BMI Foundation Awards 11th Annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship

BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick, Woody Guthrie Center Executive Director Deana McCloud, and Woody Guthrie Foundation President Nora Guthrie have announced Laura Hayden and William Andrews as the winners of the eleventh annual Woody Guthrie Fellowship, a research program for scholars pursuing topics or themes related to the life and legacy of American folk music progenitor Woody Guthrie.

The BMI Foundation, in cooperation with the Woody Guthrie Center, annually awards up to $5,000 for scholarly research at the extensive Woody Guthrie Archives, a paper-based research repository located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 2005, the program has funded a variety of extensive research projects culminating in books, essays, lectures, curricula, public performances, artwork, and other classroom materials that illustrate Guthrie’s lasting cultural impact.

“Alongside our commitment to supporting new voices, the BMI Foundation works to preserve the rich musical heritage of our country,” said Chadwick. “We are proud to partner with the Woody Guthrie Center to offer this singular opportunity for in-depth investigation into the life and work of one of the most influential songwriters in American history.”

Laura B. Hayden

Laura B. Hayden is the author of Staying Alive: A Love Story, a memoir of loss and recovery. She spent her childhood in Brooklyn, NY, and her teens in Enfield, CT, where she went on to teach high school and freelance for regional publications. Laura completed her MFA in Writing at Western Connecticut State University in 2010. She teaches writing at Asnuntuck Community College, Western Connecticut State University, and the Summer Medical and Dental Program at Yale. She is a regular contributor to The Sturbridge Times Magazine. The Fellowship will support research for her forthcoming biography examining the humanitarian work and personal life of Marjorie Guthrie, former Martha Graham dancer, health advocate, and wife of Woody Guthrie.

Will Andrews

Will Andrews is a doctoral candidate in “Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics” at Chicago Theological Seminary and the focus of his dissertation is biblical interpretation in prison. A native of Dinwiddie, Virginia, he holds a BA in Spanish Language and Literatures from the College of William and Mary, as well as an MDiv and a ThM in Biblical Studies from Union-PSCE in Richmond, Virginia. Will has worked as an interpreter and document translator on the US-Mexico border, a United Methodist pastor, a university religious studies instructor, an online Spanish teacher, and a volunteer prison chaplain. In his research at the Woody Guthrie Archives he will explore two themes: Woody Guthrie as a reader of the Bible and as historical witness to incarceration. Will plans to produce an article on each theme, for future academic presentation and publication.

About the Woody Guthrie Archives

The Woody Guthrie Archives, housed within the Woody Guthrie Center, are an international research destination. The collection was purchased in 2011 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and moved to Tulsa from New York in 2013. This is the largest collection of Woody Guthrie primary resource materials in the world. The collection contains handwritten notebooks, correspondence, creative writing, drawings, paintings, lyrics, photographs and media produced by Woody Guthrie. Along with the personal papers of Woody Guthrie, the Archives also include several special collections, a rare book collection, and a reference collection. For more information visit the Woody Guthrie Center website.

About the BMI Foundation

The BMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music. The Foundation’s programs include competitive scholarships for songwriters and composers, operating grants for nonprofit arts presenters, and support for innovative music education initiatives in schools and communities across the country. Tax-deductible donations to the Foundation may be made on our website. For exclusive news and content, follow @bmifoundation on Twitter and like “BMI Foundation” on Facebook.