Iowa Writers’ Workshop student, alumna receive grants from James Patterson to finish books

One recent graduate and one current student of the Iowa Writers' Workshop have been awarded grants from acclaimed author James Patterson to complete their writing projects.

Jungin Angie Lee and Ajay Patri were two of 12 awardees, who were each given up to $50,000 to help them complete their manuscripts as part of Patterson's "Go Finish Your Book!" campaign. Patterson organized the initiative, which received hundreds of submissions, in collaboration with several organizations, including the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

"We're thrilled that these emerging writers had the opportunity to apply to James Patterson's 'Go Finish Your Book!'" says Lan Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. "This initiative provides the gift of time to new writers at a crucial moment in their development. It is a tremendous boost of confidence to gain the support of a pathbreaking writer."

Jungin Angie Lee

Lee, who is from Illinois and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, graduated with an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop in May.

"I was so surprised and honored to receive this grant," Lee says. "I'm heads down on finishing this book, and I feel equipped and motivated to finish it and hopefully send it out into the world."

Lee says she has always loved reading books, but she first started thinking seriously about becoming a writer while getting her undergraduate degree in English at Stanford University. During her time there, Lee took a virtual class taught by Chang that inspired her to apply to the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

"Iowa has fundamentally shaped the writer I have become and hope to be in the future," Lee says. "I've not only been equipped with the tools of the craft, but I've also learned that I should use those tools in the unique way that only I can use them. I also learned so much from my cohort of classmates. I found writers I envision reading for the rest of my life."

With the grant funding, Lee will continue to work on a short story collection she began as her MFA thesis for the workshop. Lee, who has spinal muscular atrophy, says each of the planned 10 stories will include a character with a disability and will center on family, friendship, and the intricacies of giving and receiving care.

"Part of the reason I wanted to become a writer is that books make the world more accessible," she says. "By reading words on a page, you can be transported all over the world, into all sorts of brains. Growing up, I rarely saw disability represented in books except as something negative or creating conflict. I craved to see characters who happen to have disabilities, who are living their lives and facing conflict, which might sometimes come from their disability, but sometimes just from life."

She adds that people with disabilities may not have the capacity to write because of added costs associated with their disability, such as medications, caregivers, and accessible housing.

"This grant gives me the capacity to write and really focus on revising in a way I am so grateful for," she says.

Ajay Patri

Patri moved from Bangalore, India, to Iowa City to start at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2024. He will graduate from the workshop in the spring.

"I feel really grateful," Patri says about receiving the grant. "The gestation period for a novel can take months and years. Getting this sense of validation from a professional author who thinks my work is deserving of recognition is deeply encouraging."

After graduating from law school in Bangalore, Patri began writing on the side, spurred on by his love of reading. He received a writing fellowship from the South Asia Speaks Foundation in 2021, where his mentor, novelist Madhuri Vijay, told him about the Iowa Writers' Workshop and how her time as a graduate student there affected her own writing.

"Being in the workshop with professors and fellow students who care about writing and literature as much as I do, and talking with them about writing, has helped me become both a better reader and a better writer," Patri says. "I feel more confident in my writing. And the community is great. Moving here for the workshop was my first time moving outside of India. I think writing comes easier when you are at a place where you feel at home."

With the grant funding, Patri intends to work on a novel, A Call for Help, which follows a day in the life of a woman trying to raise enough money to make sure her daughter's wedding takes place the next day. He also is working on a short story collection consisting of pieces he's worked on during his time at the workshop.

"A lot of the same questions inform the short stories and the novel," he says. "They all deal with how well we understand each other, the limitations of our understanding of other people, and how that limits our capacity for empathy. I also have a soft spot for stories about parents and their children. Those relationships are often complicated, and I like exploring the expectations and responsibilities that come with them."