The summer of 1975 was flying by. It was our second summer in Indiana and nearly time to pack middle-brother David off to college for his freshman year at I.U.

Mom decided at the last minute to sign up for a relatively new program at Ball State University. The Midwest Writers Workshop was a summer conference for poets, novelists, and everything in between.

Unfortunately, she received word that the poetry workshop was already at capacity. She was encouraged to sign up for another class and maybe the faculty member would find room for her.

Not only did John Knoepfle make room for her, he awarded her a scholarship for the next year.

Fifty years later, Mom’s brood of four is offering a scholarship to this year’s Midwest Writers Workshop. We want another young writer to get the opportunity to learn and enjoy as she did all those years ago.

Here’s a poem Mom wrote a month after her first workshop:

the box

staring at my navel I fell in

a night light burned beside my mother’s box

the box was cold with stones and broken flowers

I heard my father calling out her name

I turned the night light off and went upstairs
the moon was reigning in her court of stars

~ Joan Vayo ~ September 17, 1975

Here’s more information about the Joan Vayo Scholarship, including how to apply. The deadline to apply for any of the seven scholarships offered this year is April 24, 2026. Good luck to all!

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“the box” ©1975 Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.

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