EHFOP Announces Kate Sjostrom as the Writer in Residence for the 2024-2025 Term

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce that Kate Sjostrom will serve as the Foundation’s newest Writer-in-Residence (WIR). During her 2024-2025 term, Kate will assist in advancing the foundation’s mission supporting the development of our educational programming and mentorship of our student scholarship recipients. She will also enjoy the opportunity to continue her work in the dedicated writing space of the Hemingway Birthplace Museum.

 Dr. Sjostrom is a writer and teacher educator based in Oak Park, IL. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in RHINO, Southern Poetry Review, English Journal, and elsewhere, and she regularly publishes and presents on writing education. Her co-edited collection, Unsettling Education, won a 2021 Outstanding Book Award from the Society of Professors of Education.

 “The WIR program is an essential part of fulfilling our mission,” Keith Strom, Foundation Executive Director, said. “We are tremendously grateful to have Kate join our team and believe her passionate support of creative writing is a great fit for us as a literary educational organization.”

 Kate holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as an MEd and PhD in English Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she now teaches writing and writing pedagogy. She is currently at work on her first novel which she will continue within the WIR writing space.

 “As a reader, writer, and teacher, I appreciate Hemingway’s work for its content and craft, for its stimulation of important conversations and its artful concision,” Sjostrom said. “I am excited to write in a place so rich in literary history and to work with the Hemingway Foundation on extending educational outreach.”

EHFOP Announces 2024 Hemingway Foundation Student Scholarship Recipients

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park announces the recipients for the 2024 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship & Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship Essay Contests

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the award recipients for the essay competitions for the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship and for the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship.

In 2016, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, re-introduced the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for junior level students, with the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent.  The overall recipient receives a $1,500 college scholarship award and a mentorship with the Foundation’s writer-in-residence during their senior year of high school. We are pleased to name Sinai Arreola from Proviso Math and Science Academy as the recipient of the 2024 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for excellence in writing with the submission of “What is your Escape”.

In addition, this is fourth year of our newer scholarship for senior students in memory of our former chairman; the 2024 Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship includes a $1,500 college scholarship award. We are delighted to announce Alexa Vateva from Elmwood Park High School as its fourth recipient for the outstanding work, “The Odyssey of Existence”.

Each of these students’ essays will be included in our ninth annual edition of Hemingway Shorts and we hope to recognize these students at a forthcoming Hemingway Foundation event.

These scholarship initiatives reflect the Foundation’s belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.
The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, fosters understanding of the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, with emphasis on his Oak Park origins and his impact on world literature. As a literary arts and educational organization, our mission reflects the Foundation's belief in the importance of the written word as well as the value of thoughtful reading and writing.

EHFOP Announces 2024 Hemingway Shorts overall winner and finalists

EHFOP Announces Four New Board Members

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the election of four new members to the Board of Directors to include:

·       Mike Davis, Vice President & General Counsel, AMA Insurance

·       Jesse Laseman, Senior Internal Audit Consultant, Sikich

·       Giovanna Lizzio, Program Manager, Amazon

·       Alex Michali, Audit and Assurance Senior Manager, Baker Tilly US, LLP

Foundation Chairman, John Berry, announced, “I am delighted to welcome these four individuals to our team and believe their qualifications as well as expertise will be great resources to our foundations mission.

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EHFOP Announces New Foundation Board Member, Craig Mindrum

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the election of its newest member, Craig Mindrum, to the Board of Directors. Foundation Chairman, John Berry, announced, “we are thrilled to welcome Craig to our team and believe his thought leadership and strategic communication background will be highly advantageous to our foundation.”

Craig Mindrum is a business writer, strategic communications and thought leadership consultant, teacher, and writer, with more than 30 years of professional experience serving global clients. Craig brings both industry and functional knowledge to his work with clients. He has collaborated with organizations in a range of industries from communications, media and high-tech to life sciences to financial services to health to education to government. He has also taught organizational ethics, leadership and change at DePaul University in Chicago— with a focus on virtuous leadership and creating a "culture of character" in contemporary organizations. He is also published author and strategic thinker in such areas as change management, religion, innovation, talent management, enterprise learning, business ethics, risk management and the effects of information technology on the workforce.

 Craig received his B.A. in Literature with Highest Honors from Indiana University, did his Masters-level work in Religious Studies at Yale University and Indiana University, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

EHFOP Announces Scott Nations as the Writer in Residence for the 2023-2024 Term

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Announces New Writer in Residence, 2023-2024

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce that Scott Nations will serve as the Foundation’s newest Writer-in-Residence (WIR). During his 2023-2024 term, Scott will assist in advancing the foundations mission through both traditional media and social platforms, support the development of our educational programming, and mentorship of our student scholarship recipients. He will also enjoy the opportunity to continue his work in the dedicated writing space of the Hemingway Birthplace Museum.

Scott Nations is the President of Nations Indexes, Inc., and a best-selling author. Scott has also spent more than a decade as a contributor to CNBC and regularly appears on-air to discuss markets, current economic events, and the outlook for a variety of financial vehicles. In the fiction space, Scott is the author of The Imperative, a novel due to be published in early 2024. During his time as WIR, he will be working on his next nonfiction project which is a history of the American stock market. His previous works include:

• The Anxious Investor – Mastering the Mental Game of Investing (HarperCollins/April 2022).

• A History of the United States in Five Crashes, a general interest history of the five modern stock market crashes (HarperCollins/June 2017).

• The Complete Book of Option Spreads and Combinations (Wiley & Sons/October 2014).

• Options Math for Traders (Wiley & Sons/2012).

“Our Writer in Residence program continues to be a fundamental mainstay in fulfilling our mission,” John Berry, Foundation Chairman, said. “Scott brings a robust combination of presence and passion to this position; we strongly believe he possesses the experience to make real impact for the foundation and community at large.”

Scott is a graduate of the University of Kansas. He and his wife Wendi have lived in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago for twenty-nine years.

“Ernest Hemingway introduced a simple, direct, more natural style of writing; in many ways it’s a more ‘American’ style of writing.  I look forward to sharing his style with new generations of readers through the foundation’s work.” Nations said.

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The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, fosters understanding of the life and work of Ernest Hemingway, with emphasis on his Oak Park origins and his impact on world literature. Its mission reflects the Foundation's belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.

EHFOP announces overall winner and finalists for the 2023 Hemingway Shorts, short story contest

EHFOP Announces New Foundation Board Member, Laura Niesen

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the addition of Laura Niesen, to the Board of Directors as of February 9th of this year.

Dr. Laura Niesen de Abruña serves as the provost and vice president for academic affairs for Dominican University. She previously served in these same roles at York College of Pennsylvania, Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut and at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. She has also held the position of dean at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Niesen de Abruña received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in French from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts; a Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania; and a Doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature from the University of North Carolina.

She has been a professor of English literature for many years and has received numerous awards, including two Fulbright Fellowships in Belgium and Luxembourg.

In her leadership roles she has been involved in raising millions of dollars in grants, scholarships and endowments.

EHFOP Announces New Foundation Board Member, Joslyn Bowling Dixon

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the addition of Joslyn Bowling Dixon, to the Board of Directors as of January 12th of this year.

Joslyn Bowling Dixon is the new Executive Director of the Oak Park Public Library which holds and curates the Hemingway Archives within its special collections. Joslyn’s previous position was as Director of Newark Public Library, and she has spent the last nine years on the East Coast serving as Deputy Director at Prince William Public Library in northern Virginia, Branch Manager at DC Public Library, and as a Department Head/Supervisor of Adult Services at Arlington Public Library (VA) and Youth Services at the Bowie Branch of Prince George’s County Memorial Library System. Early in her career, she worked at the Oak Park Public Library as a Circulation Manager and as a Library Associate in the department previously known as FAVS (Fiction, Audio, and Video Services).  Joslyn is a graduate of Hampton University (BA, English) and Dominican University (MLIS).

A passionate advocate for public libraries on the national level, Joslyn serves as a Councilor-At-Large for the American Library Association and is an active member of the Public Library Association and the Urban Libraries Council.

EHFOP announces overall winner and finalists for the 2022 Hemingway Shorts, short story contest

EHFOP HONORS STUDENTS FOR THE 2021 HEMINGWAY FOUNDATION OPRF SCHOLARSHIP & ALLAN O. BALDWIN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP CONTESTS

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the overall recipients and finalists for the essay competitions for the Hemingway Foundation OPRF Scholarship and for the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship.

In 2016, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, with the help of the OPRFHS English Department and the OPRFHS Scholarship Fund, re-introduced the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for junior level students, with the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent at Hemingway’s alma mater.  The overall recipient receives a $1,000 college scholarship award and a mentorship with the Foundation’s writer-in-residence during their senior year at Oak Park-River Forest High School.

We are pleased to name Victoria Hutson as the recipient of the 2022 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for her excellence in writing with his submission of “For What Home Means to Me”.

In addition, this is third year of our newer scholarship for senior students in memory of our former chairman; the 2022 Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship includes a $1,000 college scholarship award. We are delighted to announce Edward Ruppar as its third recipient for the outstanding work, “Life is an Adventure”. We would like to also recognize Benjamin Rodriguez and Brigid Barrette as our two Baldwin scholarship finalists.

Each of these students’ essays will be included in our seventh annual edition of Hemingway Shorts and we hope to recognize these four students at a forthcoming Hemingway Foundation event.

These scholarship initiatives reflect the Foundation’s belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.

EHFOP Announces New Foundation Board Member, Beth Jannery

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the election of its newest member, Beth Jannery, to the Board of Directors. Foundation Chairman, John Berry, announced, “I am thrilled to welcome Ms. Jannery to our team and believe her background and strategic communication expertise will be great assets to our board and the foundation.”

Beth Jannery is CEO and Founder of Titan Strategic Communication, a Washington, DC area strategic communication company specializing in strategy, content and communication consulting for high-growth clients. She is certified in Innovation Strategy: How Leaders Create the Future from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business Executive Education program. Beth Jannery worked for a Fortune 100 Company and now serves as an Advisor for companies transforming communication, content and culture. She writes and consults about Workforce Trends. She served as a C-Suite Executive as Head of Communications for a global company. Her master’s degree is from Boston University and she lives in Northern Virginia.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve with such a dedicated board striving to preserve, educate and explore the creative excellence embodied in the life and writing of Ernest Hemingway,” Jannery said. “With a passion for storytelling and branding, I look forward to advancing the Hemingway Foundation’s legacy mission for the next generation of writers, artists and readers.”

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Announces New Writer in Residence, 2021-2022

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce that Rebecca Morgan Frank will serve as the Foundation’s newest Writer-in-Residence. During her 2021-2022 term, Rebecca will assist in the development of various educational programming and mentor the student recipient of the Hemingway Foundation’s Scholarship writing contest for incoming seniors at Oak Park-River Forest High School. She will also enjoy the opportunity to continue her work in the dedicated writing space of the Hemingway Birthplace Museum.

Dr. Frank is the author of four poetry collections: Oh You Robot Saints!, Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country; and The Spokes of Venus, all from Carnegie Mellon University Press,  and Little Murders Everywhere (Salmon Poetry, Ireland), finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Her poems, essays, reviews, and stories have appeared such places as The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review, Poetry Ireland, Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day. You can learn more about her work at www.rebeccamorganfrank.com

“Our Writer in Residence program continues to be a vital pillar in fulfilling our mission,” John Berry, Foundation Chairman, said. “We are thrilled to welcome someone of Rebecca’s stature to the foundation in the WIR role and are confident she possesses talent, experience and passion to positively impact students and the community at large.”

Frank holds a BA from Vassar College, an MFA from Emerson College, and a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati. Co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online magazine Memorious, her recent teaching positions include Jacob Ziskind Poet in Residence at Brandeis University and Distinguished Visiting Writer at Bowling Green State University. She is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia and lives in Chicago, where she teaches in the MFA Program in Prose & Poetry at Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies. She serves on the board of the National Book Critics Circle.

 “I am grateful for this opportunity to be part of the history and presence of American writers in Oak Park; as The Hemingway Foundation writer-in-residence, I look forward to engaging with the community through the Foundation’s programming and to supporting the next generation of writers.” Frank said.

We would also like to acknowledge our outgoing Writer in Residence, Laura Young, for her outstanding efforts over the previous two years in assisting the foundation and mentoring our scholarship recipients. Further, we congratulate Laura on her book deal and look forward to her upcoming book, The Butcher, due out in September 2022.

EHFOP announces the overall winner and finalists for the 2021 Hemingway Shorts Competition

EHFOP honors students for the 2021 Hemingway Foundation OPRF Scholarship & Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship Contests

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the overall recipient and two finalists for the essay competitions for Hemingway Foundation OPRF Scholarship and the second recipient of the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship for 2021..

In 2016, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, with the help of the OPRFHS English Department and the OPRFHS Scholarship Fund, re-introduced the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for junior level students, with the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent at Hemingway’s alma mater.  The overall winner receives a $1,000 college scholarship award and a mentorship with the Foundation’s writer-in-residence during their senior year at Oak Park-River Forest High School.

We are pleased to name Lev Working as the recipient of the 2021 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for his excellence in writing with his submission of “Oak Park Doesn’t Kill Its Writers”. We would like to also recognize Edward Ruppar and Megan Chyna as our two scholarship finalists.

In addition, this is second year of our newer scholarship for senior students in memory of our former chairman; the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship includes a $1,000 college scholarship award. We are delighted to announce Beckett Green as its second recipient for the outstanding work, “Life is an Adventure”.

Each of these students’ essays will be included in our sixth annual edition of Hemingway Shorts and we hope to recognize these four students at a forthcoming Hemingway Foundation event.

These scholarship initiatives reflect the Foundation’s belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.

EHFOP announces Work From Hemingway's Initiative

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park (EHFOP) is pleased to announce the foundation’s newest initiative, Work from Hemingway’s (WFH).  

Long before America was forced to work from home, one of America’s greatest authors was already doing it. Ernest Hemingway churned out Pulitzer Prize winning novels from his living room, bedroom, dining room and loft spaces. He even wrote his first novel The Sun Also Rises while quarantined in France. Hemingway thrived in his home office environments. And now you can too. Ernest Hemingway’s first home is opening its doors during quarantine to allow people to Work from Hemingway’s for a day. Write email masterpieces at his desk. Zoom your co-workers from his couch. Do inspiring research in his library.

Beginning on Tuesday, June 23rd, the Hemingway Birthplace Museum can be your home office for a day. First, become a Society member with the Ernest Hemingway Foundation in Oak Park, then choose an available day to work. The hours are 9am to 5pm, Tuesday through Thursday on a first come, first serve basis. Then, get ready to have the work from home day of a lifetime. To learn more, go to: https://www.hemingwaybirthplace.com/work-from-hemingways

“Like most in our community and elsewhere, our foundation is working hard to cope and adapt to these challenging times. In accordance to the Restore Illinois phase openings, the birthplace museum currently remains closed to in-person tours”, said Keith Strom, Executive Director. “So we imagined this new opportunity as a means to support our community, Work from Hemingway’s, for those who need to get their work done by providing them with a safe and creative, new environment for the day.”

https://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/6-30-2020/Work-from-Hemingway's-with-NPR-host-Peter-Sagal/

EHFOP announces the overall winner and finalists for the 2020 Hemingway Shorts Competition

EHFOP honors students for the 2020 Hemingway Foundation OPRF Scholarship & Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship Contests

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the overall recipient and two finalists for the essay competitions for Hemingway Foundation OPRF Scholarship and the first recipient of the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship.

In 2016, the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, with the help of the OPRFHS English Department and the OPRFHS Scholarship Fund, re-introduced the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for junior level students, with the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent at Hemingway’s alma mater.  The overall winner receives a $1,000 college scholarship award and a mentorship with the Foundation’s writer-in-residence during their senior year at Oak Park-River Forest High School.

We are pleased to name Allen White as the recipient of the 2020 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for his excellence in writing with his submission of “What Home Means to Me: A Diet Chicago”. We would like to also recognize Jackson Tanner and Eleanor Sigel as our two scholarship finalists.

This year we introduced a second scholarship for senior students in memory of our former chairman; the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship includes a $1,000 college scholarship award and publication of the winning essay within our literary journal, Hemingway Shorts. We are delighted to announce Ella Haas as its first recipient for her outstanding work, “Green Lines of Our Lives”.

Each of these students’ essays will be included in our fifth annual edition of Hemingway Shorts and we will recognize these four students at a forthcoming Hemingway Foundation event.

These scholarship initiatives reflect the Foundation’s belief in the importance of the written word and the value of thoughtful reading and writing.

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Announces New Writer in Residence, 2019-2021

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce the Foundation’s newest Writer-in-Residence. During her 2019-2021 term, Laura Young will conduct educational programming and mentor the student recipient of the Hemingway Foundation’s Scholarship writing contest for incoming seniors at Oak Park-River Forest High School. Laura will also enjoy the opportunity to work in the attic office and writing space of Hemingway's birthplace home.

Ms. Young, an English teacher since 2006 at Oak Park-River Forest High School, is a writer of both fiction (including novel-length and flash) and memoir. In addition to her teaching duties, Laura runs a week-long college essay writing intensive each summer at the Oak Park Public Library. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Iowa and a Masters of Arts in Education from California State University.

“The WIR program is an essential part of fulfilling our mission,” John Berry, Foundation Chairman, said. “We welcome Laura and believe both her experience and commitment to students will have a profound impact in her WIR role and the community at large.”

A past recipient of the New York Mills and S.A.F.T.A. writing residencies, Laura has had short stories and essays published in Shoreline of Infinity, Lunch Ticket, Cold Creek Review, The Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies, Ordinary Madness, Parent.co, and Lagom. 

“I am excited to contribute to such an historic legacy of American writers; as The Hemingway Foundation writer-in-residence, I look forward to community programming and outreach to further establish Oak Park as a major player in the literary world,” Young said.

We would also like to acknowledge our outgoing WIR, Cameron Gearen, for her outstanding efforts over the previous two years.

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The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park Announces New Volunteer Coordinator

The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park is pleased to announce, effective May 13th, the appointment of Carla Mayer as its new Volunteer Coordinator.  Ms. Mayer, who most recently served as Office Coordinator and Museum Educator for the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, will succeed Marcie Gilliland, who is departing us to take a full-time position within the medical industry.

“We want to thank Marcie for her commitment to the foundation, enthusiastic service and the connections she has fostered within the local community and universities,” Keith Strom, Executive Director, said. “We welcome Carla and strongly believe the extensive experience she brings to this important role will continue to strengthen our volunteer program.

Ms. Mayer, earned a Masters of Arts from Wheaton Graduate School, has a significant educational and work background in history and publishing, including related museum experience providing tours and educational programs for all ages.

“I am excited to join the Hemingway Foundation and look forward to contributing to the important work of this organization,” Mayer said.

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