Deadline: September 7, 2020 by 11:59pm EST
The Margins AAWW Fellowship 2021 for Asian & American Writers ( funded)
The Margins Fellowship shapes an environment in which writers can generate new, original work, build connections, and engage in dialogue with a community of writer peers.
Through the Margins Fellowship, the AAWW offers emerging writers resources that they can take advantage of, such as access to workshops and training, publication opportunities, and programming opportunities in our event space.
BENEFITS
Four emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab writers of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction based in New York City will receive $5,000, residency time at the Millay Colony for the Arts, mentorship, access to the AAWW writing space, and publication opportunities in our online magazine, The Margins. We see this as a chance to support Asian diasporic writers, including South and Southeast Asian diasporic writers, Arab and West Asian writers, and Muslim writers of color more broadly.
ELIGIBILITY
Fellowship candidates must be New York City residents as of January 1, 2021, as the program is scheduled to take place in-person
DURATION
The Margins Fellowship is a year-long program.
ABOUT
The Margins Fellowship is a year-long program. The 2021 fellowship year will run from January 11 to December 17.
STIPEND: $5,000 honoraria, distributed in three parts over the fellowship year. Fellowship payment will require the completion of an IRS W-9 or W-8BEN form;
RESIDENCY: Fellows are awarded residency time at The Millay Colony—an innovative seven-acre artists retreat space at the former house and gardens of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, NY;
WRITING SPACE: 24/7 access to AAWW’s space, when the space reopens. Given that time and space to write are rare in New York, the Margins Fellows will be given keys to the AAWW Reading Room and workspace;
PUBLICATION: Fellows are invited to publish work on our online magazine, The Margins;
MENTORSHIP: In the second half of the fellowship term, fellows are paired with an established writer who will meet with fellows either in-person or virtually at minimum four times during and after the fellowship year. Previous mentors include Hua Hsu, Tina Chang, Monica Youn, Alexander Chee, Meera Nair, and Kaitlyn Greenidge;
CAREER BUILDING: Fellows are offered access to private career meet-ups and meetings with editors, agents, and fellow writers;
AAWW MEMBERSHIP: Free membership to AAWW includes discounts on book sales and free access to general programs;
WRITING WORKSHOP: One free writing workshop organized through AAWW ($200);
GUIDANCE: AAWW Programs Manager will meet with you periodically throughout the fellowship year to discuss your career goals and how AAWW can help you meet them;
FINAL READING: Fellows will take to the stage with their mentors for a final celebratory reading at the culmination of the fellowship year;
HEADSHOTS: We invite a photographer to take professional headshots of our fellows that they can use going forward.
MATERIALS
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: 500 words max describing what you would do with the fellowship as a creative writer, artist, and curator. You will enter this into a field within the Submittable form
WRITING SAMPLE: A writing sample that reflects a current project
—Writing samples must be uploaded to the application form as PDFs or MS Word Documents
—Fiction and creative nonfiction samples should be double-spaced. Poetry samples may stay true to their original formatting
—All samples should use size 12 font
—Previously published work is acceptable, but please do not include publication information
—Writing samples should be no longer than the following page lengths:
Poetry: 10 pages
Fiction: 20 pages
Creative Nonfiction: 20 pages
CV: 2 to 3 pages
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read our FAQ before applying. Applications to the 2021 Margins fellowship will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, September 7, 2020. There is no submission fee to apply to the Margins fellowship.
SELECTION PROCESS
Applicants are reviewed by a selection panel composed of AAWW staff, fellowship alumni, and distinguished writers. The panel chooses ten finalists to interview, and from those four fellows are chosen.
For more Information: Visit the website for Margins AAWW Fellowship 2020 for Asian & American Writers
