THE MARY WITHERS RURAL WRITING FELLOWSHIP

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship is an opportunity for young journalists to spend a summer on a Kentucky farm working on long-form, narrative articles chronicling rural America. The winner of the fellowship spends three months in Boyd’s Station along with college photographers who are also grant recipients. All fellows share a house in Boyd’s Station and have access to office space in the Boyd’s Station Gallery in Cynthiana, Kentucky (about 20 minutes away). All fellows will be working on separate projects but will have the opportunity to collaborate occasionally.

WHEN + WHERE

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellow is expected to be in Harrison County, Kentucky, for a continuous three-month period during the summer. Fellows are free to travel for personal reasons, but we encourage them to stay in Kentucky as much as possible. Exact dates will be determined by the fellow’s availability.

WRITING EXPECTATIONS

Fellows are expected to develop, report, and write 2 – 3 long-form news feature articles each summer. Boyd’s Station has a partnership with the Louisville Courier-Journal, in the USA TODAY Network of newspapers, whose editors revise the final drafts and publish the articles. The fellow is also expected to write a first-person article introducing themselves to the community, which is published in the Cynthiana Democrat. Beyond those articles, the fellow is welcome to develop and write any other pieces that we will help publish in whatever outlet is ideal for that particular piece.

MENTORSHIP

Alan Gomez, a former reporter and bureau chief for USA Today, is the director of the Boyd’s Station Writers Program and serves as the mentor/editor for The Withers fellow. He helps the fellow develop their story ideas, plot their reporting course, and edits drafts of each article. Rob Byers, the News Director for the Courier-Journal, also works directly with The Withers fellow to plan, edit, and publish their articles. Alan does not live in Kentucky, so fellows must be motivated self-starters who can thrive without constant supervision. Interactions will look like this:

• 3 Months Prior to Arrival: The Withers fellow meets virtually with Alan to discuss story ideas.

• 1 Month Prior to Arrival: The Withers fellow meets virtually with Alan and Rob Byers to discuss initial story ideas.   

• Week 1: Alan visits Boyd’s Station to welcome the fellow and discuss story ideas and reporting plans.

• Weeks 2 - 11: Alan and the fellow have a weekly video call to update progress, as well as additional calls throughout each week as needed. Alan and the fellow met virtually with Rob Byers as needed to file articles and discuss edits. 

• Week 12: Alan visits Boyd’s Station to edit final article(s).

FELLOWSHIP GRANT AMOUNT

The fellow is awarded a $3,000 grant and free housing for the summer. They are also reimbursed for expenses related directly to their reporting, including gas. The only requirement is that the fellow have a car, as reporting in Harrison County is impossible without one. If a fellow fails to meet the basic requirements of the fellowship, the grant money can be forfeited.

THE FAQ's

IS THERE A FEE TO APPLY?

There is NO fee to apply.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY?

Candidates must be college juniors, seniors, recent graduates or graduate students. They must be 21 years of age or older during the time of the fellowship - they can be 20 when they apply but must be 21 by the time the fellowship begins. Candidates must be enrolled in a journalism or communications program, or a related degree program. Previous newspaper journalism internships and/or experience as a journalist on a college newspaper are preferred, but not mandatory.

Most importantly, candidates must be committed to a career in journalism.

WHAT KIND OF HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ARE AVAILABLE?

The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient will live in a house at Boyd’s Station FOR FREE. They will share the home with two student photographers who received the Reinke Grant for Visual Storytelling and Tim Dillon Grant for Storytelling who take part in Boyd’s Station Project 306.36. Each student will have their own room and have access to a shared bathroom, kitchen and living room. The home is WiFi enabled (cell service can occasionally be spotty).

Transportation in and around Harrison County is the sole responsibility of each fellow. In such a rural community, there is no public transportation, so a car, valid driver’s license and insurance are required.

ARE FELLOWS PAID?

The fellow will receive a $3,000 stipend to help pay for food, living expenses and program expenses. They will also be reimbursed for the cost of fuel while reporting from Harrison County. The Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient receives free rent for the summer and a working space at the Boyd’s Station Gallery in downtown Cynthiana.

Fellows are responsible for bringing their own car to Boyd’s Station and their own computer to work on. They are also responsible for their own meals. Transportation cost to and from the student’s home to Harrison County is the responsibility of the fellowship recipient.

WHAT ABOUT COLLEGE CREDIT?

Boyd’s Station is happy to work with a fellow’s college or university to help them receive college credits for their work. We can prepare any summaries, descriptions, clips or other supporting documentation to try to fulfill the requirements of any school.

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE TO APPLY?

The application window for the 2026 Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship deadline to apply is Monday, January 20, 2026. Click this link to apply now.

WHEN SHOULD THE RECIPIENT BE IN HARRISON COUNTY?

The fellowship will run for 12 consecutive weeks from May to August. The exact timing of this fellowship is determined by the fellow and program director to best fit the fellow’s schedule, but each fellow is expected to be in Kentucky throughout the 12 weeks. Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis for family emergencies or other personal matters.

WHAT DOES EACH FELLOW NEED TO BRING WITH THEM?

If you are selected for the fellowship, you will need the following: 

• A car, and valid driver’s license and insurance.

• A personal computer.

• Personal recording devices and/or photography gear (if desired).

• Clothes and shoes that work on a farm. While fellows will spend a lot of time in downtown Cynthiana and can work indoors, it’s expected - and encouraged - that they spend as much time as possible immersing themselves in the community, which means a lot of time on farms and ranches, cow patties included. A good pair of hiking/work boots is highly recommended.

• Health insurance is recommended, but not required.

WHAT KIND OF HOURS WILL THE WRITER BE WORKING?

This is not a traditional internship where a writer is expected to clock in and out at set hours each day. The expectation is that the fellow is self-motivated, will put in a full 40 hours each week and accomplish their goals. It’s up to each fellow to figure out if that means working 9-5 or crafting their own schedule. 

WHAT WILL THE MARY WITHERS RURAL WRITING FELLOW LEARN?

This project is geared towards documenting the people and places of Harrison County, Kentucky while reporting on issues that resonate across the nation. 

WHO WILL MANAGE WHAT THE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT DOES?

The Boyd’s Station Rural Writing Program is directed by Alan Gomez, a former bureau chief and foreign correspondent at USA Today. He will supervise the fellow’s program and work hand in hand with the fellow to conceive each story, prepare a reporting plan, guide the reporting and edit each story. Alan resides in Miami, so fellows communicate with him through weekly video calls and frequent emails.

But that’s just part of the experience. The founder and director of Boyd’s Station is Jack Gruber, a senior staff photographer for USA Today, will be on-site frequently and runs the multiple programs operating out of Boyd’s Station. Margaret Heltzel, a former Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient, has joined the staff and lives in Harrison County. She can help with day-to-day advice on how to live, report and write while in Kentucky.

Boyd’s Station also has an established relationship with editors at the Louisville Courier-Journal, who will listen to your pitch and story ideas and may assign a story to the Mary Withers Rural Writing Fellowship recipient and assist them through the reporting, writing and editing process. Additionally, other experienced writers and editors will be made available to each fellow to provide training and assistance.

WHO OWNS THE COPYRIGHT TO THE WORK CREATED?

The WRITER. One of the unique things about this fellowship is that any and all work created by the writer will be owned, and the copyright retained, by that fellow. The writer has the right to market or sell any of the literary work for personal gain editorially or commercially as long as the work and any photograph or video images sold commercially have proper documentation and release from subjects.

The complete collection of words, creative works, and images produced during the fellowship period DO become part of the overall historical archive and collection of the Boyd's Station archive. The fellow must grant Boyd’s Station the right, in perpetuity, to use any of the work created during the fellowship period in promotion, exhibits and for educational purposes determined by Boyd’s Station without additional compensation. Boyd’s Station agrees not to sell or provide creative work or images for commercial gain without expressed written consent and agreement of the fellow.