Escribe y Cuenta: The Lydia Garcia Author Fund

The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) announces the Lydia Garcia Author Fund, an initiative that seeks to support authors actively writing or in the process of promoting their recent written work. We recognize that authors often face unexpected and unreimbursed costs associated with their creative work or the promotion of their work, which we hope may be defrayed by these funds. Instances such as travel to book readings or presentations, preparations for such readings or presentations, childcare arrangements, or to finance or subsidize event(s) in venues that do not have budget for such activities but in which authors may nevertheless present their work are acceptable expenses. Thanks to a generous donation by Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, in honor of her mother Lydia García, CENTRO will award five authors $1,000. 

To apply to the Lydia Garcia Author Fund, prospective recipients will submit an application which will include:

• A cover letter (maximum 3 pages) describing the type of written work they engage in, how the work they produce reflects the Puerto Rican experience, the obstacles they face in their creative process and how they anticipate using the granted funds.
• A résumé or CV that includes a list of previous publications
• A sample of previously published work. We will accept work that has been published in books, journals, magazines, and websites. We will also accept work that has been performed publicly, such as poetry or plays. 

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please reach out to: programs@centropr.app

About Lydia García

Lydia Estell Pitsirilos was born Lydia Estell García in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1950. Following the path of thousands of other Puerto Ricans, she and her family moved to New York’s Upper West Side, where she resided for the rest of her life. A fateful encounter with a guidance counselor derailed her aspirations to become a writer by stating “Puerto Ricans can’t be writers.” She instead pursued a career as a registered nurse. While not a writer herself, Lydia García became the inspiration for other writers, most notably her daughter, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, who has endowed an Author Fund in her memory, honoring the little girl who had wanted to become a writer.

About CENTRO

Founded in 1973 by a coalition of students, faculty, and activists, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (CENTRO) is the largest and oldest university-based research institute, library, and archive dedicated to the Puerto Rican experience in the United States. It provides support to students, scholars, artists, and members of the community at large across and beyond New York. Additionally, it produces original research, films, books, and educational tools and is the home of Centro Journal—the premiere academic journal of Puerto Rican Studies. CENTRO’s aim is to create actionable and accessible scholarship to strengthen, broaden, and reimagine the field of Puerto Rican studies. CENTRO is a treasured institution where researchers, academics, teachers, students, genealogists, filmmakers, and the community at large find primary (historical documents) and secondary sources about the history and culture of the Puerto Rican Diaspora. CENTRO’s Library and Archives, non-circulating materials and resources are open and available for use by the public at large, irrespective of CUNY affiliation. CENTRO’s programs and services are similarly open to the broader community in New York City and beyond. Since its inception, the institute has served as a site of encounter and collaboration between university affiliates and community members.

About Hunter College

Located in the heart of Manhattan, Hunter is the largest college in the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Founded in 1870, it is also one of the oldest public colleges in the country and famous for a student body that is as diverse as the city itself. Most Hunter students are the first in their families to attend college and many go on to top professional and graduate programs, winning Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships, Mellon fellowships, National Institutes of Health grants, and other competitive honors. More than 23,000 students currently attend Hunter, pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 170 areas of study. The 1,700 full- and part-time members of Hunter’s faculty are unparalleled. They receive prestigious national grants, contribute to the world's leading academic journals, and play major roles in cutting-edge research. They are fighting cancer, formulating public policy, expanding our culture, enhancing technology, and more.