Assistant Professor Joseph T. Thomas, Jr., who wrote recently on this blog about his friend and associate David Wallace and David's untimely death (10/4/08), would like to spread the word about Illinois State University's newly instituted David Foster Wallace Memorial Fund.
Illinois State University has created this fund in order to bring to campus writers who will energize and challenge the community, this fund will also periodically have a cash award to honor a graduate or undergraduate student whose writing engages its subject from an original, committed, and humane perspective. Whether poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, or a hybrid combination, the award winning work should be an articulate and thought-provoking text that pushes a paradigm, extending rather than following traditional genre expectations. The award winning entry shall be selected by a committee appointed by the English Department Chair and consisting of that Chair, at least two English Department faculty members, and at least one member of the community at large. Although submissions for the award will be solicited annually, the award will be given only when the committee determines that an entry satisfies the criteria listed above and thereby exemplifies the spirit of David Foster Wallace's work.
Tax deductible donations may be mailed to Illinois State University Foundation, Box 8000, Normal, IL 61790-8000. Checks should be made to ISU Foundation, David Foster Wallace Memorial Fund. Donations may also be made on-line at <http://www.development.ilstu.
