Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 McCoy Grant for Bookseller Writers, which is offered by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in partnership with author Sarah McCoy (Mustique Island) "for any unpublished southern women or nonbinary booksellers who harbor ambitions to be published writers." Full eligibility criteria and grant application are available here.
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Two grants of $1,500 each will be awarded to be used toward craft development (writing classes, retreats, conferences, travel), work-related materials (notebooks, laptops, software, research, etc.), childcare, bills, or any other financial obstacle.
"It is a great honor to have been chosen.... I am truly grateful for this grant and have been inspired to work more diligently as a creative," said 2024 grant recipient Maya Martin of Square Books, Oxford, Miss.
Ally Kirkpatrick, a 2024 grant recipient and owner of Old Town Books, Alexandria, Va., commented: "I've been holding my writing close for the past year, not quite ready to share it with the world and wondering if there would ever be a right time. Winning this award gives me the confidence boost to continue finding my voice and sharing my story about maternal mental health."
Applications close March 21, 2025, with recipients announced in July. To be eligible, the applicant must be an unpublished southern woman or nonbinary bookseller living in one of the states in SIBA territory, and must have a novel, memoir, essay collection, or poetry collection in progress.