Literary magazine Oxford American is offering a nine-month fellowship to one talented writer. The selected fellow will receive a $10,000 living stipend, housing and an editorial apprenticeship with the Oxford American. The fellowship is intended to support the writing of a debut book of creative nonfiction.
Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, The Oxford American is a nonprofit, quarterly literary magazine dedicated to featuring “the best in Southern writing while documenting the complexity and vitality of the American South”. The journalism and literature published in the Oxford American has received numerous prizes, including The O. Henry Prize and The Pushcart Prize, and has been featured in The Best American Essays, The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, and The Best American Travel Writing.
Writers of any genre are invited to apply for the Oxford American Jeff Baskin Writers Fellowship. Although the writer may have published books in other genres, the proposed project must be for a debut book of creative nonfiction. The manuscript may, however, be in any stage of development: draft, agency representation, contracted, or not. For the purposes of this fellowship, creative nonfiction is defined as literary journalism, memoir, reportage, criticism, or the lyric essay.
The successful writer will receive:
- a $10,000 stipend paid in instalments;
- a furnished apartment in Little Rock to live in for the duration of the fellowship. The apartment comes with basic utilities including wifi;
- and an editorial apprenticeship under the Oxford American’s editor, Eliza Borné.
To apply for the fellowship applicants must supply:
- a 300–500 word book proposal;
- a 300–500 word statement of interest in magazine editorial work;
- a creative nonfiction writing sample of no more than 12,000 words excerpted from the proposed project; and
- a curriculum vitae.
To be eligible for this fellowship applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents.An application fee of $30 is payable at the time of submission. This will be used by the magazine to help cover the administrative costs associated with the prize.
The Oxford American does not require that the writer or the proposed project have a particular tie to the South; however, applications of equal literary value that align with the Oxford American’s mission will be given preference.
The Fellowship begins on 1 September 2017 and runs until 1 June 2018. Applications close on Thursday 30 March 2017.
For further information and to apply visit the Oxford American website.
The Oxford American also welcomes unsolicited fiction and nonfiction submissions, as well as proposals for articles (poetry submissions are currently closed). General issues appear in March, June and September. An annual Southern Music Issue is published each December. Visit the Oxford American website for further details.
For more residencies and contests see our latest Opportunities for Writers post and follow Aerogramme Writers’ Studio on Facebook and Twitter.
