How I Got Into My First Writing Residency

After years of helping other people tell their stories, this class helped me realize it was time to put my own dreams first.

With our next session of The Insider's Guide to Writing Personal Statements and Applying for Grants & Residencies just around the corner, we wanted to check in with a past participant in this class—one of our own instructors, Kerra Bolton. We were so excited to hear that after taking this class last fall, Kerra applied for a residency and got accepted!

---

In September, Narratively Co-founder Brendan Spiegel sent out an email discussing the importance of investing in our work by applying for writing grants and scholarships. The message hit me hard enough to immediately brush the crust from my sleepy eyes, get out of bed and make coffee.

For years, I held space for other people’s stories as a teacher, consultant, and filmmaker. I helped others shape and achieve their vision, earn money, and win awards. But somewhere along the way, I forgot how to do the same for myself.

Signing up for Abeer Hoque’s class, “The Insider’s Guide to Writing Personal Statements and Applying for Grants & Residencies,” last fall felt like an act of quiet rebellion. I was surprised by how energized I felt to be with other creatives—not as one who is guiding others’ journeys but as a fellow creative whose work was witnessed and held tenderly and respectfully.

Abeer was generous and strategic. She helped us mine our stories for the creative, professional, and emotional threads that would make us compelling to prospective funders. I saw how the shards of my creative career—the ones I thought were useless, broken, and outdated—were the keys that could open new doors.

During the class, I also connected with a fellow participant who had completed the Green Olive Arts Residency in Morocco. She spoke so passionately about her experience that we scheduled a one-on-one Zoom call. Her encouragement helped me believe that I could apply for the residency….and a month later I was accepted!

For this residency, I had to cover my own travel expenses, so I launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds to attend, and my fellow Narratively Academy classmate was the first contributor.

Ultimately, the logistics didn’t work out for me to attend this residency. I was disappointed and I could have postponed my dreams again. However, the encouragement I’d gained from this mission inspired me to create my own artist residency in Morocco. In February, I traveled to Marrakech and Essaouira. I interviewed local craftspeople—ones who were among the last of their generation—just like me. It was one of the most creatively nourishing experiences of my life.

While in Morocco, I found a new creative direction. Within a month, I wrote my first screenplay, Update Now, about a woman who checks into a retreat to reclaim her voice —only to discover she’s being replaced by a better version of herself the system can sell. I wanted to explore what happens when the world applauds women for finally learning how to rest—right before erasing them. I introduced the film treatment this month at a film festival…where my documentary had its world premiere and I won two prizes!

Even though I didn’t attend the official residency, Abeer’s class gave me the framework, encouragement, and community I needed to make a bold move. It reminded me that the creative path is never linear. Sometimes, the opportunities you think you missed become the portal to something even more aligned. And I have never felt so grateful and wide awake.

---

There are just a few seats available in our upcoming session of The Insider’s Guide to Writing Personal Statements and Applying for Grants & Residencies. Sign up now!

---

Pssst: Just here to read stories? If you’d rather not get emails about our class announcements, go to your settings and unselect “Academy” in the notifications section.