PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History
Supports outstanding literary nonfiction projects in progress that use oral history to reveal significant stories, with a focus on new perspectives and underrepresented voices.
Funder: PEN America
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027 (full application deadline, projected)
Funding Amounts: Two grants of $15,000 each awarded annually; supports works in progress.
Summary: Supports outstanding literary nonfiction projects that creatively use oral history to illuminate significant stories, events, or communities.
Description
The PEN/Jean Stein Grants for Literary Oral History recognize and support exceptional literary nonfiction projects that integrate oral history as a central component. The grants are awarded to works in progress that use interviews and personal narratives to shed light on significant events, individuals, places, or movements, with an emphasis on new perspectives and underrepresented voices. Projects must be unpublished and written in English, and should demonstrate both literary merit and a meaningful engagement with oral history as a storytelling method. The program honors the legacy of Jean Stein, a pioneering figure in the genre, and aims to foster transformative literary work that might otherwise remain untold.
