Emerging Voices is a literary fellowship aiming to deepen program components through increased operating funds.
Since 1995, Emerging Voices, a literary fellowship, has provided new writers, who lack access, the tools they will need to launch a professional writing career. During the eight-month fellowship, each Emerging Voices Fellow participates in a professional mentorship, hosted Q&A evenings with prominent local authors, a series of master classes focused on genre, a voice class, a volunteer project, and several public readings. The fellowship includes a $1,000 stipend.
For the 119 writers that have completed the fellowship, this is the life-changing moment that launches their literary careers.
History: Emerging Voices grew out of PEN Center USA’s forum “Writing the Immigrant Experience,” held at the Los Angeles Central Library in March 1994, which explored the issues and challenges faced by first and second generation immigrant writers. In the fall of 1995, PEN Center USA initiated Emerging Voices as a literary mentorship program designed to launch potential professional writers from minority, immigrant, and other underrepresented communities. The program has now evolved into an eight-month writing fellowship for writers who lack access to a traditional writing education for those who seek financial and creative support.
The Emerging Voices Fellowship reaches beyond just the five to six awarded fellows. The fellowship supports PEN Center USA’s mission to maintain interest in the written word and foster literary community. The Emerging Voices Fellowship has reached over 50,000 people. This includes 119 alumni, 5,000 Author Evening hosts, 238 mentors, the audiences of 476 public readings, 3,570 people reached through Volunteer Projects, and more than 222 publications, including 34 books, 46 anthologies, 141 journals, and an array of newspapers.