“miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black women Writers
Trillium Arts currently awards an annual “Miss Sarah” Fellowship, which provides immersive creative time and space to the selected artist, free of charge.
Sarah Johnson, 1997.
ABOUT “MISS SARAH”
Sarah M. Johnson was born on July 10, 1931 in Cleveland County, NC. In 1948, she moved to and settled in Hickory, NC, where she believed there would be greater job opportunities. Like many southern Black women of her generation, Sarah made a living as a domestic and factory worker, cleaning the homes of two prominent white families while simultaneously working as an employee of Hickory Springs Manufacturing. A single mother of seven, whom she raised in a one-bedroom apartment in the Ridgeview community, where the majority of Black folks lived in Hickory, Sarah worked tirelessly to provide for each of her children. People throughout Hickory affectionately called her “Miss Sarah” due to her generous spirit and gifts as an extraordinary baker, and her desserts graced the tables of people far and wide. She rarely met a stranger. She was also well-known for her community activism as a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)-Hickory Branch. Sarah was honored as the Hickory Branch of the NAACP “Mother of the Year” in 1986 and was also crowned North Carolina state “Mother of the Year” in the same year. What better way to honor her than to create a fellowship that embodies her creativity and commitment to social justice? She passed away on July 17, 2019 at the age of 88.
Given the significance of the number 7 in her Miss Sarah’s life (seven children; her birth and death in the seventh month seven days apart; and Trillium Arts board member E. Patrick Johnson being the seventh child), the “Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black Women Writers offers a seven-day retreat in the month of July at Trillium’s “Firefly Creek” apartment in Mars Hill, surrounded by the beauty of nature in the lovely setting of the Blue Ridge Mountains, or at E. Patrick Johnson and Stephen Lewis’s “Montford Manor” residence near downtown Asheville; transportation to and from Asheville; and a $700 stipend. Whether one needs the quiet space and time to develop the seed of an idea for a new writing project or to complete a project underway, the “Miss Sarah” Fellowship for Black Women Writers aims to provide Black women writers (fiction and nonfiction) uninterrupted time and a conducive environment to rest, reflect and write.
Meet Previous “Miss Sarah” Fellows:
2021: Tyrese L. Coleman and Ida Harris
2022: Eder J. Williams McKnight
Support the “Miss Sarah” Campaign!
Help support a long and healthy future for this program! Learn more about the history of the program in the video below.
How to Apply for the “Miss Sarah” Fellowship
Applications for the “Miss Sarah” 2024 Fellowship will be accepted beginning November 21, 2023. The deadline to apply for 2024 is Tuesday, January 9, 2024 at 11:59pm EST.
Learn and application process and access the application HERE
Banner Photo by Kat Stokes