The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Scholarship for the Queer
The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Scholarship for the Queer
Embedded Files
In honor of a woman who loved art, culture, music, literature, fashion, and animals, The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Scholarship will provide scholarships of up to $1000 to Mississippi LGBTQ+ students in the Golden Triangle Area that are currently enrolled at MSU, MUW, or EMCC.
Joyce was born June 11, 1931, in Artesia, MS, and attended Mississippi College for Women before moving to New York City in 1956 where she worked as a librarian for Price Waterhouse.
While in NYC in the late 50s to late 70s, Joyce lived outwardly as a lesbian and enjoyed a long relationship with a woman named Claire. In the city, Joyce and Claire immersed themselves in art, music, and culture in their neighborhood of Greenwich Village.
However, upon moving back to Mississippi to take care of her mother, and following her breakup with Claire in the early 80s, Joyce reentered the closet and remained closeted until her death at 93 on Feb 11th, 2025.
Her story and legacy was left to discover in her books, letters, journals, photos, music, and art — clues of a vibrant, queer life surrounded by culture, art, poetry, and music.
Her legacy helped inspire the first Cat’s Meow Drag Show in The Great Catsby Herb Cartel garden and the creation of the scholarship fund honoring her life as a queer Mississippian. Many queer Mississippians of her era have stories and legacies that are lost and undocumented. However, her story will inspire and uplift a new generation of queer Mississippians who can live more freely than she could.
The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Scholarship for the Queer offers scholarships of up to $1000 to LGBTQ+ students currently enrolled at MUW, MSU, or EMCC:
Applications open Nov 6th, 2026 and close Dec 6th, 2026.
Scholarships will be awarded in January 2027 after a review process by a committee of peers
Applicants must be actively enrolled at MUW, MSU, or EMCC
Applicants can request a scholarship of up to $1000 to help cover education related expenses such as tuition, housing, books, supplies, project expenses, meal plan, parking, etc.
Applicants may only submit one application per scholarship cycle
NO Artificial Intelligence may be used in the application process and submitted materials. If AI is suspected, applicants will need to provide clarifying materials or risk disqualification
We encourage personality and self expression over perfection when applying
Please keep responses concise but thorough enough to express yourself
This scholarship is funded by the attendees and supporters of The Cat's Meow Drag Show hosted by The Great Catsby Herb Cartel
if you have any questions, please contact us
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse