Poetry Fellowship

The Susan Laughter Meyers Poetry Fellowship at Weymouth

In honor of the life and work of Susan Laughter Meyers, the North Carolina Poetry Society (NCPS) and Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities co-sponsor this annual residential fellowship for one North or South Carolina writer. 

The fellowship winner receives a week-long writing residency at Weymouth Center in Southern Pines and a $500 stipend.  Each year the merit-based fellowship is awarded to one North or South Carolina poet. The submission period opens May 1 and closes July 31.  Applicants must submit a manuscript of five pages of poetry, and all submissions are read “blind.”

Who Can Enter:

• Applicants must be current residents of North or South Carolina and at least 18 years old
• A Fellowship recipient may not apply for a period of three years following a winning application
• No NCPS or Friends of Weymouth Board member may enter

When to Enter:  May 1 – July 31, 2024

Awards:

• One-week residency at the Weymouth Center in Southern Pines, NC
• A $500 stipend
• An opportunity to read or present a program at an NCPS meeting

How to enter:

• All entries must be submitted through email to ncpsweymouth@gmail.com beginning May 1, 2024 and received before midnight on July 31, 2024.
• Submit a single document of 5 pages of poetry (one poem per page for shorter poems), 12 pt. Times New Roman (.doc/docx files only).
• Previously published poems are welcomed.  In order to preserve anonymity, do not identify them as such in your manuscript.
• Title your submission using the title of the first poem or some other title that does not include your name or any identifying information.  Manuscripts that contain the poet’s name will be disqualified.
• Do include author name and contact information in the body of your email.
• Entry fee is $15.00 per submission for NCPS members and $20.00 for non-members.  All entry fees are used to support this fellowship.  Fees are not refundable.
• Pay the entry fee using the Donate button at the bottom of this page.

2024 Fellowship Contest Judges (to read their bios, click here):

About the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities:
Weymouth Center, a Georgian manor, gardens, and grounds located in Southern Pines, NC, was the home of James Boyd, author of Drums and other novels, and his wife Katharine.  Weymouth hosts writers’ residencies, concerts, readings, and other cultural events and is the home of the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame.

For more information on the Weymouth Center, see www.weymouthcenter.org.

Potential applicants, please note that the Weymouth Center is an historic building and is not ADA complaint.  All rooms for writers are on the second floor, accessible only by stairs.

Susan Laughter Meyers (1945-2017) served as President of both the North Carolina Poetry Society and the Poetry Society of South Carolina.  A North Carolina native, Susan lived much of her adult life in South Carolina.  She was an award-winning poet and teacher.  A welcoming presence to all she encountered, Susan was an enthusiastic supporter of other poets.

The North Carolina Poetry Society is grateful to Blue Meyers, husband of Susan Laughter Meyers, for his generous donation of copies of Susan’s posthumous poetry collection, Self-Portrait in the River of Déjà Vu, published in March 2019 by Press 53.

Copies are available for purchase at quarterly NCPS meetings at Weymouth and other NCPS events and by mail here (see Donate).

All proceeds from book sales support the Fellowship.

DONATE: Your donation will help endow the Susan Laughter Meyers Poetry Fellowship at Weymouth.  Donations of $15 or more will receive a copy of Susan’s posthumous poetry collection, Self-Portrait in the River of Déjà Vu.  Utilize the Donate button below.

Send checks made out to NCPS to: Bill Griffin, NCPS Treasurer, 131 Bon Aire Road, Elkin, NC 28621 or donate online at www.ncpoetrysociety.org and designate your gift for the Fellowship.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Steve Cushman, Fellowship Administrator, at ncpsweymouth@gmail.com.

Note: The Fellowship Competition and the Weymouth Center were closed in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.

Previous Winners

2023 – Rhett Iseman Trull, winner.  Runner-Up: Khalisa Rae.  Honorable Mention: R.K. Fauth, Anne Myles, and Celisa Steele.

2022 – Yvette Murray, winner.  Finalist: Susan Finch Stevens.  Honorable Mention: Chris Abbate and Kimberly Driggers.

2021 – Janet Ford, winner.  Finalist: Lisa Hase Jackson.  Honorable Mention: Lauren Bullock and Annie Woodford.

2019 – Benjamin Cutler, winner.  Finalist: Debra Kaufman.  Honorable mention: Kendra Juskus, Jennifer Madriaga, and Celisa Steele.

2018 – Len Lawson, winner.  Honorable Mention: Michael Gaspeny and Jeanne Julian.