Published: Sept. 30, 2024 • By Chris Yankee

On Sept. 10, the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) hosted a Fellowship Writing Success Stories听virtual panel featuring three prominent faculty members who shared their personal journeys and strategies for successful fellowship applications.

The event, part of RIO鈥檚 Fall Fellowships Writing & Peer Editing Program, offered valuable insights and inspiration to faculty looking to strengthen their own proposals. It was also a snapshot of CU Boulder鈥檚 excellence in a range of disciplines spanning the arts and听humanities and the social sciences.

The panel showcased Emmanuel David of Women & Gender Studies, Elspeth (Beth) Dusinberre of Classics and Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders of History. Each of the featured faculty detailed their fellowship writing experiences and the program鈥檚 support that boosted their applications, emphasizing the collaborative spirit that contributed to their success.

Spotlight on success

Emmanuel David

Emmanuel David, who received the National Humanities Center (NHC) fellowship in 2022-2023, spoke about benefitting from the feedback of other faculty in the program, in addition to direct input from proposal editor and writing coach Donna Axel. David鈥檚 book project, Trans-American Orientalism: The Asia-Pacific Encounters of Transgender Pioneer Christine Jorgensen, 1961鈥�1969, brings into the historical record 鈥渢ransgender pioneer Christine Jorgensen and her performance tour across Asia and the Pacific.鈥�

Elspeth Dusinberre

Elspeth Dusinberre, awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2023, highlighted how the peer editing program 鈥渞esulted not only in much better proposals but also in real friendships with colleagues across campus.鈥� Dusinberre鈥檚 project investigates the enormous megarons鈥攕tructures thought to be used in cult, feasting听and royal functions鈥攐f the elite quarter of Gordion (located in what is now Turkey) in the Early Phrygian period.

Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders

Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders, an early career faculty member who earned the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Fellowship in 2023, shared how the program helped her navigate the intricacies of her application, including newly introduced ACLS requirements. Lawrence-Sanders鈥� book project, They Knew What the War Was About, explores 鈥渢he history of Black engagement with the memory and legacy of the American Civil War from the 1860s to the near-present鈥︹�� and ways in which 鈥淎frican Americans leveraged the memory of the Civil War to bolster their own contemporaneous calls for justice, freedom and power after Emancipation.鈥� 听听

Upcoming Fellowship Peer Editing Program opportunities

The fellowship writing program assists faculty in preparing proposals for a variety of fellowships with upcoming deadlines. Participants engage in drafting, peer editing and honing their narratives, ensuring their applications are competitive and reflect their scholarly passions.

To learn more about RIO鈥檚 next Peer Editing Program and how RIO can help support faculty through the fellowship application process, visit the RIO NEH Fellowships Peer Editing Program webpage.