We Interrupt This Visa Application (Help Fund Trans Writer)

As Promised: Writing Sample - Caleb Plays Dead - PDF

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Hi, I’m Kerry Ann Boyko. I’m a trans woman, a novelist, and a screenwriter currently living in self-exile in Buenos Aires (previously Mexico!) after fleeing the United States.

I’ve just been accepted into the M.A. in Screenwriting for Film and Television at IADT – Dún Laoghaire, Ireland’s National Film School. It’s one of the top screenwriting programs in the country. This isn’t just a dream — it’s an escape hatch. It’s a way to stay safe, get legal residency, and keep writing stories that matter.

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UPDATE – JUNE 30, 2025 – BUENOS AIRES

Because my visa for Mexico was about to expire, I had no choice but to move on. I chose Argentina—specifically Buenos Aires—as the next stop on this increasingly surreal journey. The move has not been easy.

The small stuff piled up fast: I can’t get local cellphone service. I can’t use ATMs. I can’t join any of the local rideshare apps. (Uber exists, technically—but good luck getting a driver without paying “priority” pricing.)

And then there’s the big stuff—like being accosted by a clearly unwell person within the first hour of arriving.

The apartment I found is actually a great deal… but of course, there's a catch: the gas heater doesn’t just not work—it’s dangerously faulty. The pilot light blows out whenever there’s wind, but the gas keeps flowing. That’s not just bad. That’s how you get a house fire. Or wake up dead.

Also? Gastroenteritis. Sick as a dog from the moment I landed. Couldn’t get out of bed for 24 hours straight.

But I’m still here. Still moving forward. I got a tiny space heater from Carrefour (Argentine Walmart) that should keep me alive through the worst of winter. When I leave, I’ll be gifting it to my hosts.

Speaking of whom: my friends V and B rode FOUR HOURS on the bus just to meet me at the airport. They helped me find housing, get settled, and stay grounded. Honestly, I couldn’t have done this without them. I owe them more than I can put into words—and someday, I’ll find a way to repay them properly.

One stroke of dumb luck—emphasis on dumb—is that I never canceled my old T-Mobile account in the U.S. If I had? I wouldn’t have been able to recover my phone number. And that would’ve meant I couldn’t verify my identity with Wells Fargo… and that would’ve meant no wire transfer to the Irish National Film School… and that would’ve meant no proof of tuition… which means no visa.

This is the kind of maddening, bureaucratic survival story that could easily become either a solid script… or a solid therapy session. Maybe both.

Now for the fun part. Once this fundraiser hits €1500, I’ll release a 20-page deleted excerpt from This Is Bat Country, the flagship series I’m developing. It’s a vampire noir comedy-drama about trauma, identity, and survival in Las Vegas—when the world sees you as a monster, prefers you dead, and the only thing drier than the air is the gallows humor.

Think: Jessica Jones meets Disco Elysium meets Dracula meets Abbott and Costello.

Or if you prefer the chaos version: Imagine Hunter S. Thompson possessing Anne Rice just to snort Terry Pratchett’s ashes off Raymond Chandler’s corpse—until he finally Sees The TV Glow.

And if you like my writing in prose form, my debut novel We Interrupt This Transition is available now at https://kerryann.itch.io for $5. It’s 230,000 words of trans satire, media critique, and competent professionals trying to do the impossible without losing their souls. (Or at least their minds.)

Thank you again to everyone who’s contributed, shared, or just cheered me on. It really does mean the world.

— Kerry Ann

P.S. Since I'm a screenwriter now, I found a way to map n-dashes (–) and m-dashes (—) to my keyboard. Small victories! :)

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UPDATE 6/16/2025 – GOOD NEWS (With a Catch)

When I launched this fundraiser, I believed I needed to pay €16,000 in tuition up front plus show €10,000 in personal savings to qualify for the Irish student visa. That meant a €26,000 wall I couldn’t climb alone.

I’ve been saving like mad, and right now I’ve got about €20,000 to my name.

Then I heard from IADT:

As a U.S. citizen, I don’t need a visa to enter Ireland. Instead, I just need to register for immigration permission after arrival — and IADT only requires €8,000 (half the tuition) by September 1st.

So what does this mean?

This fundraiser no longer needs to “bridge a €6,000 shortfall.” But it’s still what stands between barely surviving and starting this program safely and sustainably. I’ll continue to update this page with full transparency, every step of the way.

What This Covers

Any funds beyond the goal will go toward supporting my ongoing writing, including festival submissions, creative collaborations, and future grant applications.

Why This Matters

I write stories that don’t flinch.

About transness. About survival. About absurdity and horror and beauty and bullshit. My latest project — This Is Bat Country — is a genre-bending vampire noir about identity, trauma, and community in a world that treats us like monsters.

I’ve also written a satirical novel called We Interrupt This Transition, which explores media exploitation, gender, and survival under capitalism. It’s sharp. It’s smart. It’s not safe.

This program gives me the tools, mentorship, and legal footing to keep going — in safety, in community, and with purpose.

What You Can Do

If you can donate: Thank you. Truly. Every bit helps.

If you can’t: Sharing this campaign makes a huge difference too.

Thank you for helping me stay safe, stay loud, and keep telling the kind of stories that punch up.

With gratitude and just a little trouble,

Kerry Ann Boyko