by NmaHassan Muhammad
This list ranges from fellowships, grants, residency to internships, scholarships and mentorship. Some deadlines are fast approaching while a few are farther out. Before you apply to these opportunities, however, please read carefully the requirements and eligibility.
Boston Review Fall Editorial Internship (full- and part-time)
Fall editorial internships at Boston Review run from September to December. They will consider candidates for remote internships, but strongly prefer candidates who can work in person in their office in Cambridge, MA. Interns at Boston Review work on a variety of editorial and promotional projects and have an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of editing, producing, and marketing a publication for serious and demanding readers.
Prior experience in publishing is less important than applicants’ knowledge of Boston Review and the level of commitment and creativity that they can bring to the magazine. Applicants from all backgrounds are welcome, especially those that are not well-represented in the publishing industry. Full-time interns receive a stipend of $2,500 for five full days of work a week; part-time interns receive a prorated stipend. Stipends are paid in three installments over the course of the internship.
To apply, please submit the following materials in a single PDF file: a cover letter of no more than one single-spaced page (specify whether you are seeking a full- or part-time position AND whether you can work in-person in their offices in Cambridge, MA); a résumé or curriculum vitae detailing your educational background, no more than two pages; the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of two references; and answers to the two questions, comprising no more than one single-spaced page.
Deadline is July 15, 2023. More details here.
Ucross Fellowship For Native American Writers – 2024
The Ucross Fellowship for Native American Writers is open to practicing writers who are currently producing work in one or more of the following genres — fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, or hybrid forms. Two Ucross Fellowships for Native American Writers will be awarded each year. Those selected for the fellowship are offered a four-week residency, a stipend of $2,000, and an opportunity to present work publicly.
Residencies are open to Native American writers who must be an enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village and a practicing contemporary writer who is currently producing works in one or more of the following genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, screenwriting, playwriting, and hybrid forms.
Deadline is July 15, 2023. More details here and here. Submission here.
PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants recognize literary works by immigrant and refugee writers. For the 2024 grant cycle, they will confer two PEN/Bare Life Review Grants with cash prizes of $5,000 each.
The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, written in or translated into English. In the case of translated works, the grant will be conferred to the original author.
The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2025, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a manuscript. The project must be a work of a literary nature: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. This grant is available to foreign-born writers based in the U.S., and to writers living abroad who hold refugee/asylum seeker status. Writers may only submit one project per year.
Documents to submit include: a 1-2 page description of the work answering, Why is this project important, and why did this author choose to undertake this project?; 1-2 page statement answering, How will this grant aid in the completion of the project?; a CV for the author of the project, which should include information on previous or forthcoming publications; an outline that includes the work completed thus far and the work remaining; a writing sample of up to 40 pages for poetry, and 75 pages for other genres.
Deadline is July 21, 2023. More details here and here. Submission here.
BreakBread Literary Apprentice Program
They offer internships in publishing to promising writers of high-school age who lack access to the traditional literary world. They want to change the face of publishing by cultivating, training, and mentoring young creatives in editorial practice so that they are well-prepared for college writing programs, jobs, and internships in publishing. All people age 14-19 in grades 9-12, or taking a gap year before college, are invited to apply. There is no experience required.
Literary Apprentices’ roles include: read and select work for publication in BreakBread Literary Magazine; upvote submissions to Assistant Genre Editor; attend genre meetings and participate in consensus-model discussion; attend all staff meetings; compose personalized rejection letters that provide feedback on submissions; and identify new talent and recruit submissions.
To qualify, applicants should be a bookworm, avid reader; aspiring editor/writer; open-minded, willingness to learn; love of all people; interest in amplifying youth voices; commitment to diversity in publishing and BreakBread vision of inclusion and social justice; age 14-19 (participants under age 18 must have parent permission); and time commitment.
Deadline is July 31, 2023. More details here and here. Submission here.
2023 Words of Resistance and Restoration
Words of Resistance and Restoration is a 12-week writing intensive where RWW’s faculty of acclaimed BIPOC literary artists teach justice-involved and impacted individuals interested in the literary arts (“Storytellers”) the art of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and speculative fiction. Words of Resistance attempts to cultivate healing, resilience, and community for storytellers. The beneficiaries are Black, Latina/e/x, Indigenous, Asian, Southeast Asian, and all People of Color (BIPOC)-identified storytellers who are formerly arrested, incarcerated, and/or under state control, as well as those who have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one.
Words of Resistance and Restoration culminates with a virtual public performance where storytellers perform writing they generated during the writing intensive. Storytellers are also published in a professional print anthology containing the pieces they pen. No prior publication experience is required. Up to 5 fellows will be selected to participate in each genre cohort. Fellows will receive an honorarium of $300.00 for the culminating performance and for their work to be published in an RWW anthology.
Deadline is July 31, 2023. More details here. Submission here.
#AWP24 HBCU Fellowship Program
This is from the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) for writers from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). The #AWP24 HBCU Fellowships will be offered to 2 faculty and 4 students. The fellowships include a $,4000 honorarium for faculty; a $250 honorarium for students; paid travel expenses and lodging for the duration of the conference; meeting and discussion with Rion Amilcar Scott; and article publication in The Writer’s Chronicle regarding their #AWP24 experience.
Applicants must be an active HBCU faculty (part or full-time) or a current HBCU student (undergraduate or graduate); be available to travel to Kansas City, Missouri February 7-10; and if faculty, must be available to serve as a mentor to 2 student fellowship recipients each for the duration of the conference.
If you are a faculty member and a graduate student, you will be required to apply under one category only. This is to ensure that every applicant has a fair chance. If you submit an application for both categories, it will not be considered.
Deadline is July 31, 2023. More details here. Submission here (please be sure to submit in the correct category).
Manuscript Consultations – Scholarship Application
Black Lawrence Press now offers scholarships for their consultation program. Although they keep the costs of their consults as low as possible, many writers are not able to afford these services.
They plan to award a total of $1,000 in scholarships per month. They will award the scholarships in the first week of August. If your manuscript is not selected for the scholarship, please feel free to apply again in the future.
Scholarship recipients will be chosen by senior Black Lawrence Press editors and will be selected based on the merit of the submitted work. Any writer who is looking for feedback on their work and would not otherwise be able to pay for a manuscript consultation is eligible. Applicants may be at any stage in their writing careers and they welcome new writers.
Deadline is July 31, 2023. More details here.
(Also see the Immigrant Writing Series on their Submittable page.)
Delaware Division of Arts’ Individual Arts Fellowship
Individual Artist Fellowships are awarded for artistic quality to Delaware creative artists working in the visual, performing, media, folk, and literary arts. Fellowships are designed to enable recipients to purchase equipment and materials, allocate working time, or fulfill other needs that will allow them to advance their careers (excluding foreign travel and lobbying). Fellowship recipients are required to present examples of their work to the public during their Fellowship year.
Applicants select between Emerging or Established categories. The Masters Fellowship is available in select disciplines on a three-year rotating basis to artists who meet specific criteria (for fiscal year 2024, the Masters is for Dance, Jazz, and Music; for 2025, it is for Literary and Media Arts). Awards are $5,000 for Emerging; $8,000 for Established; and $12,000 for Masters.
Deadline is August 1, 2023. More details here.
Oregon Literary Fellowship
For 2024, Oregon Literary Fellowships will award 8 fellowships in the amount of $3,500 to writers. One of these fellowships is specifically for a writer of color.
Literary Arts will award two fellowships in the amount of $10,000, for writers of exceptional talent, to assist in the further development of their career. One of these fellowships is specifically for a writer of color. Literary Arts will award two publishers fellowships in the amount of $3,500 to support Oregon’s independent publishers and small presses that demonstrate a commitment to literary publishing.
Deadline is August 4, 2023. More details here and here.. Submission here.
Mentorship Award: Moving Narratives
Mentorship Award: Moving Narratives is a multidisciplinary programme that re-examines legacies of the past, defies euro-centric social and historical discourses, centres the perspectives of marginalised communities, and forges connections between contemporary emancipatory movements and their historical roots.
The Mentorship Award: Moving Narratives will be carried out with three main goals in mind: firstly, to foster conversation, collaboration, and exchange within the cohort; secondly, to support each artist in their own individual practice; and, thirdly, to facilitate interchanges between the cohort and relevant external practitioners.
Applications are invited from individual, experienced artists and cultural practitioners who:
live and work in their eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe; are artists, cultural practitioners, or creatives whose practice highlights marginalised histories that challenge dominant worldviews; have ±7-15 years of relevant professional experience. Applicants need to be able to communicate in English.
Also, they will facilitate workshops, reading groups, guest talks, and peer-to-peer review sessions. Most activities will be online, but the cohort will come together twice in person for the Labs. Within the framework of the programme, the cohort will collectively create a joint project in the form of a printed publication and an online platform. Each participant will also receive an award of €10.000 to work on the project or body of work outlined in their application.
Deadline is August 10, 2023. More details here, here, and here. FAQs here. Submission here. (You’ll be required to sign up free on the Prince Claus Fund platform before you can apply).
Bio: NmaHassan Muhammad is a Nigerian writer. In May 2023, and to mark the posthumous birthday of his son, he launched two programs for Nigerian writers: Abdullateef Hamood Memorial Mini Grants and Abdullateef Hamood Memorial Mentorship Series. He’ll mentor eight members of the Northern Writers Forum for the inaugural Mentorship Series (short fiction).
