We are thrilled to announce that Writers Guild at Bloomington member Victoria Deckard has been awarded the Ryser Scholarship this year.
Congratulations Victoria!
Watch this space for updates throughout the year.
– Applications for this years’ Ryser Scholarship will open in early fall. This year high school students may apply. The scholarship can be used for other events about writing, conferences or workshops, in-person or remote.
– This is Anna Petro, the 2022 winner of the Ryser Scholarship. 
She was a student in her first year at Bloomington High School North and chose to attend the IU Writers Conference. Take a look at the video she sent about being the scholarship recipient: 2022 Ryser Scholarship winner Anna Petro video on the Writers Guild You Tube channel.
Some Indiana writers workshops to consider:
IU Writers Conference – Bloomington
Indiana Writers’ Center, A Gathering of Writers – Indianapolis
Midwest Writers Workshop – Ball State University, Muncie
Writing for Your Life Spiritual Writers’ Conference – Indianapolis
Women Writing for (a) Change workshops – Bloomington
The Ryser Scholarship is offered annually by the Writers Guild at Bloomington to provide support for a writer from South Central Indiana to pursue excellence by attending a formal workshop in the craft of writing.
Open to writers of any experience level, the Ryser Scholarship rotates yearly between a high school student, a Language Arts teacher, and a Writer’s Guild member.
Joan Ryser, the scholarship namesake, taught American and European literature, creative writing, grammar, and composition at Bloomington High School South for 44 years, where she was a beloved mentor for budding writers and avid readers.
When Ryser passed away in 2017, she left instructions with her family that instead of flowers, memorial contributions be made to a local organization that promotes writing and literacy. The Writers Guild at Bloomington received the resulting donations and established the Writers Guild’s first scholarship award. The Writers Guild has set up a continuing plan for the award, committing 5% of all donations and event proceeds in order to create ongoing support for the scholarship.
Questions? Comments? You can contact us at ryseraward@