u.s. writers aid initiative
The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is intended to assist fiction and non-fiction authors, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, translators, and journalists. To be eligible, applicants must be based in the United States, be professional writers, and be able to demonstrate that this one-time grant will be meaningful in helping them to address an emergency situation. The fund is limited, and not every application can be supported. Grant decisions are made on a periodic basis by a volunteer committee of literary peers in consultation with PEN America staff, using the following guidelines to evaluate professional credentials:
-Publication of one or more books. (Writers who are only self-published or published by a press that charges for publication are not eligible.) -Multiple essays, short stories, or poems appearing in literary anthologies or literary journals (either online or in print) in the last two years. -A full-length play, performed in a theater by a professional theater company. Productions in academic settings qualify if the author is not a student at the time of the production. -Production of a motion picture project or a segment of television. -Employment as a full-time professional journalist, columnist, or critic, or a record of consistent publication on a freelance basis in a range of outlets during the last two years. -Contracted forthcoming books, essays, short stories, poems, or articles for which the name of the publisher can be provided.
Other qualifications that support the applicant’s professional identity as a writer. The U.S. Writers Aid Initiative is not intended to subsidize writing-related expenses, such as equipment, printing, shipping, travel, or publicity services. Writers do not have to be Members of PEN America to receive a grant, but all recipients of emergency funding will be given a complimentary one-year PEN America membership. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and will be reviewed on or about the following dates in 2022:
February 1, 2022 April 1, 2022 June 1, 2022 August 1, 2022 October 1, 2022 December 1, 2022