Open City, an online magazine published by the Asian American Writers' Workshop, documents the pulse of metropolitan Asian America as it's being lived on the streets of New York right now. Open City grants a $5,000 fellowship, career guidance, and publishing opportunities to five Creative Nonfiction Fellows to write and produce both short-form and long-form editorial content on the vibrant immigrant communities of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Are you an emerging Asian American writer who needs mentorship, financial support and a place to publish? You're invited to apply for the Open City 2013-2014 Creative Nonfiction Fellows. Past Open City Creative Nonfiction Fellows have gone on to publish in the Atlantic, The Nation and the New York Times. This could be you, so get on this with your writerly self.
UPDATE: Here's a new video on Open City Creative Nonfiction Fellowship:
Here's some more information about the Fellowship:
Open City seeks to foster emerging writers and develop their exposure and brand as professional writers. Perhaps you have a personal interest in a topic/beat or an expertise in a particular neighborhoods, and you want to help shape its coverage while also developing a voice or area of expertise in gentrification, immigration or urbanism. Or perhaps you're a writer that's published a handful of times, and need a kick in the pants to get your career where you want it to be. Or you're just hungry for creating stories that you and your friends actually care about. Then, this fellowship is for you.The deadline to apply has been extended to April 8. The fellowship starts on April 30. For further information, and to fill out the application, go here. And be sure to read past Open City stories opencitymag.com.
Our stories have been covered by or linked to by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Village Voice—and we were even invited to the White House as part of a special delegation of New York groups. We've collaborated on Open City events with the New Museum and the Museum of Chinese in America and attracted nearly 100,000 readers in just six months. We've produced excellent essays, meditations, and stories by five excellent young writers, many of whom have gone on to write for publications like Salon and The American Prospect or use the Open City to acquire a literary agent for their novel. Past Open City Fellows include; Deanna Fei, whose novel, A Thread of Sky, has been praised by the New York Times as “timeless and of the moment”; Sahar Muradi, the editor of One Story, Thirty Stories, an anthology of contemporary Afghan American literature; and Sukjong Hong, who as a result of her Open City writing appeared on MSNBC, NPR, and Al-Jazeera TV.
Each fellow will required to produce at least 12 publishable pieces in total, which means each fellow will have one piece due a month. These pieces will include: news feature (1,000-1,200 words), Q & As (800 words), profiles (1,200 words), personal essay (1,200 words), and long-form piece (2,500 words), as well as short-form pieces. Like any writer, you will be expected to meet deadlines, fact-check your information, record and transcribe your interviews and provide sources.
This is a literary project, but not a literary journal. Writers will learn how to edit and frame their pieces to attract a wide readership. Open City is an outlet for creative nonfiction--for original stories with creative flair. This fellowship allows emerging writers to hone their storytelling and “new journalism” skills by placing an emphasis on creative nonfiction—the literary child of muckraking and poetry. Either you need a gateway into this celebrated genre or you're a creative writer-meets-citizen journalist. If so, we want to hear from you.
