The Emrys Foundation

The Emrys Foundation encourages women and minorities in the arts, including literary and visual arts, music, dance, theater and film. Founded in 1983, Emrys (a Welsh word meaning "Child of Light") has sponsored music competitions and presented concerts, art exhibitions, conferences, creative writing awards, poetry workshops, readings, and lectures. Response from the community and the cordial cooperation of regional arts organizations and colleges have confirmed the vital role Emrys plays in the cultural life of South Carolina. In 2004 the Emrys Foundation was awarded the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the arts, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Arts in South Carolina.

Officers and Board Members for 2006-2007:

Jeanine Halva-Neubauer, President

Carol Young Gallagher, President-Elect

Jeanne Howard, Treasurer

Jennie Wakefield, Secretary

Jane Chew, Past President

Lydia Dishman, Journal Editor, ex officio

Joy Rohrbaugh, Administrative Assistant

Kelley Dickerson Barnhardt

Malinda Coleman

Sandy Dees

Mindy Friddle

Lynn Greenlaw

Jo Hackl

Sharon Kazee

Betsey Moseley

Mary Posek

Katy Pugh Smith

Ashley Warlick

As it moves into the twenty-first century, The Emrys Foundation invites you to join in the continuing mission of encouraging, presenting, and enjoying works from our artistic community, especially those by women and minorities. For an annual membership fee of $50 ($35 for artists, teachers, and $20 for students), you will receive:

• a printed copy of the current Emrys Journal,
• full access to the online version of the journal,
• invitations to events sponsored by the Foundation,including the popular Annual meeting,
• discounts on workshop fees and some events,
• and inclusion in a lively community of women and men committed to encouraging and enjoying the natural creativity of their fellow citizens.

Click on the links to the left to explore the many activities and interests the Foundation supports on a regular basis. For more information, please contact Emrys Administrative Assistant Joy Rohrbaugh at (864) 292-9238, or jsrohrbaugh@charter.net.

Emrys Journal

Note: Emrys is not accepting submissions for the 2007 Journal. Submissions will be accepted again beginning August 1,2008. 2007 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Emrys, and the Journal will be devoted to the best pieces of the last 25 years of the Emrys Journal.

This annual spring publication of poetry, short stories, and essays attracts hundreds of submissions from the United States and abroad. Substantial funding for the Emrys Journal is provided by the estate of the late Dorothy Peace Ramsaur, who established an endowment in memory of her father, Roger C. Peace. Mr. and Mrs. M. Dexter Hagy provide the Sarah Jane Tracy Hagy Emrys Intern Award in memory of Mr. Hagy's mother. This award allows a young woman the opportunity to gain editing experience in a one-year apprenticeship position with the journal.

The editors of the Emrys Journal invite submissions (please, no simultaneous submissions) of previously unpublished short fiction, poetry, and essays. Essays and short stories should be no more than 5,000 words, and we do not accept any work in the categories of romance, religion, science fiction or mystery. No more than two stories or essays and no more than five poems may be submitted per author. Documentation should conform to the MLA stylesheet.

Address manuscripts to the Journal Editor, P.O. Box 8813, Greenville, SC 29604. Please send an SASE for reply. No manuscripts will be returned until the end of the reading period November 1.

Manuscripts will be accepted only from AUGUST 1 through NOVEMBER 1. Please, do not send submisisons outside this reading period. Writers will receive a tentative reply within six weeks of receipt.

The selection committee for the Emrys Journal 2007 is:

Non-fiction: Editor, Lydia Dishman with Heather Magruder and Susan Cyr
Fiction: Editor, Linda Holden, with Lydia Dishman, Kirbie Crowe and Kim Goodin
Poetry: Editor, Wayne Cox with Lydia Dishman and Rose Burlingham
Intern: Rose Burlingham

Awards for Exceptional Works of Poetry and Prose

A prize of $250 will be awarded to one writer for the Sue Lile Inman Fiction Award for excellence in the art of the short story. Established in 2001 by the family and friends of Sue Lile Inman and by the Emrys Foundation, this annual prize honors the Journal’s founding editor and former Board President.

Another prize of $250 will be awarded to one poet for the Nancy Dew Taylor Award for excellence in the art of poetry. This award was established in 2003 to honor past-President Nancy Dew Taylor, by her family, friends and the Emrys Foundation.

A final prize of $250 will be awarded for excellence in the art of the essay to honor the memory of the recently departed Dr. Linda Julian, by her family, friends and the Emrys Foundation.

The winners for the 2006 Journal were:

FICTION: Kerry Hudson for "Tess Alone"

POETRY: James Raff for "Apple Picking"

The Reading Room

On the fourth Monday of the month, in the fall (August, September and October) and again in the winter and spring (January, February, March, April, May), the Emrys Foundation sponsors readings by area writers who have been published nationally. (Sometimes because of scheduling conflicts, dates are changed, so check the website for current schedules.) At present, The Handlebar 304 E. Stone Avenue in Greenville hosts these evenings, beginning at 7:00 PM. The Reading Room is an opportunity to meet established and emerging writers. Come early for dinner, enjoy the readings and stay for the jazz every Monday evening at The Handlebar. Check the Emrys Website under "EVents" for the current season's line-up of readers. Entrance fee is $2 for members and students and $4 for non-members.

A Visible Voice

In honor of Emrys patron Nancy Spero, the Emrys Foundation brings a woman who is a nationally acclaimed visual artist to Greenville for a lecture in conjunction with her exhibition at the Greenville County Museum of Art. The Visible Voice program was established in 1990.

For the 2007-08 anniversary year, instead of the usual Visible Voice program, Emrys will feature an art museum reading, "Poets and Porter" on Thursday, April 3, 6.30 p.m. at the Greenville County Museum of Art. Gilbert Allen, Keller Cusing Freeman and Nancy Dew Taylor will read original works inspired by Katherine Porter's paintings on exhibit at the Museum. Ms. Porter in turn will respond to the trio's musings.

In 2003 Susan Harbage Page delivered the "Visable Voice" lecture" at the opening of her exhibit at the Greenville County Museum of Art and her photographs were featured the the special 20th anniversary edition of The Emrys Journal.

The Emrys Press

In 1995, Emrys began the annual publication of The Emrys Poetry Series. The poetry collections to date are Paper Clothes by Jan Bailey, Glassworks by Marian Willard Blackwell, First Life by Becky Gould Gibson, Voice Lessons by Sue Lile Inman, A Certain Light by Debra Kaufman, Word Play by Cynthia Sheperd Jaskwhich, Trespass of Venus by Keller Cushing Freeman, Daedalus Rising by Carolyn Elkins and Writing Through a Year by Marian Blackwell.

Copies of Emrys Press publications are for sale by contacting jsrohrbaugh@charter.net

In 2005, The Emrys Press launched its chapbook series with the publication of JoAnn Walker's Home at Dark . In October, 2006, Emrys pulished the second chapbook in this series, Carolyn Elkins Angel Pays a Visit.

Support of Other Original Works

Over the years, Emrys has helped sponsor a number of original works by regional artists: playwright Karen Setlowe's production of The Other Side of Golda at Greenville's Warehouse Theatre; Mimi Wyche's performance at Salem College of her theatre piece, Eaten Alive; Debra Roberts' video, Mama's Magic, featuring Glenis Redmond performing her poetry.

Creativity and Writing Workshops

Emrys sponsors intensive weekend workshops led by master artists in various media. In recent years, these have featured Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan, authors of The Artist's Way; Pinky Bass, pinhole photographer; and fiction writer Lynna Williams. The City of Greenville and Emrys co-sponsored a workshop in l998 with novelist Ann Hood and a workshop in 1999 with poet Ron Rash. In 2006, Emrys sponsored a Children's Literature Conference entitled: From Inspration to the Printed Page: Producing Pieces that Matter to Children and Young Adults; again in 2007, Emrys sponsored a Children's Literature Conference for writers and illustrators of Children's and young adult literature, entitled Realizing the Writer Within. The panels included working writers, editors, agents and publishers and professional manuscript critiques were available. Members will receive advance notice of future workshops/conferences and a discount on fees.

Since fall, 2006, Emrys has sponsored The Writing Room under the direction of Mindy Friddle. The Writing Room features a fall an spring schedule of courses. The Writing Room has offered courses in fiction, prose, poetry, drama, non-fiction, and children's literature, as well as workshops on getting published. Information and registration is available on the Emrys website, or by contacting Mindy Friddle, mindyfriddle@yahoo.com

Emrys Anniversary Festivals

On Tuesday, April 1, Emrys will celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Greenville County Art Museum, beginning at 6.00 p.m. As one of our primary partners of the 25th anniversary celebration, the museum is mounting the exhibit by artist Katherine Porter and publishing (with Emrys support) the anniversary edition of the Emrys Journal, which features an article and examples of Porter's artwork and also includes select literary works from the journal's past 25 seasons. The short business meeting is followed by a reception and then a special program featuring musicians Sally Wyche Coenen, Jon Grier; the saxaponist Connie Frigo;the Emrys Chamber Ensemble, featuring Connie Frigo, Peggy Dees (clarinet) and Ann Shoemaker (bassoonist); two dance works, one choreographed by Jan Woodward, and one by Teri Parker Lewis and Peggy Hunt. Eddie Howard, director of the Fine Arts Center's music engineering program, will record the compositions, and CDs of the program will be available later through Emrys.

In 2003, Emrys celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Special events included: joint sponsorship (with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority) of Zora Neale Hurston Weekend with a Chautauqua performance by Phyllis McEwen, panel discusssion, and poetry workshop; Preview Gala for the calendar commissioned by Emrys for the anniversary, at Gallery 291; the Festival Film featuring Deepa Mehta's Cracking India at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities; the Symposium and Monograph entitled Against Ourselves presenting papers in the fields of medical and social ethics, social anthropology, and history; and the publication, Young Emrys, featured the creative writing of area high school students. Concluding the anniversary year, Emrys held its Annual Meeting at the Greenville County Museum of Art, where the 20th edition of The Emrys Journal was presented. This issue of the journal appeared in a handsome format designed by the Museum that combined the journal's text material (invited poems, essays and short fiction) with a lavishly illustrated catalogue of the Museum's festival exhibition of the photographer Susan Harbage Page.

Emrys celebrated its fifteenth aniversary in 1998 and, as with its fifth and tenth anniversaries, sponsored special events in partnership with other arts organizations. One example was the co-publication, with the Greenville County Museum of Art, of the Emrys Journal with the catalogue of the exhibit "Women, Women, Women: Artists, Objects, Icons."

Scholarship Endowment

In 1994, Emrys Foundation extended its tradition of encouraging women and minorities in the arts by establishing an Emrys Scholarship Fund through the Community Foundation of Greater Greenville. In 1999, the first awards were presented from the scholarship in honor of Dr. Alice Conger Patterson, former director of Lifelong Learning at Furman University and a past Emrys president. Emrys is currently building an endowment for the Keller Cushing Freeman Fellowship, honoring the founder of the organization.

Descriptions of both the Scholarship and the Fellowship can be found below. Normally, Emrys does not award both a Scholarship and a Fellowship in the same year.

ALICE CONGER PATTERSON SCHOLARSHIP

The Alice Conger Patterson Scholarship is designed to encourage South Carolina women to pursue continuing education or to develop a creative endeavor in order to enhance a career in the arts or to change career direction. The Alice Conger Patterson Scholarship reflects the goals of the Emrys Foundation, whose mission is to promote excellence in the arts, especially literary, visual, and musical works by women and minorities.

Who may apply for a grant

• · The Scholarship accepts applications from individual women only.
• · Must be at least 35 years or older.
• · Must be a resident of South Carolina and a citizen of the United States with a Social Security number.
• · Must have demonstrated an interest in an existing career or a new career in the arts, which the scholarship would enhance.

Who may not apply

• · A woman holding elective office or public office may not apply.
• · A person may not apply on behalf of another.
• · Groups, organizations, businesses, and 501(c) (3) tax exempt entities may not apply.
• · Emrys Foundation current Board members and members of their families may not apply.

Grants range from $500 to $1000

• · Be advised that the Internal Revenue Service considers grant funds to be taxable income.

Project limitations

• · Tuition grants will be made directly to any accredited academic institution.
• · Grants for creative endeavors will be made to the individual artist.

Writing the application

The application must be no more than 2 pages (8-1/2 x 11). Put your name, return address, and birth date on the front page, upper right hand corner. Applications must be typewritten.

Your application must include your objective, a description and the duration of the project/class, and the reason why it will enhance your objective.

Include a descriptive, item-by-item list of expenses and/or course information for the project.

Please submit:

• Your resume--5 copies;
• your application--5 copies;
• 2 letters of reference--1 copy of each letter.

WHEN TO APPLY

The Scholarship Committee of Emrys Foundation reviews applications annually. The application deadline is March 15, 2009.

We notify only the grant recipient. Make sure your envelope is properly postmarked by March 15, 2008, and all your information is correct.

Please mail your application to:
EMRYS FOUNDATION
Scholarship Committee
P.O. Box 8813
Greenville, SC 29604

KELLER CUSHING FREEMAN FELLOWSHIP

The Keller Cushing Freeman Fellowship, to be awarded by the Emrys Foundation, is designed to encourage North and South Carolina women to pursue post-graduate study in the arts. This fellowship reflects the goals of the Emrys Foundation, whose mission is to promote excellence in the arts.

Guidelines:

The Fellowship Committee accepts applications from individual women only. Applicants must be residents of either North or South Carolina, and must have a Social Security number. Applicants must be 25 years old or older and have completed at least an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university. Applicants must have demonstrated a commitment to the arts that this fellowship would enhance.

Application Form:

The application must consist of no more than two typewritten pages (8-1/2 x 11) and display the applicant's name, address, phone number, and birth date on the front page, upper right hand corner. The application should include the institution and date of the undergraduate degree and a description of the proposed course, including its cost, duration, and institution offering the course. Five copies of this application and five copies of the applicant's resume, along with two letters of reference (one copy of each letter), should accompany the application.

When to Apply:

There will be no Keller Cushing Freeman Fellowship in 2008.

Please mail applications to:
Emrys Foundation Fellowship Committee
P. O. Box 8813
Greenville, SC 29604

he Internal Revenue Service considers grant funds to be taxable income.

Tuition grants will be made directly to any accredited academic institution.

The following persons are not eligible applicants:

Groups, organizations, businesses, and 501(c)(3) tax exempt entities; current Emrys Foundation board members or any member of their families; persons applying on behalf of someone else; persons holding public or elective office.

Emrys Scholarship Winners for 2007

The Alice Conger Patterson scholarship ($1000), which encourages SC women to pursue contining education or to develop a creative endeavor to enhance a career in the arts or to change career direction, was awarded to photographer, Polly Gaillard Donahue, to assist toward tuition for a week-long course at The Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, Maine in July. There Polly was to work with Master photogrpaher, Joyce Tenneson, one of the leading photographers of her generation. The workshop will assist Polly to further refine her portrait photogrpahy skills and she will incorporate her new knowledge into classes she teaches locally. Polly holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of South Carolina and teaches portrait photography classes at the WestEnd Darkroom and the Greenville County Museum of Art. In her career, she has had a number of solo exhibitions throughout the United States, and she was included in the Emrys Photography Exhibit "Waking the World" in 2002. Recently, Polly's images for A Child's Haven project were so successful that the agency will use her portraits to tell stories of Greenville's children in poverty.

The Keller Cushing Freeman Fellowship ($975), designed to encourage North and South Carolina women to pursue post-graduate study in the arts, was awarded to Sonia Rapaport of Newton, North Carolina, to assist in tuition for her last semester at the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentuckey. Sonia holds a B.A. in Anthropolgy and Religious Studies frome the University of Virginia, a Master of Arts in Anthropology from American University, and a Doctor of Medicine from UVA. A single mother of four children (two with special medical needs), Sonia is able to work as a family physician only one day a week. She writes both poetry and prose.

Emrys Scholarship Winner for 2006

This year, the Emrys Foundation awarded the Alice Conger Patterson scholarship to Terri McCord, a poet from Greenville, SC., which will assist her in funding a four-week writing residency (May 14-June9) at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont. While having an opportunity to work with poets Bob Hicok and Laurie Scheck, Ms. McCord will also have time to finish her book-length poetry manuscript entitled The Rose Spot.

Ms. McCord is a graduate of Furman University and holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. Her poems have been included in anthologies published by Ninety-Six Press and Hub City Press as well as numerous other publications across the country. She teaches English at Greenville Technical College and has also been an instructor and guest artist at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities and the Fine Arts Center. We have had the pleasure of hearing Ms. McCord read her poems at two prior Emrys Reading Room series events.

Emrys Scholarship Winners for 2005

One award was given to Gail Crawford, a Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist who now is Palliative Care Coordinator at the Greenville Hospital System. She has published articles in professional nursing journals and in 2003 was honored as a recipient of the Palmetto Gold, an award that identifies the finest nurses in the state. Gail will use her money to work with a professional writer at a writers' workshop. She wants to complete stories about caring for her father and hopes to use those writings in workshops with nurses, workshops that focus on the value of journaling as a way of coping with stressful life events.

The other award went to Angela Cravens, a graduate of Wade Hampton High School and the Fine Arts Center and of SCAD. Angela is an active woodworker interested in increasing her visibilty and in buying equipment that will make "the difference between 'craft' work without the fine details and 'fine art' with the fine details. She will use the scholarship money to, as she said, "completely change my career (or way of earning income) to more naturally suit the creative artist that I have always been."

Emrys Scholarship Winners for 2004

The two women chosen by the Scholarship Committee (consisting of Angela Ford, Jo Ann Walker and Nancy Taylor) to receive Alice Conger Patterson Scholarships are Nancy Harris and Cynthia Nedved. The Patterson scholarships are named in honor of an early president of the Emrys Foundation, and this year each winner received a $500 award.

Nancy Harris of Greenville is a photographer and an MFA candidate at Rockport College in Maine. Nancy is working on a series of photographs that will portray illusory thoughts of a segment in time of a Southern woman's life. The photographs will be accompanied by a written narrative, part of which is an invented/remembered history concerning Southern women. Nancy says that through a gothic presentation of Southern archetypal women, landscapes, and architecture, her own grief and loss have surfaced; she hopes her work will be a means of sharing what she learns in this process. Nancy will use her scholarship partially to fund the work needed to complete the MFA.

Cynthia Nedved, is also a Greenville resident who has returned as an adult student to Furman to finish the education she postponed to support her husband and herself and then to raise children. Now Cindy is a visual arts major and next year will be a senior at Furman, with all A's (so far). She'll use her scholarship to help pay for some of the art supplies she'll need for her final year.

Annual Meetings

Annual meetings of Emrys Foundation members are joyous affairs that often include entertainment, music, readings, and renowned speakers, as well as the presentation of the Emrys Journal and the newest poetry collection from the Emrys Press. Join Emrys now and become part of this lively community.