Hello! My name is Toyosi Begbaaji and I'm a writer, aspiring novelist, and editor based in Indianapolis, IN. I'm raising funds for the program cost, travel expenses, living expenses, and more needed to attend a month-long writing workshop based in Tokyo, Japan in 2026.

Back in April, after seeing an ad on Instagram (of all places), I applied for the Freelancing, Indie Publishing + Writing With Care​ workshop with Astray, a global writing project based out of New York. I'll admit that I applied on a whim, fully accepting that I might not hear anything back at all. The program seemed just up my alley (if, potentially, too good to be true), and I loved that program would run for a month to allow for deeper cultural engagement with Japan, much during like my week-long trip in 2019. I filled out the application (if interested, please read my answers here!), hit send, and went about my life for the next month or so.

On June 7th, 2025, I received an email from Gemma Clarke, an Australian travel writer and founder of Astray, telling me I'd been accepted into workshop! I was in shock, not just because someone had read (and liked) my writing, but that I'd received a personal email and a response at all. I'm so grateful to have been recognized and chosen for this opportunity, so now I'm taking the next step in order to make this dream a reality!

(You can read more about the workshop program on the Astray website, here.)

I'm hoping to raise $5,000 to attend this workshop. The funds raised will go towards:

Additionally, I plan to film and edit my trip into a similar recap/vlog as my 2019 trip in order to commemorate such a wonderful opportunity!

I'm aiming to attend the Summer 2026 (May 31 – June 28, 2026) term in order to give the fundraiser enough time, but if I'm able to attend the Winter (January 11 – February 8, 2026) term, then all the better!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my fundraiser's story, and please share this GFM with anyone you think would love to help a writer of color hoping to find writing inspiration and form deep connections!

Update: For direct donations, check out any of the options below!