another rejection letter today

This one was from The Multi-Arts Production Fund.

I'm particularly bummed because I met their program officers in New York in January. They were very enthusiastic about Migritude and encouraged me to apply. I was leaving for Nairobi in two days. I spent the next 48 hours in frantic email communication with collaborators and my amazing friend / grantwriter J. I asked huge last-minute favors of them to pull it all together, and get it in before the deadline. I remember panting through the Village, the morning of the day I flew, to hand-deliver my work sample DVDs at the MAP Fund offices.

That's 5 rejections so far this year. Funding rejections, that is. I don't want to even start counting the number of presenters / festivals / venues that have turned Migritude down.

I keep reminding myself of Van Gogh, who didn't sell a single painting in his lifetime.