The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 “Real People” fellowship. Brendan Borque-Sheil was selected from thirty-three applications received from writers across the U.S. This fellowship is for a writer working on a short or long work of non-fiction focusing on how they (the writer or another) have managed, and continue to manage, their mental illness. Their personal story should offer not just insight and awareness, but most importantly, hope. Borque-Sheil will receive a two-week residency at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow. Brendan
Borque-Sheil is a playwright and personal narrative storyteller. His plays have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Ann Arbor, and have been named finalists for the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene Neill Theatre Center, the Reva Shiner Comedy Award, and Southwest Theatre Productions Plays With a Strong Female Lead Competition. He has appeared on World Channel Stories from the Stage and written 25 stories for Houston monthly live show Grown-Up Storytime. For eight years, he has worked as a teaching artist for The Alley Theatre, and a consultant in Creative Writing for the Kinder High School of Performing and Visual Arts. Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow Director, Jeanne Glass, said, “Brendan is an amazing playwright and storyteller, and I am looking forward to the workshop that he will prepare for his residency.” For more information about sponsoring a fellowship in the genre and/or area of interest you are passionate about, visit www.writerscolony.org/sponsor-a-fellowship.
The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is “to nurture writers of all backgrounds, genres, and levels of experience in a supportive environment that builds community, stimulates new thinking, energizes creative expression, and optimizes productivity.” Since opening its doors to writers in 2000, the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has made a lasting impact on the arts and literary communities hosting over 1,800 writers from 48 states and 13 countries. For more information, please visit
www.writerscolony.org or call (479)253-7444.
Jeanne Glass - Managing Director