Greta Wrolstad Travel Award

The Greta Wrolstad Travel Award was established in 2005, in memory of Greta Wrolstad, a poet in the MFA program from 2004-2005. The award is granted to an outstanding poet enrolled in the MFA program, for support of travel to a writing workshop, conference, or residency in the U.S. or abroad as well as research for a creative project. The award consists of a prize of approximately $3,000.

While in the program at Montana, Greta Wrolstad was awarded a Poetry Fellowship, served as the poetry co-editor of CutBank and attended the 2005 Summer Literary Seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia, on a scholarship awarded by Fence Books. The Greta Wrolstad Scholarship for Young Poets, an annual award given to a female poet under the age of 30 to attend the Summer Literary Seminars, was subsequently created in her honor.

Her poems have appeared in The Canary, Black Warrior Review, A Public Space, Octopus Magazine, and CutBank.  Two of her manuscripts have been published post-humously by Tavern Books: the chapbook Notes on Sea Shore and the full-length collection Night Simply a Shadow. 

Tavern Books also runs The Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series. It exists to champion exceptional literary works by young women poets. Each year they invite submissions of new poetry collections from women 40 and younger; selected poets have their books published and participate in a month-long Wrolstad residency at The Rice Place in Damascus, Oregon. 

Previous Winners

Past recipients of the Greta Wrolstad Travel Award include:

  • Sabrina Black and Gabriella Graceffo (2021)
  • Alyx Chandler, Will Fesperman, Cassandra Lee, and Danielle Cooney (2020)
  • Carlos Medina (2019)
  • Georgia Dennison (2018)
  • Sarah Aronson (2017)
  • Sierra Jacob (2016)
  • Max Kaisler (2015)
  • Kate Nitze (2014)
  • John Bennett (2013)
  • Laurel Nakanishi (2012)
  • Hannah Soukup (2011)
  • Maren Vespia (2010)
  • Lindsay Bland & Caitlin Moore (2009)
  • Lucas Farrell (2008)
  • Trina Burke (2007)
  • Devon Wootten (2006)

Greta Wrolstad Memorial

Greta Wrolstad memorial plaque on a rock

The University of Montana memorialized Greta Wrolstad with a bench and rock at the southwest corner of the Liberal Arts Building. This is a pleasant place to spend some contemplative time. The bench has a plaque with a line from her collection, Notes on Sea and Shore: "At the river's first bend we come ashore, and on that shore, stones. Smooth, diminishing stones." This memorial was made possible by Greta's loving parents, Kathy and Ronald Wrolstad. At a dedication ceremony on Sunday, May 10, 2009, friends and family read poems by Greta, spoke about her tremendous spirit, and celebrated the great poet who left us too soon.