Harlequin is developing a scholarship program to foster diverse voices and emerging talent. We currently offer two entrance scholarships annually for students enrolled in selected writing programs.
- Humber School for Writers Graduate Certificate Program in Creative Writing. The first scholarship was awarded in May 2020 to this Toronto-area program.
- Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction Program (MFA). The first scholarship will be offered to new students entering the program in January 2021. Interested applicants can request application information at HelpFinReg@setonhill.edu.
- Harlequin and Seton Hill Team Up to Support Diverse Voices in Fiction (Dec. 1, 2020)
- Read the news release
We plan to add more scholarships at US colleges and universities. Scholarships are awarded annually to students who bring diverse voices and stories to their creative writing and who show exceptional writing talent and passion for a pursuing career in writing.
Scholarships are open to program participants and applications are particularly welcome from people of color and members of historically underrepresented groups, members of LGBTQ+ communities, and people with disabilities. Recipients are selected by program faculty.
Recipients:
Humber School for Writers, 2020
Mike Sholars was selected in May 2020 for the Harlequin Diverse Voices Scholarship by The Humber School for Writers. A writer, podcaster and video host based out of Toronto, Ontario, he is a 10+ year veteran of all corners of media and journalism and is making his childhood self proud by (finally) becoming a creative writer.
His articles on race, pop culture, technology, politics, and the intersection between those worlds have appeared in publications such as HuffPost, Kotaku, National Post, Polygon, THIS Magazine, and VICE. He completed his first novel manuscript during the Humber program. He is currently working on his first nonfiction book and wants to write in every creative medium (books, TV, movies, comic books, literally anything) that will have him. After a lifetime of wishing there was more fiction with characters that look and act like him, he decided to just write it himself. Follow him on Twitter at @Sholarsenic.
“An overlooked part of the creative process is the simple privilege of having the time and space to make something. The Harlequin Diverse Voices Scholarship gave me financial breathing room to tell my story and invest in myself. I cannot wait to see more voices like mine be given the space and safety to succeed.” – Mike Sholars
Congratulations Mike from the team at Harlequin!