The Yoda Fund
A Scholarship for Queer, BIPoC, Disabled and Other Marginalized Writers at Writing With Mermaids
Many of us want to support equity but aren’t sure how.
This is how.
This fund is 100% community-powered.
As DEI programs disappear and funding is cut, we must build what institutions won’t.
We can do better.
For every $195 scholarship funded, I’ll personally donate $100 back into the fund.
If you are a Queer, Immigrant, BIPoC Writer, or someone living with severe rent burden who would like to attend a retreat or become a member of Writing With Mermaids, please apply for this scholarship here
Let's be clear: This is not charity. This is responsibility.
Our bookshelves, media, and institutions still overwhelmingly center white voices.
This is our chance to do better.
With support, these voices ripple out into the world, into books, art, conversations, and culture, benefitting future generations.
Everyone at the retreat benefits. BIPoC and other marginalized writers bring stories we rarely get to hear. Their presence transforms the retreat for everyone.
How You Can Help
If you’ve ever benefited from Black, brown, immigrant, or queer creativity, or from the creativity of the disability justice movement—from literature, music, fashion, language, or spirit—this is a powerful way to give back.
Donate any amount → $25 a month recurring payment sponsors one writer's ongoing membership. Sponsor a writer’s spot at a retreat for $195 (and I’ll add $100 in your honor) Click here to donate.
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Skip one small luxury this week—a latte, a cocktail, a snack—and invest in a voice that can change the world
The Yoda Fund is named for my beloved friend, Yodassa Williams, a brilliant, queer, Black writer whose bright light left us too soon. Yoda believed in the radical power of storytelling.
She’s the reason these retreats exist.
This fund continues her legacy by making space for queer, BIPoC writers to rest and create.
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