Jill Osier Named Bennett Fellow

“Today I find lowbush cranberries edging the yard. Full ripe, they lie secret as gems among broken twigs and leaves blown down,” Jill Osier writes in her poem “Io.” Osier, a poet known for her vivid imagery of winter, is the 2014-2015 George Bennett Fellow.

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded Osier’s work a Literature Fellowship. She has also won the Diane Middlebrook Poetry Fellowship from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing and the Campbell Corner Poetry Prize.

Every year, Exeter gives an emerging writer the opportunity to advance their career. A committee of six faculty members read a selection of nearly 350 manuscripts, spanning the genres of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays.

The manuscripts offer a brief look at the writing prowess of a few hundred applicants seeking the George Bennett Fellowship. Founded by George E. Bennett ‘23, the fellowship provides up-and-coming writers with time, freedom and financial support.

The fellowship offers a generous financial grant of approximately fifteen thousand dollars along with meals in the dining hall.

The Academy provides a house or apartment, furnished and chosen according to the needs of the fellow. The fellowship relieves financial concerns and limits time requirements, offering the writer nearly unlimited time and freedom to work.

The Bennett Fellow lives at Exeter whenever the Academy is in session, working on a major writing composition they aim to finish and submit for publication. Besides focusing on his or her work, the fellow will also informally offer students and English classes writing advice.

Although they will be available for consultation, the Bennett Fellow will not be considered a faculty member nor a formal advisor.

The fellowship generates interest among applicants globally, receiving manuscripts from a wide group of writers both within the country and internationally.

Todd Hearon, English teacher and Bennett Fellow Coordinator, explained how the program has grown steadily in popularity.

“It has really made a name for itself; it’s one of the more prestigious and sought-after fellowships in the country,” Hearon said.

Hearon elaborated on the prestige of the fellowship.

“Personally, I think it’s one of the best fellowships in the country. There is no obligation to teach, there’s just the obligation to meet informally with students, you have full room and board, with a handsome and helpful stipend, and you have medical benefits.”

Osier, who is hoping to complete a full-length collection of poems during the year, finds the free time and space incredibly helpful to her writing.

“I love the long stretches of time and quiet and stillness that can help keep close the worlds created in one’s head. Also, it’s nice sometimes to gain the perspective of a new setting and let distance refine one’s focus,” she said.

“I love the long stretches of time and quiet and stillness that can help keep close the worlds created in one’s head. Also, it’s nice sometimes to gain the perspective of a new setting and let distance refine one’s focus,”

Osier’s observation highlights the central purpose of the fellowship, which Mr. Hearon defined as the “crucial gift of time,” during which the writer is “free from the constraints of everyday life.”

In order to qualify for the fellowship, the writer must submit a manuscript with the application, which he or she then works on during the brief tenure.

The writer is chosen based on the included manuscript, while sex, age and marital status have no influence on the decision.

The criteria for the Bennett Fellow includes literary originality, dedication to writing and the capacity to adapt to a boarding school campus and help Academy students. Since the fellowship is aimed towards aspiring writers working on a composition, authors who have been published by major companies are usually not chosen.

Attempting to maintain George Bennett’s preference for the genre, the fellowship favors writers of fiction.

Writers of non-fiction will be considered if their works appeal to large audiences, and although fiction is suggested, poetry and drama are also eligible for submission.

The manuscript will be chosen if it exemplifies the criteria of a Bennett Fellow, specifically the original quality and strength of writing.

Osier has been featured in various literary magazines for her poetry, including Crazyhorse, Granta, The Georgia Review, The Gettysburg Review, The Green Mountains Review, The Southern Review, Substorpics, Versal and Zyzzyva.

Some of Osier’s poems have appeared in The Gettysburg Review, The Georgia Review and Versal. Her chapbooks Bedful of Nebraskas and Should Our Undoing Come Down Upon Us White, won the 2013 Frost Place Chapbook Competition.

Osier was drawn to the Academy by the northern location of Exeter and the juxtaposition of small towns and rural areas, which she says has provided inspiration for her writing. Along with the physical aspects, Osier was enticed by the freedom and supportive community offered by the fellowship.

Osier has interacted with many members of the community, within the English department and beyond, at local yard sales, shops in town and around campus. She recently participated in a reading with English instructor and former Bennett Fellow Erica Lazure at Water Street Bookstore.

Members of the faculty have shown Osier some local attractions, such as the birds of Plum Island or the home of famous poet Stanley Kunitz.

As the year progresses, Osier will deliver a reading of her works at assembly in the winter which will help students to interact with her.

Until then, her office is located in the library and students of all grades and interest levels may visit.

Osier has enjoyed the beginning of the fellowship and looks forward to the remainder of her year. She hopes to complete her volume of poetry and submit it for professional publishing. Of equal importance to her is experiencing all that the Academy has to offer.

“In these first months I’ve seen birds I’ve never seen, tasted new foods, met people I admire—and more time for discovery ahead!”

Osier acknowledges that she will have memorable experiences here, embracing it as a writer.

“I know that I’ll reflect on and learn from my time here for the rest of my life.”​