Send Josh to Oxford!

Hi everyone,

I’m Josh. I’m a freelance writer/ journalist/ whatever pays the bills.

Earlier this year I was accepted to the University of Oxford to study an MSC in Social Anthropology. This is a huge honour and an absolute dream come true.

This, coupled with my BA in Journalism would be a huge tool to help me better understand the world around me and therefore better present that world in the stories I tell.

My goal/ passion: As a writer, my goal is to tell the stories of people who rarely get their story told. Sometimes that will be non-fiction, sometimes it will be based on true stories. An MSc in Social Anthropology from Oxford will aid me greatly in this endeavour.

The only trouble is, Oxford is expensive. I’ve spent the last year working and raising money just in case this opportunity happened and am happy to say that I am well on my way, acquiring just about half of the funds needed. Unfortunately, that still leaves about £10,000 to £15,000 needed.

Breakdown of cost:

Tuition fees: £12,300

College fees: £3,021

Cost of living in Oxford: £8,727 to £12,894 (according to the University of Oxford website)

Total: £24,048 to 28,215

Minus what I already have: Approx. £13,000 to £17,000


I’ve put the limit for this GoFundMe account as £10,000 because, if I make that, all tuition and college costs will be completed and I’ll have some left over for living costs. If I reach £15,000 then it means I reach the £24,048 lower threshold and all housing and food and such is paid for.

But I’m also working hard over the summer to acquire some of that extra £5,000.

And I am looking at loans (though considering I already have approximately £45,000 in loans from an undergraduate degree I’m not rushing to add to that).


What you get in return

I didn’t want this to just be a ‘hey, pay for me to go to university’ because I think that’s unfair. I want to try and give something back as well, even if it’s just something small.

So because of this, I’ve decided to let you in on a little secret. I’m currently writing my third book.

Third book? You ask. Yes. Third book (sorry for the weird punctuation there).

If you don’t believe me check out www.joshwpotter.com/books . I promise it’s true. My first book was self-published and my second is being serialised in an American online magazine.

This third book is going to be somewhat different though, somewhat bigger. I can’t really give too much away but it’s a fantasy/ epic/ a little bit of sci-fi but don’t get the wrong idea so I’m sticking with fantasy/ epic.

Anyway, I want to share my new book with you as a way of saying thank you for helping me get to university. So in true crowdfunding fashion, please see the box on the right (I think it’s on the right) saying what you get per amount given. I’m sorry it’s not more. I hope that’s ok.


Note: Just to let you know, I am working on my new book currently but as Oxford will take up most of my time next year it may take a while for it to come out. Don’t worry though, I will not forget you. I plan to keep all emails or best ways to get in contact with you and let you know when it’s coming out as well as, hopefully, let you know the progress that is being made on the book as it develops.

So yeah, it’s kind of weird but the main focus of this is getting me to university, with a little novel-writing thrown in there for good measure.

Thank you all for all your help. This means so much more to me than you know and I really appreciate it.

 

P.S. I will be continuing to work and raise money over the summer so will keep you updated as to the progress I am making (if I’m making any). I want you to know I’m not just sitting back and waiting.

 
More details regarding donations (each paragraph relates to a specific donation level. The * sign indicates which donation level the paragraph accompanies).

* Thank you for your donation. Please let me know what type of landmark you would like to be. I should be able to accommodate and am game to be creative. (You also get a free e-copy of my first book, Crownless Kings, and my new book).

** Thank you for your donation. You get to choose between good, evil, or neutral. Also, you may not be human, depending on where you show up in the novel. If you have any ideas feel free to contact me. I should be able to accommodate and am game to be creative. (You also get a free e-copy of my first book, Crownless Kings, and my new book).


*** Thank you for your donation. You get to choose between good, evil, or neutral. Also, you may not be human, depending on where you show up in the novel. If you have any ideas about whether you want to be a guide, a fighter, or how you want to affect these characters feel free to contact me. I should be able to accommodate and am game to be creative. (You also get an e-copy of my first book and signed copy of my new book).


**** Thank you for your donation. As ruler of a particular land you will be permanently awesome and cooler than all your friends. Also you may not be human. But let me know what your thoughts are. I’d love to have a go and be creative here. (As you are now royalty, you also get a signed copy of my first book and a signed copy of my new book).