the donald e. waterfall scholarship fund
About My Father
My father was the first in his family to finish high school. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1965 and later earned a full scholarship to complete his PhD in Philosophy at Princeton University.
He worked as a diplomat before returning to academia, teaching philosophy at his alma mater. When his grandchildren were born, he quietly prepared education funds for each of them.
He read everywhere — through noise, interruption, and ordinary life — as if reading were a form of listening. Poetry mattered to him in that way. As I grew older, the books grew stranger and denser, passed along without instruction. Mastery was never the point. What mattered was proximity: poetry lived all around us.
When he died suddenly in April 2021, I began thinking seriously about how to honour that inheritance.
This fund is one way I continue his belief in access, care, and the quiet work that keeps a poet going.
The Donald E. Waterfall Scholarship Fund exists to support emerging poets through care, mentorship, and sustained attention.
It is named for my father, Donald E. Waterfall — my first poetry mentor and a lifelong believer in education as a public good.
When you support this work, you help build the conditions in which a poet can continue.
What the Scholarship Supports
The DEW Scholarship provides direct support to an emerging poet whose work demonstrates seriousness of craft, originality of perspective, and attentiveness to language.
The intention is not production.
It is steadiness.
It is relief from unnecessary friction.
Contributions help sustain mentorship, micro-grants, and the ongoing work of supporting an emerging poet.
Mentorship
Each DEW Scholar receives a year of mentorship with me: attentive reading, conversations about craft, support navigating opportunities, and visibility when it feels right.
No deliverables.
No quotas.
No pressure to perform.
Just sustained attention, honesty, and room to grow.
Support the DEW Scholarship
If you’d like to support the next DEW Scholar, you can make a one-time or recurring contribution below.
[ Donate to the DEW Scholarship ]
Your contribution helps sustain mentorship, micro-grants, and gate-free access.
How the Fund Works
The DEW Scholarship began by supporting one poet and continues by deepening that commitment.
It does not operate on rigid cycles or institutional timelines.
It grows through reader support, trust, and capacity.
New pathways emerge gradually, shaped by each writer’s needs and the realities of the work.
This is slow by design.
The intention is to support one emerging poet each year, contingent on available funding and capacity.
Gate-Free Literary Futures
Beginning in January 2026, the fund’s work widens. Alongside support for the next scholar, the DEW Fund may also help maintain shared, gate-free literary infrastructure — including The CounterFeed™, a growing digital archive of teaching materials, recordings, and resources.
One guiding principle remains constant:
remove unnecessary gates and keep the work humane.
Current Status
Applications are currently closed. Updates are shared through Archipel as the work evolves.
A Living Commitment
This scholarship adapts as the work grows. Details may shift, but the intention remains steady:
to keep doors open
to reduce friction where it isn’t needed
to support poets in staying the course
Thank you for being part of this ecosystem.