The PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History recognizes a literary work of nonfiction that uses oral history to illuminate an event, individual, place, or movement. We’re pleased to announce that beginning with the 2021 grant conferral, we will confer two PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History with increased cash prizes of $15,000 each. All of the submission materials and guidelines will remain the same.
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from April 1, 2020 through August 1, 2020.
Who Is Eligible:
- The submitted project must be the work of a single individual, writing in English.
- The project must be an unpublished work-in-progress.
- The project must be a work of literary nonfiction (scholarly/academic writing is not eligible).
- Oral history must be a significant component of the project and its research.
How to apply:
Please note that the application will require the following, submitted as one PDF file, using a standard 12-point font and 1 inch margins:
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced description of the work, its importance, and why the author chose to undertake this project. This space can additionally be used to discuss any permissions, rights, contracts, publication timelines, or other aspects of your project.
- A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement explaining why and how oral history was used in the project.
- A 300-500 word statement explaining how this grant would aid in the completion of the project.
- A CV for the author of the project, which should include information on any previous publications.
- An outline that includes the work completed thus far and the work remaining. The outline should include the names of all participants.
- Transcripts of the project interviews (6-10 double-spaced pages).
- A writing sample from the project (20-40 double-spaced pages).
About the Author
