The following donor-funded scholarships provide Retreat Fellows and Writers in Residence with financial support to attend the Writers Retreat without cost. Recipients are selected from a myriad of applicants who meet each scholarship’s respective criteria. We are grateful to all of our supporters who make this possible.


The Academy Scholarship
The Academy Scholarship, offered by the Academy of American Poets, supports a woman and/or femme poet who attends the 2024 Writers Retreat. 

The Academy Scholarship recipient is Avery Robinson.

Avery Robinson is a trans poet and punk from Orlando, Florida. They are currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at University of Pittsburgh. They are a Watering Hole Fellow, a Tin House Fellow, and the recipient of two pushcart nominations. Their poems can be found in Black Warrior Review, Obsidian, Hunger Mountain, Beloit Poetry Journal, and others. You can find them at @milk_malc on Instagram, or wherever the music is loudest.


Erica Landis Memorial Scholarship
The Erica Landis Memorial Scholarship supports a Black Fellow in any genre attending the Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices.

The 2024 recipient of the Erica Landis Memorial Scholarship is NOVA CYPRESS BLACK BLACK.

NOVA CYPRESS BLACK is a Black trans gender-expansive lighthouse. Dey were a Staff Writer on season 3 of The L Word: Generation Q. NOVA’s currently a Writing Fellow in Film Independent’s 2024 Project Involve.


Emerge Editorial Scholarship
The Lambda Literary Emerge Editorial Scholarship recognizes a Fellow who has an interest in literary editing and whose past work shows considerable promise. The 2024 Emerge Editorial Scholarship Fellow will edit this year’s Emerge anthology. The Lambda Literary Emerge Editorial Scholarship recognizes that if we want LGBTQIA+ writers to feel at home in the literary landscape and for publishing to be full of our many perspectives, we must provide LGBTQIA+ writers the opportunity to learn about and take part in the editorial process. 

The 2024 recipient of the Lambda Literary Emerge Editorial Scholarship is monet cooper.

monét cooper is a poet and writer, educator, and scholar from Mvskoke land (Decatur, Georgia) currently a doctoral candidate in the Joint Program in English and Education at the University of Michigan. She currently serves as assistant managing editor for Michigan Quarterly Review and has work forthcoming in This House Will Not Dismantle Itself: Critical Future in Education. Twitter/X: @relaoutloud, IG: @molaverdad


The Jeanne Córdova Words Scholarship
The Jeanne Córdova Words Scholarship, in memory of the beloved activist and author, is given annually. The scholarship is awarded to a lesbian-identified queer or trans woman of color working on text with lesbian content in any of the workshop categories excluding poetry. 

The 2024 Jeanne Córdova Words Scholarship recipient is Natalie Sharp.

Natalie Sharp (she/they/any) is a Black queer artist and performer working with paper, bodies, language, and light. Originally from Savannah, GA, she completed her MFA in creative writing at the University of Colorado Boulder. In their work, Natalie explores themes of exile, belonging, truth, and control. Natalie’s poetry and nonfiction have previously appeared in Foglifter Journal, BOAAT Journal, Bodega Magazine, and elsewhere. Natalie lives in Denver, CO with her partner. You can reach her on Instagram at @short_sharp_shock.


The Justin Chin Memorial Scholarship
Sponsored by Alexander Chee and Christine Hyung-Oak Lee, The Justin Chin Memorial Scholarship is offered annually in memory of the late author Justin Chin and supports queer, Asian American Pacific Islanders writers who write queer content in any genre. 

The 2024 Justin Chin Memorial Scholarship recipient is Jasmine Sawers.

Jasmine Sawers is on staff at SmokeLong Quarterly & Blanket Gravity. Their book, The Anchored World, was a finalist for the 2023 PEN/Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection. Find them on Bluesky @sawers.bsky.social & on Instagram @jasmosaurusrex.


Lili Elbe Scholarship 
Honoring the life and legacy of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe, the annual Lili Elbe Scholarship recognizes a trans Lambda Literary Fellow in any genre whose work shows considerable talent and promise. A Danish trans woman, Lili Elbe was one of the earliest recipients of gender confirmation surgery. The scholarship is sponsored by David Ebershoff, whose first novel about Elbe, The Danish Girl, won the Lambda Literary Award for transgender fiction and was adapted into an Oscar-winning film.

The 2024 Lili Elbe Scholarship recipient wishes to remain anonymous. 


Additional Scholarships
Lambda Literary received donations from many generous donors to cover the full tuition of seven 2024 Fellows and half tuition of seven 2024 Fellows. The Fellows supported by these donations are:

Alyssa Velazquez
c.r. glasgow
Chelsey Gabriel
Danielle Emerson
Mariah Rigg
Mrityunjay Mohan
Rob Macaisa Colgate

Kumari Devejaran
Mara Olivas
Marne Litfin
Milly Itzhak
Zen Ren
D.A. Navoti
Michele Kirichanskaya


To learn more about the Fellows and Writers in Residence, visit our website. 


In community,

Chloe Feffer
Program Manager
Lambda Literary