Four Rehoboth writers awarded fellowships

Of 91 applicants for fellowships from the Delaware Division of the Arts for 2015, four members of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild received fellowships for their writing.

Both Billie Travalini and Gail Comorat received fellowships of $6,000 as established writers, Travalini for creative nonfiction and Comorat for poetry. Travalini, a recipient of a 2014 Governor’s Award for the Arts, has also received previous professional fellowships in fiction and poetry. The author of the memoir "Blood Sisters," Travalini cofounded and coordinates the Lewes Creative Writers Conference, now in its eighth year.

Comorat, who is a founding member of Rehoboth Beach Writers' Guild, and a decade ago did not consider herself a poet at all, now teaches (with poet Ethan Joella) all of the guild's poetry classes. She has widely published poems, one of which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize this year, and has received a previous fellowship from the DDOA in poetry as an emerging writer.

In addition, both Russ Reece and Judy Catterton received fellowships of $3,000 as emerging writers, Catterton in creative nonfiction and Reece in fiction. Both are longtime members of the writers’ guild and frequent readers at the guild’s monthly readings.

“The fellowship offers such validation for the work these writers are doing,” says RBWG Executive Director Maribeth Fischer. "Despite writing classes and readings, it’s difficult, lonely work and we often wonder, 'Why do I bother?' The fellowships answer this in part by telling these writers that their work matters to others."