Delaney Nolan, a M.F.A. candidate in fiction writing at the UI, is the winner of a Fulbright Bulgaria-Greece Arts grant for 2016-17. 

Delaney Nolan, a M.F.A. candidate in fiction writing at the UI, is the winner of a Fulbright Bulgaria-Greece Arts grant for 2016-17. Delaney will use her grant to research and write short fiction based on the Rhodope Mountain region, drawing on her education in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. While in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Boston, MA native will write five stories about five sites of historical import in the Rhodopes, and research local folklore at Aristotle University's Folklore Museum. In Sofia, Bulgaria, she will work with the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and lead a writing workshop for youth.

Hometown: Dover, Massachusetts

Degree and field of study: M.F.A. candidate in fiction writing (University of Iowa)

What will be the focus of your research?

I will be writing fiction and researching folktales in the Rhodope Mountains.

What drew you to this field of study?

I have always been interested in writing fiction, and one of my first opportunities as a writer sent me to Bulgaria. I also lived in Istanbul for two years and came to love the area.

How do you see this Fulbright grant advancing your work?

The Fulbright will allow me to write stories in my pursuit of my interest in writing about places and incorporating fables and magical realism into my work.

How do you envision this will change your life?

I know the Fulbright will open many doors for me. Primarily, it will support me while I work and complete a collection of short stories, which I will then seek to publish. Being supported and being able to focus exclusively on writing is an extremely rare opportunity for which I'm immensely grateful.

Would you have any advice for future students interested in pursuing a Fulbright?

Years back, I heard about a friend getting a Fulbright, and I remember thinking, "I could never do that." I thought it was just out of the realm of possibility for me. So my advice would be, don't sell yourself short. You're capable and should consider applying; it's just a matter of finding the right project in the right place at the right time for you.

The highly competitive Fulbright Program, created by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1946 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provides grants annually for international research and teaching in an effort to foster global partnership and cultural exchange. For more information on applying for a Fulbright through the University of Iowa, visit our Fulbright page.