Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowships

Madeleine L’Engle, renowned and prolific young adult author, was born in November 1918 and started writing at age five. In 1941 she graduated cum laude from Smith College. A year later, the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History was founded as a way to document women’s diverse and complex lived experiences. In 2019, the Madeleine L’Engle archival papers were given to the Sophia Smith Collection, marking an eighty year arc of celebrating women’s historic contributions.

In honor of Madeleine’s lifelong dedication to writing, research, and the creation of new narratives, Special Collections has renamed its travel to collection funds in L’Engle’s honor. This fund provides stipends to support travel by researchers -- from novices to advanced scholars -- to use the special collections at Smith.

Current demand for travel support far exceeds available funds and so we are actively seeking to grow the L’Engle fund. Creating a dedicated endowment will enable research, promote the collections, and foster researchers use of the collections.

To Donate

Inquiries concerning contributing to the L’Engle Fellowships Fund can be made to the director of Special Collections, Beth Myers (emyers@smith.edu / 413-585-2978) or through the Online Giving Form. This new form saves time and simplifies the giving process. When you reach the Gift Designation section, pull down “Optional Designation” menu, you can write L’Engle Fund in on the box provided.

To Apply

To apply for a Madeleine L’Engle Travel Research Fellowship, please see Research Fellowships.