PEN/Bare Life Review Grants
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants support immigrant and refugee writers working on unpublished fiction, nonfiction, or poetry exploring migration, identity, and belonging.
Funder: PEN America
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027 (incarcerated submissions window opens) | May 2027 (incarcerated submissions final postmark deadline)
Funding Amounts: Two grants of $5,000 each for literary works in progress by immigrant and refugee writers.
Summary: Supports immigrant and refugee writers working on unpublished literary manuscripts in fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.
Key Information: Applications must be submitted via Submittable (except for incarcerated writers, who may submit by mail).
Description
The PEN/Bare Life Review Grants are designed to support literary works in progress by immigrant and refugee writers, with the aim of celebrating and amplifying the literature of migration. Established through a partnership between PEN America and The Bare Life Review, these grants recognize the unique perspectives and experiences of migrant and diasporic communities, fostering the creation of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that explore themes of displacement, identity, and belonging. Each year, two grants of $5,000 are awarded to selected writers whose unpublished manuscripts show literary merit and contribute to the understanding of migration.
