The Scholarship
The Rebecca Dykes Writers Scholarship has been established in memory of Rebecca ‘Becky’ Dykes by her mother, Jane Houng. This scholarship provides funds to support a storyteller impacted by femicide.
Thirty-year-old Rebecca Dykes was raped and strangled by a taxi driver in December 2017. She was a humanitarian, working for disadvantaged locals and refugees at the British Embassy in Lebanon. Jane Houng, Becky’s mother, now dedicates her life to raising awareness about gender-based violence, donating Becky’s Button, a personal panic alarm, to vulnerable women, and speaking with young men and women at universities around the world.
Jane has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has published over seven children’s books. The Rebecca Dykes Foundation, an organization aimed at ending femicide one word at a time, is managed by Jane’s cohort who attract first-rate faculty. Further details about the organization and their programming can be found at www.rebeccadykeswriters.org.
Get more information about the scholarship process and apply here. (PLEASE NOTE: The 2025 scholarship period is now closed. This link will give you the opportunity to join a list so that you may be informed when the next year’s window will be opened.)
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Our 2025 Rebecca Dykes Writers Scholarship Recipient
The last few years have been tough for everyone, for many reasons. The publishing industry has experienced some changes, and I’ve felt them on a personal level as well. When my novel verse, THE ROAD TO AFTER, debuted in 2022, followed by my debut picture book, CATCHING FLIGHT in 2023, it felt like I was gaining momentum. I thought I would continue to produce book after book and all would be well. And though I’ve created several more picture books and another novel in verse, I haven’t made a sale in years. It’s disappointing and I keep writing. I keep making. I keep painting.
Receiving the Rebecca Dykes scholarship to attend a full workshop at the Highlights Foundation is a bright spot. It feels like turning point. It’s the “yes” I’ve been longing for. It’s the chance to write (well) again, the chance to feel hope again. It’s the door opening where so many others have closed. It’s the start of something wonderful. I know that the time will be both memorable and productive. Ever since I learned about these magical retreats, I’ve hoped to attend, but as a single mother, it wasn’t possible financially. I learned about Highlights Scholarships and applied over the winter. When I received the email saying I had been awarded a scholarship I felt a spark of hope again. Receiving this scholarship is so meaningful and special to me. I’m humbled that Highlights is willing to give me a chance. My heart has wanted to write again, but my confidence has been shaken. This retreat will be healing in more ways than one. I can’t wait to spend time with everyone and nerd out about making books. I can’t wait to see the landscape and dine on the legendary cuisine. I can’t wait to see my cabin, sit down and let the words flow again— either by hand or clacking keyboard. I’m deeply thankful to Jane Houng for creating the Rebecca Dykes scholarship and for the Highlights Foundation for this honor. I’m looking forward to my time there.
I know the struggle these past few years has not been my own. I know this has been a tough several years for everybody— and it’s not getting easier right now. This is why we need to keep producing stories of hope— so that is what I will do — at Highlights. Thank you for this opportunity. My next book is wrapped in her chrysalis, waiting for the right time to emerge.
Our 2024 Rebecca Dykes Writers Scholarship Recipient
Jess Rinker is an award-winning writer who has several books for young readers including picture book biographies and middle grade fiction. Titles include Gloria Takes a Stand, a biography of feminist icon Gloria Steinem, Send a Girl!: The True Story of How Women Joined the FDNY; middle grade novels The Dare Sisters and The Dare Sisters: Shipwrecked!, Out of Time: Lost on the Titanic, The Hike to Home and the forthcoming Monolith, a Wandering Moth Press endeavor.
Jess, was the Rebecca Dykes Writing Scholar for the 2024 retreat and recently wrote about her experience on Substack. “I’m just grateful Rebecca Dykes Writers and Highlights held us in a way that allowed some intense conversations, gentle meditation, tears, and a lot of laughter.” Read the substack.
jessrinker.com
Instagram: @jessrinkerauthor
Our 2022 Rebecca Dykes Writers Scholarship Recipient
Azra Rahim is a Muslim Indian Afghani, born in India, raised in Iraq and an immigrant to the US. As a physician, writer, and Sufi practitioner, she brings her passion for change to the page and her infectious laugh and deep wisdom to the writers she spends time with. A delight to have at our retreat, Azra is the embodiment of a Rebecca Dykes Writer: a fierce advocate for women, her words are sure to have a ripple effect wherever they are read.
Her work-in-progress, Welcome to Womanhood, is a planned anthology / memoir that creates a space for women to share their own lives and experience in order to create guidance for future generations. The work is targeted to Muslim Desi women specifically and women in general.
