That’s a good news. Happy for those who benefit. But also ppl 30 years + also should get grants etc like this, becoz some people come to the business late, get side tracked by being a carer/parent & or shift from one job to another. Anyone willing to make such a thing happen?!

why is this prize for poets under 40 only, The American Poetry Review ?

any prize specifying an age limit should at least justify it on their call page - otherwise it looks suspiciously arbitrary...

pw.org/writing_contes…

interesting piece in TIME by Robinne Lee on a double whammy of ageism in theatre/film & literature

nice to see that Speculative Literature Foundation changed the illustration on their call after so many ppl let them know that they weren't happy with the one-size-fits-all way emerging older writers were depicted

also great to have a call for older emerging writers in this area!

it's been pointed out that some ppl in their 50s *do* look like this-& of course they deserve representation (tho i think they deserve more imaginative representation)

i still think this image in no way works to represent the huge range of emerging 50+ writers

noentry I find it weird, with so many people forced to change professions later in life, these opportunities deny reality with the excuse that 'we have professional opportunities available for all ages.'

As if it's the workers fault that entire sectors vanish or redundancies occur.

NationalYouthTheatre noentry It’s appalling that funding is dependent on shutting out an entire demographic of people from applying. Remember that woman, working-class people and people of colour are the most affected group as they are often only able to access these roles later in their careers.

this is a great opportunity for Speculative Literature Foundation to rework this advert with an illustration that's... more 'speculative'?

it says nothing about writing, or speculative literature, &, apart from showing a lazy stereotype, this illustration is... just boring

At a recent webinar addressing whether there is ageism in the arts- it was a resounding yes - but the major question was how to prove it.

It’s a losing battle when this is how older writers are represented.

Thank you for replying.

Offering one opportunity *without* an arbitrary age-restriction (why 35, not 32 or 38, or 53..?) does not compensate for offering another opportunity that has one.

Mustapha Matura Abstract Art Painting & Sculpture Alfred Fagon Award noentry That is lovely to hear! Just always disheartening as a working-class woman creative who started my career after the typical age cap because of work and family responsibilities. Age caps typically majority benefit fiscally secure male creatives.

ppl over 35 can be great at facilitating younger practitioners

thinking only younger ppl can work effectively with young ppl is baseless magical thinking

more intergenerational imagination pls, NationalYouthTheatre

well, over 50 does include ppl in their 80s... but this should have been illustrated without using stereotypes. given that it's spec lit, why not something more 'speculative'?

it's good to see a grant that, against stereotypes, acknowledges & rewards older speculative writers