hi!

I'm gaby and I'm trying to raise funds to be able to attend the McCormack Writing Center's Speculative Fiction retreat.

I'm a workhorse. I've been so since immigrating with my family to Miami. This spirit took me from Miami to New England on a full ride scholarship. After several years of working in Early Childhood Education classrooms, I saved up enough to take the 2026 winter season off fight the burnout and focus on my craft. After putting my love of writing on the back burner, I focused on applying to various opportunities built off of my novels-in-progress. Through my hard work and a bit of luck, I've been accepted to the co-horts of Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ+ Writers retreat, Martha's Vineyard Creative Writing Institute retreat, and now McCormack Writing Center's Speculative Fiction Retreat! To have my speculative fiction work centered and uplifted this way excites me for the future; mine and the characters within these stories. I need help bettering my craft, and these residencies are the best way to do so.

While I was lucky enough to be granted a full scholarship for Lambda's retreat, I haven't been able to receive one for MVICW or McCormack. I put the former on my credit card but do not have the credit limit (or the brain power) to do so for the latter. Working as an early education teacher in summer camps and schools across western Massachusetts doesn't necessarily pay the best so I haven't yet had the chance to earn enough to refill my already meager savings. Additionally, the day after I was told I was accepted to the program, my car was crashed into. I've been able to hassle insurance and managed to save my sweet 2013 Subaru Forrester. Despite my own embarrassment over the timing, I chose to make this candid call for funds so anyone could see the true duality that exists for working class writers. Every step forward is at a cost, personal or otherwise.

The fifteen hundred dollar cost listed above is to account for the retreat tuition cost of $800 and $700 to help cover costs as I need to take days off of work for this momentous retreat.

I'm still proud of my story. I appreciate any help to continue it. <3

Edit: thanks so much for making it to 500, I am so so grateful and this has helped me pay for two of the final four payments. :)