The Greta Wrolstad Travel Award was established in 2005, in memory of Greta Wrolstad, a poet in the MFA program from 2004-2005. The award is granted to an outstanding poet enrolled in the MFA program, for support of travel to a writing workshop, conference, or residency in the U.S. or abroad as well as research for a creative project. The award consists of a prize of approximately $3,000.
While in the program at Montana, Greta Wrolstad was awarded a Poetry Fellowship, served as the poetry co-editor of and attended the 2005 Summer Literary Seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a scholarship awarded by Fence Books. The Greta Wrolstad Scholarship for Young Poets, an annual award given to a female poet under the age of 30 to attend the Summer Literary Seminars, was subsequently created in her honor.
Her poems have appeared in The Canary, Black Warrior Review, A Public Space, Octopus Magazine, and CutBank. Two of her manuscripts have been published post-humously by Tavern Books: the chapbook Notes on Sea Shore and the full-length collection Night Simply a Shadow.
Tavern Books also runs . It exists to champion exceptional literary works by young women poets. Each year they invite submissions of new poetry collections from women 40 and younger; selected poets have their books published and participate in a month-long Wrolstad residency at The Rice Place in Damascus, Oregon.
Previous Winners
Past recipients of the Greta Wrolstad Travel Award include:
- Sabrina Black and Gabriella Graceffo (2021)
- Alyx Chandler, Will Fesperman, Cassandra Lee, and Danielle Cooney (2020)
- Carlos Medina (2019)
- Georgia Dennison (2018)
- Sarah Aronson (2017)
- Sierra Jacob (2016)
- Max Kaisler (2015)
- Kate Nitze (2014)
- John Bennett (2013)
- Laurel Nakanishi (2012)
- Hannah Soukup (2011)
- Maren Vespia (2010)
- Lindsay Bland & Caitlin Moore (2009)
- Lucas Farrell (2008)
- Trina Burke (2007)
- Devon Wootten (2006)
Greta Wrolstad Memorial
The Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ memorialized Greta Wrolstad with a bench and rock at the southwest corner of the Liberal Arts Building. This is a pleasant place to spend some contemplative time. The bench has a plaque with a line from her collection, Notes on Sea and Shore: "At the river's first bend we come ashore, and on that shore, stones. Smooth, diminishing stones." This memorial was made possible by Greta's loving parents, Kathy and Ronald Wrolstad. At a dedication ceremony on Sunday, May 10, 2009, friends and family read poems by Greta, spoke about her tremendous spirit, and celebrated the great poet who left us too soon.