The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History recognize literary works of nonfiction that use oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. For the 2023 grant cycle, we will confer two PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History with cash prizes of $15,000 each.
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from April 1, 2022 through June 1, 2022. Submissions will close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on June 1.
Eligibility:
- The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, written in English.
- The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2023, as the grants are intended to support the completion of a final book.
- The project must be a work of literary nonfiction (scholarly/academic writing is not eligible).
- Oral history must be a significant component of the project and its research.
How to apply:
Please note that the application will require the following, submitted as one PDF file, in the below order, using a standard 12-point font and 1 inch margins:
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced description of the work, answering: Why is this project important, and why did this author chose to undertake this project?
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement answering: Why and how is oral history used in the project?
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement answering: How will this grant aid in the completion of the project? (This space can additionally be used to discuss any permissions, rights, publishing contracts, publication timelines, or other aspects of your project, should they be applicable.)
- A CV for the author of the project, which should include information on previous and forthcoming publications.
- An outline that includes the work completed thus far and the work remaining. The outline should include the names of participants.
- Unedited transcripts of the project interviews (6-10 double-spaced pages) relating to the writing sample.
- A writing sample from the project (20-40 double-spaced pages) which utilizes the submitted project interviews.
Contact awards@pen.org with any questions.
The PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants were established in the summer of 2003 by a gift from Priscilla and Michael Henry Heim in response to the low number of literary translations currently appearing in English. Their purpose is to promote the publication and reception of translated world literature in English.
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from April 1, 2022 through June 1, 2022.
Who is eligible:
- The PEN/Heim Translation Fund provides grants to support the translation of book-length works of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama that have not previously appeared in English in print or have appeared only in an outdated or otherwise flawed translation.
- Works should be translations-in-progress, as the grant aims to provide support for completion.
- There are no restrictions on the nationality or citizenship of the translator, but the works must be translated into English.
- The Fund seeks to encourage translators to undertake projects they might not otherwise have had the means to attempt.
- Anthologies with multiple translators, works of literary criticism, and scholarly or technical texts do not qualify.
- Translators who have previously been awarded grants by the Fund are ineligible to reapply for three years after the year in which they receive a grant.
- Please note that projects that have been previously submitted and have not received a grant are unlikely to be reconsidered in a subsequent year.
- Projects may have up to two translators.
- Translators may only submit one project per year.
How to apply:
Translators must complete the below applications form by 11:59 PM (EST) June 1, 2022. The below application will require the following materials. Please use a standard 12pt font with 1 inch margins.
1. The application form, with all items completed:
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement outlining the work and describing its importance.
- A biography and bibliography of the original author, including information on translations of their work into other languages.
- A CV of the translator, no longer than 3 pages.
- If the book is not in the public domain and the project is not yet under contract, please include a photocopy of the copyright notice on the original (the copyright notice is a line including the character ©, a date, and the name of the copyright holder, which appears as part of the front matter in every book), and a letter from the copyright holder stating that English-language rights to the book are available. A letter or copy of an email from the copyright holder is sufficient.
- If the translation is currently under contract with a publisher, please submit a copy of the contract.
2. An 8–10 page, single-spaced sample of the translation. For prose, this should be within the range of 3,000-5,000 words. For poetry, please include 1-2 poems per page, within the 8–10 page range.
3. The same passage in the original language (and, if the work has been previously translated, the same passage in the earlier version).
Please be mindful of the requirements for 12pt font and 1 inch margins. The judges reserve the right to withdraw from consideration any submissions that go over these requirements.
Contact awards@pen.org with any questions.
The PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists is offered annually to an author of children’s or young adult fiction for a novel-in-progress. Previously called the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, the award was developed to help writers whose work is of high literary caliber and assist a writer at a crucial moment in their career to complete their novel. The author of the winning manuscript, selected blindly by judges unaware of nominees’ names, will receive an award of $5,000.
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from April 1, 2022 through June 1, 2022. Submissions will close at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on June 1.
Who Is Eligible:
- The candidate is a writer of children's or young adult fiction.
- Candidates must have published one or more novels for children or young adults that have been warmly received by literary critics, but have not generated significant sales.
- The writer’s previously published book(s) must be published by a U.S. trade publisher. Self-published works are ineligible.
- The submitted work must be a novel-in-progress that will not be published prior to April 1, 2023.
- Please note: At this time, graphic novels and picture books are not eligible for the fellowship.
How to Apply or Nominate:
Writers may apply themselves or nominate a fellow writer. Please submit the following materials:
- Cover letter: A 1-2 page letter including a brief (1-3 sentence) summary of the project, a description of how the candidate meets the criteria for the grant, and a list of the candidate's published novel(s) for children and/or young adults.
- Professional review: Copies of or links to 1-3 reviews of the candidate's novel(s) from professional publications.
- Letter of recommendation: A 1-2 page letter of support from an editor or fellow writer.
- Project outline: A brief (2-4 page) outline of the novel-in-progress being submitted. The candidate's name should not appear anywhere on the outline to ensure anonymity, as only the outline, letter of utility, and manuscript will be given to the judges for consideration.
- Letter of Utility: A brief description (1-2 pages) of how the funds will be used to complete the project. What will the candidate be able to accomplish with this funding that they could not do otherwise? Book sales, earnings, or other relevant information may be included here. The candidate’s name should not appear anywhere on the letter of utility to ensure anonymity, as only the outline, letter of utility, and manuscript will be given to the judges for consideration.
- Manuscript sample: 50–75 pages of the text. The candidate's name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript sample, in order to ensure anonymity for the judging process. Only the outline, letter of utility, and manuscript sample will be given to the judges for consideration.
- Please upload the Project Outline, Letter of Utility, and Manuscript sample as one anonymous PDF file. Please upload the Cover Letter, Professional Review(s), and Letter of Recommendation as a separate PDF file.
Contact awards@pen.org with any questions.
PEN America’s Emerging Voices Fellowship will select 12 emerging writers for a five-month mentorship program.
The Emerging Voices Fellowship provides a virtual five-month immersive mentorship program for early-career writers from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world. 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. Twelve fellows will be chosen in 2022, each awarded an honorarium of $1,500.
Guidelines:
Please read the following closely, as our application requirements have changed and aspects of our program have been adjusted for 2022. Learn more information on benefits and components of the program: https://pen.org/emerging-voices-fellowship/.
Fellowship Timeline:
The five months of the fellowship are designed for fellows to connect with mentors and the cohort and refine their writing project while learning new skills and building relationships with publishing industry instructors, PEN America staff, and the literary community.
January 2022 Emerging Voices Fellowship Application period
May Fellows announced
June-October 2022 Emerging Voices Fellowship period
Eligibility
- 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 2022).
- 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.
Selection Criteria and Process:
Given the highly competitive nature of the selection process for this fellowship, we advise using care in your project application. Though the application will be assessed as a whole, fellows will be selected primarily based on the strength of the writing sample by a committee of established writers and publishing professionals, former fellows, and PEN America staff. We encourage you to submit writing that best showcases your work.
Closely review all required materials listed below. Please be mindful of the specific application requests. Failure to follow instructions carefully will result in disqualification. Late applications will not be accepted, without exception. We suggest you submit early to avoid technical issues. Applicants may only submit in one genre to the 2022 fellowship.
The selection decisions of PEN America will be final and not subject to review. We regret that due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to provide any individualized feedback at any point during or after the application process. General questions about the application process sent to ev@pen.org will be answered at the discretion of PEN America.
Applications close at 11:59pm ET on January 31, 2022. Fellows will be announced in May.
PEN America does not discriminate based upon age, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, status as a veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.
The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported. Grant decisions are made on a periodic basis by a volunteer committee of literary peers in consultation with PEN America staff, using the following guidelines to evaluate professional credentials:
- Publication of one or more books. (Writers who are only self-published or published by a press that charges for publication are not eligible.)
- Multiple essays, short stories, or poems appearing in literary anthologies or literary journals (either online or in print) in the last two years.
- A full-length play, performed in a theater by a professional theater company. Productions in academic settings qualify if the author is not a student at the time of the production.
- Production of a motion picture project or a segment of television.
- Employment as a full-time professional journalist, columnist, or critic, or a record of consistent publication on a freelance basis in a range of outlets during the last two years.
- Contracted forthcoming books, essays, short stories, poems, or articles for which the name of the publisher can be provided.
- Other qualifications that support the applicant’s professional identity as a writer.
The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is not intended to subsidize writing-related expenses, such as equipment, printing, shipping, travel, or publicity services. Writers do not have to be Members of PEN America to receive a grant, but all recipients of emergency funding will be given a complimentary one-year PEN America membership. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and will be reviewed on or about the following dates in 2022:
February 1, 2022
April 1, 2022
June 1, 2022
August 1, 2022
October 1, 2022
December 1, 2022
Please review all eligibility criteria before applying. We encourage applicants to be specific and thorough in presenting their case for support so that a proper evaluation of the application can be made. All complete applications will be reviewed, and all applicants will be notified of a grant decision within 10-12 weeks' time. Not all applications will be supported, and the Committee’s decision is final.
Questions may be addressed to the writersfund@pen.org.