Timing

Timing is everything. Early in my writing career, I was in the right place at the right time doing the right kind of work (according to the grant givers), i.e. in the 1970s-80s I received no less than 12 grants supporting my work. Found this on my resume. Forgotten it had been so many, though I did live on grants through most of the 1970s and 1980s. Far better for creative work than the freelance work I did later. The latter became so stressful I ended up going back to teaching for financial security in mid 1990s.

Writing Grants and Fellowships

 Shubert Playwriting Fellowship, 1971

 Maryland Committee for the Humanities, 1976

 Metropolitan Arts Commission, 1979, 1981, 1984

 Oregon Committee for the Humanities, 1980, 1984 (3)

 Actors Theatre of Louisville, 1981

 Oregon Arts Commission Fellow, 1981 (fiction), 1988 (drama)

 Distinguished Writer-in-residence, 1988, The Catlin Gabel School

 Distinguished Scholar-in-residence, 1989, The Catlin Gabel School