<div>Hey y'all,

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<div>I'm LP Kindred, a Chicagoan-Angeleno writer/editor/teaching artist/culture worker in the speculative fiction space, usually activating from the axes of my Queer and Black Identities. Woohoo!

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<div>I'm seeking support in continuing my BFA at the Art Institute of Chicago. Last year, at 42, I decided to return to school to finish my degree in writing. While I have some momentum in my career, I wanted to give myself an opportunity to center my writing in my life and disassemble ideas I've held about myself as a student.

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<div>My schooling story is fraught and I'll get into that later, but the operative issue here is this: There was no consideration made for a nontraditional student.

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<div>My financial aid package included PLUS Loans, which are only available to graduate students and parents of undergrads. Not only am I neither of those, my parents are deceased and I think this is an inappropriate financial aid plan for a returning, adult student.

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<div>Last year, an incoming freshman and I were discussing financial aid and he received $40,000 more than I did. My response? "That's so dope! Where have you published." His response was, "I haven't."

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<div>I'm devastated. My work has appeared in the LeVar Burton Reads podcast as well as Carnegie Hall's 2022 Afrofuturism Festival website. I'm 3x Ignyte Award nominated as a writer, editor, and culture worker. I'm a co-host of JUST KEEP WRITING, a podcast for writers which is barreling toward 200 episodes. I'm a cocoa-founder of VOODOONAUTS, a grassroots collective addressing the underrepresentation and isolation of Black Creatives in Speculative Fiction.

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<div>It turns out that the formula for figuring out merit scholarships considers grade point average, extracurricular activities, and standardized test scores among other things. Which, I think, shouldn't apply to me because the climate for pursuing higher education is very different from the one today.

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<div>Further, if my professional experience doesn't qualify as merit in context of the writing degree I'm pursuing, I don't know how to communicate my value to a pedagogical or bureaucratic institution. Because if this institution perceived my value, I wouldn't have to struggle this hard to stay in school.

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<div>Let me say this: School of the Art Institute of Chicago is an amazing environment for learning and while its Writing Department isn't centered, the writing instruction is top tier. I'm a cantankerous stickler with writing instruction and this is one of 4 schools that teach in a way that reads as radical. My writing, my process, my practice, my output have all transformed exponentially.

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<div>Unfortunately, I haven't had two consecutive semesters at SAIC. My momentum to finish school gets undercut by tuition not being paid. I'd like to graduate in June of 2027 but that means I need help to pay for my next semester of schooling.

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<div>I work part-time because I can't work full-time and study at the Art Institute - the curriculum is that rigorous, so I can only ramp up during summers and those few months aren't enough for me to cover tuition for both semesters.

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<div>I'm setting up some teaching opportunities next year. I'm going to sell at leas one book next year. I'm applying for all the scholarships, fellowships, and grants I can locate. I'm actively seeking a different kind of job for my downtime. I'm putting together a campaign to get a financial aid package that reflects my experience as a writer.

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<div>But right now I need help to get back into school next semester. My tuition is just under $7,000.

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<div>Any help you're capable of providing is deeply appreciated. Obviously, contributing means so much to me but so does signal boosting this campaign.

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Anonymous

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