Lyzette Wanzer, Founder of Muses & Melanin

HELP CHANGE THE STORY FOR ASPIRING, GIFTED WRITERS OF COLOR The Muses & Melanin Fellowship Program for BIPOC Creative Writers is a cohort-based professional development practicum for aspiring, talented creative writers of color. The Fellowship provides the skills, strategies, and industry savvy these writers need to elevate their literary career trajectories from good to great. The fellowship is designed for writers who do not yet have a lengthy list of publishing credits, are not under a publishing contract, do not have literary agent representation, and don’t have a doctoral degree in English, Creative Writing, or Literature. In a comprehensive curriculum curated especially for their challenges, Fellows gain the industry insights, savvy, tangible tactics, and strategic training they need to establish viable author careers. Fellows who fulfill requirements for the Graduation Ceremony & Reception receive a Learn-to-Earn stipend to seed their new literary bank accounts, and an onstage public reading--for many of them, the first time they are reading their work in front of a public audience! OUR IMPACT After just two years in operation, our Fellows and graduates have garnered an impressive set of achievements: *three cohort members received publication offers from literary journals *one Fellow was invited to read her work at a national conference--her first-ever opportunity to present her creative nonficiton to a national audience *a Fellow received a full scholarship to attend the San Francisco Writers Conference, which included an appointment with a literary agent *one Fellow in the current cohort has received two journal acceptances *another received a Center for Cultural Innovation grant which allowed to attend her first AWP Annual Conference in 2025, in Los Angeles Fellows have described this program as a santuary for diverse voices--especially those voices at most risk of being silenced--and as found community. Here's a sampling of what cohort members have said: "This program helped build my confidence and was immensely helpful in the progression of my literary career. The program did a good job of pushing us along. Even if I didn't feel ready I had to take the steps which pushed me to recognize that there'll never be a perfect moment and it's better to just do it. I received three offers from journals to publish my essay." "Thank you doesn’t begin to express my gratitude for how this program has poured into me and the others. The sessions have revealed just how much I need to do to move from mediocrity to literary excellence. With the tools you’ve provided, I can compete with greater success to win grants, scholarships, and more." "This program helped build my confidence and was immensely helpful in the progression of my literary career. I received three offers from journals to publish my essay." "The two most significant curricular takeaways I received were 1) how to develop an effective artist statement and writer's CV, and 2) where to identify residencies, fellowships and opportunities for writers, specifically writers of color." "I learned insights on what funders look for and how to position yourself well for a professional writing career (and that it’s not impossible!)" Owing to a combination of arts-funding cuts, a shifting grants landscape for DEI programs, and cultural disruption, Muses & Melanin seeks your support to help this impactful program continue for creative writers of color. Help us to continue educating, empowering, and uplifting striving writers so that we can countenance current developments in the arts, developments rooted in bias, intolerance, and the gutting of literary substructures. Please support Muses & Melanin with a tax-deductible contribution of $50 or whatever amount feels right for you. Your donation helps to fund: *Fellows' graduation gift packages, consisting of publishing-industry books along with fun and practical elements related to lessons they learned in the curriculum (e.g., one Practice they learn is to always carry literary business cards, and one of the package components is a nice business card holder) *ad placements for cohort recruitment and for the graduation ceremony *our Author Publicity Assistant's independent contractor stipend *the Fellowship's general operating expenses, such as liability insurance, productivity software, administrative expenses, and other general operating and maintenance costs BE PART OF THE REASON THAT MUSES & MELANIN CONTINUES... ...during these challenging times for artists and arts organizations. If you believe that creative writers of color need targeted professional development, artistic support, and industry knowledge to which we often lack access, we welcome your donation.