Emerging Voices Fellowship (United States)

The program is committed to cultivating the careers of Black writers, and serves writers who identify as Indigenous, persons of color, LGBTQ+, immigrants, writers with disabilities, and those living outside of urban centers. Through curated one-on-one mentorship and introductions to editors, agents, and publishers, in addition to workshops on editing, marketing, and creating a platform, the five-month fellowship nurtures creative community, provides a professional skill-set, and demystifies the path to publication—with the ultimate goal of diversifying the publishing and media industries. An iteration of the fellowship, the Emerging Voices Workshop, offers an intensive in person week-long workshop, offered twice annually, in Los Angeles, California.

Fellowship Benefits and Components

• Mentorship and Knowledge of the Business of Books
  • Five months of guidance from a professional mentor on their current writing project
  • Insider knowledge about publishers and literary agencies through panels and Q&As
• Community
  • Writing and craft conversations with accomplished visiting authors
  • One public event featuring reading of new work by current fellows
  • A one-year membership in PEN America
• A Writer’s Toolkit
  • A professional headshot
  • Deals and discounts for classes and programs from partner organizations
  • A submission guide for literary journals, agents, residencies, and fellowships
  • Masterclasses and workshops in genre, reading and voice technique, copyediting, and other relevant topics

Funding Information

• Twelve fellows will receive an honorarium of $1,500. Fellows will be paired with a mentor to serve as a source of guidance for the project.
• PEN America will draw on the Emerging Voices Advisory Committee, as well as its network of agents, editors, publishers, partner organizations, and outlets in order to assist efforts for publication and dissemination of the work of the fellows. Opportunities for sharing the created work through public forums will be organized on virtual platforms.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be 21 years of age or older at time of application.
• Applicants do not need to be a U.S. permanent resident and/or citizen but must be residing in the United States at the time of applying for, and during the duration of, the fellowship.
• Applicants must be available to participate actively in all dimensions of fellowship programming, including mandatory virtual workshops, virtual gatherings, and virtual public programs.
• Applicants cannot be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of the fellowship’s start date (June 2024).  Doctoral candidates who have completed all coursework are considered eligible.
• Applicants cannot be a recipient of an advanced degree in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.
• Applicants cannot have one or more books published through major or independent publishers, university presses, or established presses, nor have a book under contract to a publisher at the time of application. Chapbooks or work published in literary journals are acceptable.
• Former Emerging Voices Fellows are not eligible to reapply.

For more information, visit PEN America.