The New York-based literary magazine A Public Space has announced that applications for its 2021 Writing Fellowships will begin on January 1 and close on January 31. The Fellowship period will be April 1 – September 30, 2021. Since starting in 2014, the opportunity is open to writers “who have not yet contracted to publish a book.” It aims “to seek out and support writers who embrace risk in their work and their own singular vision.”
A Public Space was founded by the American editor Brigid Hughes, and its mission is “to seek out overlooked and unclassifiable work, and to publish writing from beyond established confines.” Fiction published in A Public Space has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize, and the Pushcart Prize anthologies. The magazine entered a partnership with the indie non-profit publisher Graywolf Press to release books by its contributors, under the imprint A Public Space Books.
In 2015, the Nigerian writer Arinze Ifeakandu won one of the fellowships. His short story, “God’s Children Are Little Broken Things,” was published, and in 2017, it was shortlisted for The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing. His debut collection of short stories, titled after the story, was recently acquired by A Public Space Books. Another previous Fellow is the Motswana writer Gothataone Moeng, whose story “Bodies” also appeared in the magazine.
The three Writing Fellows for 2021 will gain “six months of editorial support from A Public Space editors to prepare a piece for publication in the magazine, a $1,000 honorarium,” and “the opportunity to meet virtually with members of the publishing community, including agents, editors, and published writers.” They will further have “the opportunity to participate in a public reading and conversation with A Public Space editors and contributors.”
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
—A cover letter containing a one-paragraph biographical statement; one paragraph that is a favorite of yours from a book you’ve read, be it recently or long ago; and a brief statement telling us why this particular passage is meaningful to you. Please also note in your cover letter if you are a resident of one of New York City’s five boroughs. (One of the three selected fellows will be a New York City writer.)
—One previously unpublished prose piece. There is no word-count requirement. If selected, the piece submitted is the piece that will be published in the magazine.
—We accept simultaneous submissions, but please note that if your piece is accepted elsewhere, you will be required to withdraw your entire application; replacement submissions will not be accepted once the deadline has passed.
Note: Only PDF or Word files (.doc and .docx) will be accepted. The cover letter and manuscript should be submitted as separate files. Incomplete applications will not be considered and will be returned unread.
Successful applicants will be informed on or before March 15, 2021.
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