience. The founder and director of Boyd’s Station is Jack Gruber, a prize-winning photographer for USA Today who will be on-site frequently and runs the multiple programs operating out of Boyd’s Station. Margaret Heltzel, a former Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient, has joined the staff and will be living on-site. She can help with day-to-day advice on how to live, report and write while in Kentucky.

Boyd’s Station also has an established relationship with editors at the Louisville Courier-Journal, who will listen to your pitch and story ideas and may assign a story to the Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient and assist them through the reporting, writing and editing process. Additionally, other experienced writers and editors will be made available to each fellow to provide training and assistance.

WHO OWNS THE COPYRIGHT TO THE WORK CREATED?

The WRITER. One of the unique things about this fellowship is that any and all work created by the writer will be owned, and the copyright retained, by that fellow. The writer has the right to market or sell any of the literary work for personal gain editorially or commercially as long as the work and any photograph or video images sold commercially have proper documentation and release from subjects.

The complete collection of words, creative works, and images produced during the fellowship period DO become part of the overall historical archive and collection of the Boyd's Station archive. The fellow must grant Boyd’s Station the right, in perpetuity, to use any of the work created during the fellowship period in promotion, exhibits and for educational purposes determined by Boyd’s Station without additional compensation. Boyd’s Station agrees not to sell or provide creative work or images for commercial gain without expressed written consent and agreement of the fellow.

WHERE IS BOYD’S STATION LOCATED IN KENTUCKY?

QUESTIONS

Please contact Jack Gruber with any questions or comments regarding the application process.

For general program inquiries, feel free to contact program director Alan Gomez regarding The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship.

MARY WITHERS

BOYD'S STATION | FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTOR 

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship was established to honor life-long Boyd, Kentucky resident Mary Withers.

Mary Elizabeth Withers, 69, passed away in 2018.  A life-long Harrison County resident, Mary was instrumental in the founding of Boyd’s Station serving as one of the founding board of directors. Mary was a passionate supporter of the historic Boyd Methodist Church, the arts, education and Harrison County, Kentucky. She is truly missed.