UCLA Extension Writers' Program

Joyce Lee Wong, who wrote the novel Seeing Emily, was a CASP award recipient.

Community Access Scholarship Program

In 1991 the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, in cooperation with over 20 community arts groups, established the Community Access Scholarship Program. The goal of the Program is to work in partnership with community arts organizations to provide scholarships to aspiring writers from diverse backgrounds and cultures who might otherwise not have the opportunity to develop their craft in a supportive classroom setting.

How the Program Works

Each organization is solely responsible for establishing selection criteria for whom they nominate. Some organizations sponsor a writing contest, some put out a call for applications and a writing sample, some use the scholarship as a prize for an existing competition and still others use a wholly subjective process of granting the nomination to a promising talent.

Each participating organization may nominate one scholarship recipient per academic year. The Writers' Program awards a three-course, full-fee scholarship to EACH nominee. The scholarship does not cover other course-related expenses such as books, parking, and supplies, although such ancillary expenses tend to be negligible in writing workshop courses when compared to most other academic disciplines.

The scholarship recipients must take all three courses within the academic year for which they are nominated (Fall Quarter through Summer Quarter). We recommend that the courses be taken sequentially, one per quarter, so each student will have maximum opportunity to take courses of escalating sophistication and work toward completion of a writing project.

To Apply

Community arts organizations wishing to be considered as new participants in the program should send a letter of interest along with information about their organization to CASP, UCLA Extension Writers' Program, 10995 Le Conte Avenue #440, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Scholar candidates should contact one of the participating organizations mentioned below and request information on their nomination and selection procedure for the next academic year's scholarship.

Participating Organizations

826LA
Asian American Writers Workshop
Bunche Center for African American Studies
HIV/AIDS Writers Workshop
International Black Writers and Artists
Organization of Black Screenwriters
PEN Center USA
Rebuild Crenshaw Arts
The World Stage
Theatre of Hearts/Youth First
Virginia Avenue Project
WriteGirl