Wolfe Scholarship Supports Young Writers

The new Thomas Wolfe Scholarship will offer full four-year financial support to one incoming freshman per year, beginning fall 2002.

The application will require applicants to submit up to 50 pages in prose, 40 pages in poetry or 60 pages in play writing.

In addition to the submissions, applicants must complete a questionnaire and submit a 500-word personal essay entitled "Why I Write."

Thomas Wolfe, an Asheville native, was one of the most prominent authors of the 1920s, writing such works as "Look Homeward, Angel" and serving as editor of The Daily Tar Heel while attending UNC.

English Professor Bland Simpson, who is co-director of the scholarship, said the number of applicants could vary.

The scholarship committee has contacted the listed Morehead schools for candidates, and students who have won writing awards have been mailed invitations to apply for the scholarship.

"We hope to receive scores of applicants, whether it's four score or ten score," Simpson said.

Applicants must apply to the University and meet UNC's regular admission requirements.

The scholarship will target different literary genres and allow the University to enroll students who are talented and who have a unique interest in writing, Simpson said.

"This scholarship is a major statement from the University," Simpson said. "First of all, it shows that the University has a free and active creative writing program. Secondly, it proves that we at the University value the program."

Del Johnson, associate director of the Arts and Sciences Foundation, said this scholarship is among the largest scholarships in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The scholarship will generate approximately $100,000 a year in interest income, and that will in turn be used for future scholarship grants, she said.

Frank Borden Hanes, a 1942 UNC graduate and retired journalist, is funding the scholarship.

Hanes wanted to name the scholarship after Wolfe to attract young writers and support impressive literary talent, Johnson said.

The Thomas Wolfe Scholarship began receiving applications Sept. 15, and the deadline for submissions will be Nov. 15. The final decision will be made by the end of March 2002.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.