Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction
The Kate Medina Fellowship supports writers of literary narrative nonfiction using NYPL’s unique collections for original, research-driven storytelling and provides funding, workspace, and public engagement opportunities.
Funder: New York Public Library
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Full application) | June 2027 (Professional letter of recommendation)
Funding Amounts: $30,000 stipend for four continuous months of research; one fellowship awarded annually.
Summary: Supports writers of literary narrative nonfiction engaging with NYPL’s unique collections, providing funding, workspace, and public engagement opportunities.
Description
The Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction, offered by The New York Public Library in partnership with Random House Publishing Group, is designed to support writers whose nonfiction projects make significant use of the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building collections. Preference is given to projects that require in-person access to original materials such as manuscripts, archives, books, photographs, prints, maps, newspapers, and journals. The fellowship emphasizes originality and excellence in nonfiction that combines compelling storytelling, reportorial accuracy, artistic writing, and thorough research into meaningful subjects and ideas.
Fellows receive:
- A $30,000 stipend for four continuous months of research (to be scheduled between September and March).
- Access to NYPL’s world-class collections and a shared workspace at the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities.
- Opportunities to consult with expert librarians, curators, and subject specialists.
- Engagement with the NYPL scholarly community.
- A platform to share their work through a public presentation and a blog post for the NYPL research channel.
