Bitch Media’s Fellowships for Writers program offers a series of three-month intensive writing fellowships whose goal is to develop, support, and amplify emerging, diverse voices in feminist, activist, and pop-culture media. The program is directed by Bitch cofounder Andi Zeisler.
***Please note that the Fellowships for Writers program will be taking a gap year in 2022; therefore there will be no application period in 2021. For more details on the gap year, please read here.
You can find a list of our past fellows here.
FAQ
Do I have to be based in Portland?
No, the application states that fellows need not be based in or move to Portland for a fellowship. Fellows can be located anywhere in the world, or at least anywhere with access to email and Skype.
Is there an age limit?
There is no set age limit.
How many hours of writing does the fellowship entail?
There is no set time, but anticipate 10-15 hours a week.
How do you define “emerging”?
By “emerging” we mean a writer who has some experience writing for an audience (maybe school newspapers, a blog, regional or local writing or reporting, online sites, an awesome Twitter account), but who has not been published widely.
How long should my samples be?
Let’s put it this way: If you submit your dissertation, we’re probably not going to get past the first few pages. Anywhere from 600 words to 2,500 is probably safe.
What if I’ve contributed to Bitch in the past?
Again, this is noted in the application: People who have contributed to Bitch in the past will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
What if I don’t have many writing samples?
Then you can use this as a chance to write something specifically for this application! Preferably in the subject area of the fellowship for which you are applying.
What if my writing samples aren’t about the subject I’m applying for?
That’s fine.
What if I’m interested in more than one subject?
As noted in the application, applicants may apply for a fellowship in more than one area, but must submit separate applications for each.
When do the applications close?
For the Writing Fellows 2021 cohort, applications will be open from June 1, 2020 through June 30, 2020.
When will the 2021 fellows be announced?
They will be announced in November 2020.
Can I call the office to ask my question that’s been answered here?
Please don’t. We have one phone line and a very small, busy staff.
Back to Writing Fellows Application
