Originally aired: October 28, 2021
The PEN America 2021 Emerging Voices fellows read together as the culmination of their fellowship.
Participating Fellows:
Rochelle Marrett, Lilly U. Nguyen, Adrienne Oliver, Tochukwu Okafor, Ofelia Montelongo, Kimberly Nguyen, Shanda McManus
Participating Mentors:
Maisy Card, Nadia Owusu, Chet’la Sebree, Naomi Jackson, Jaquira Díaz, Paul Tran, Bridgett M. Davis
The Emerging Voices Fellowship provides a 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, LGBTQIA+, 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.
The Emerging Voices Fellowship grew out of PEN America Los Angeles’s forum “Writing the Immigrant Experience,” held at the Los Angeles Central Library in March 1994, which explored the experiences of first- and second-generation immigrant writers. In 1996, PEN America Los Angeles initiated Emerging Voices as a mentorship program designed to provide professional resources to writers seeking financial and creative support to pursue their craft professionally. In 2021, virtually accessible programs and an expanded cohort of fellows will further the goal of diversifying the publishing and media industries by enabling participation from writers across the country.
This program is made possible by the generous support of The Yvonne & Michael Marsh Family Foundation, The Muriel Pollia Foundation, Jamie Wolf, Unlikely Collaborators, and The Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Video editing: Alex Brown
Music supervision: Bennett Shaeffer of dublab
Script supervision: Alejandra Cid
Closed captions: Rev
Artwork: Studio La Maria
2021 Emerging Voices Fellowship Management: Jared Jackson, Jenn Dees, Michelle Franke, and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf
