by Sonja Thomas, 2016 Oregon Literary Fellowship recipient and debut author
I’ve always wanted to be an author like my heroes, Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. But it wasn’t until 2004—and 10 years into my accounting career—that I started writing with the intention of getting published. Of course, I received lots of rejections. Several manuscripts and short stories live in an electronic folder labeled “drawer.” Add in the stories never finished, lost writing contests, and rejected residencies and fellowships, I began to wonder, “Am I wasting my time?”
Then in 2015, my awesome friend and author, Kelly Garrett, nudged me to apply for an Oregon Literary Fellowship. My passion for writing was starting to fade, but I figured, why not? Six months later my cell rang at work. I’d received the Edna L. Holmes Fellowship in Young Readers Literature!
Thanks to this fellowship, the fire was lit. Strangers had liked my words. I took this manuscript out of the drawer, cleaned it up, and queried for an agent. And now my debut middle grade novel, Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, is out in the world!
So why apply for an Oregon Literary Fellowship? The same reason to never give up and keep writing. Success is only possible when you take a chance.
Read more about Sonja and her fellowship here, and visit her website at www.bysonjathomas.com
Sonja Thomas (she/her) writes stories for kids of all ages, often featuring brave, everyday girls doing extraordinary things. She’s a contributing author for Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic. Raised in Central Florida—home of the wonderful world of Disney, humidity, and hurricanes—and a Washington, DC transplant for eleven years (Go Nats!), she’s now “keeping it weird” in the Pacific Northwest. Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence is her debut novel.
This Friday, August 5, is the deadline to apply online for a 2023 Oregon Literary Fellowship.
