With support from the California Arts Council, Lyzette Wanzer Projects, dba Muses & Melanin Fellowship for BIPOC California Creative Writers, will expand its operational, personnel, and capacity sectors during our 2026-2027 year. We will be able to:
1) increase our Publicity & Administrative Assistant’s hours from 8 to 20 per week
2) expand our BIPOC writer enrollment by 30%
3) due to our Assistant’s increased hours, be able to take advantage of publicity and presentation opportunities that we’ve had to bypass due to budget constraints.
4) be able to increase the size of incoming cohorts to our flagship program by 10%.
Years 2026 and 2027 will be crucial for solidifying and evangelizing our brand via our three P’s: personnel, publicity, and programming.
We provide professional development via our 8-month career-accelerator practicum that helps talented creative writers of color establish sustainable literary careers in a #PublishingSoWhite industry. Our program launches participants into the literary profession with a series of professional development workshops, writing workshops, guest speakers, and co-working sessions, culminating in a public graduation and readings ceremony and reception.