Fellowships, Grants and Stipends, Oh My!

As grant-writing season gets underway, FM lets you know that you might be in better shape than you think. Your proposal could look like this one.

Grant: The Isenberg Fellowship for theater studies (summer study of theater, broadly defined, and preferably in England).

Brief Synopsis of Proposal: As a freshman at Harvard College with an intense interest in the thespian arts, I plan to do in-depth and ground-breaking research on an obscure regional playwright, William Shakespeare. Unbeknownst to the rest of Western society, he has turned out what may be the best plays in Greater Stratford-upon-Avon, if not up to and including all its suburbs!

My secondary project concerns Shakespeare’s rap songs. One gem, obviously inspired by Shakespeare’s contemporary, notorious rhymester DJ Time, flows: “And nothing ‘gainst Time’s scythe can make defense / Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.” My work in this field will be focused on unearthing the historical origins and literary manifestations of the feud between the DJ and the flow doctor.

I find myself qualified for this fellowship because of the success of my previous research on Shakespeare’s son-nets; I’ve discovered that the genre’s name comes from the practice of emcee’s opening their flows with the statement, “Yo, yo, I’m about to make you my son.” The infatuated crowds termed them “son-nets.” These poems caught opponents as they became, derogatorily, “sons”. Because scribes became fatigued copying down the rhymes after 14 or so lines, son-nets never reached epic poem length.

Brief Description of Your Career Plans:

Investment Banker or, if all else fails, son-neteer.

Locations of your project and approximate length of stay:

U.S. Virgin Islands, three weeks (There is evidence that the poet sent his last works here to be buried, something about white sands and luxury hotels. I will investigate.)

Barbados, one week (Recuperating).