PEN America DREAMing Out Loud Spring 2021 Application

Applications are open for PEN America’s 2021 season of DREAMing Out Loud, a paid, tuition-free writing workshop for young undocumented and immigrant writers in NYC this spring. Submit yours today!

OVERVIEW
The DREAMing Out Loud Program at PEN America is a paid, tuition-free creative writing workshop series for young immigrant writers primarily those who are undocumented, DACA recipients, and/or DREAMers who came to the United States when they were children. By providing community and professional support to the next generation of immigrant writers, the program seeks to counter anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and to amplify the voices of many living in this country who are marginalized because of their immigration status.

BENEFITS
Under the tutelage of the founder, Álvaro Enrigue, and other established writers from immigrant backgrounds, participants are paid a small stipend ($200) to develop original fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and plays to perform at public readings and to publish in various print and digital formats, including our annual anthology. The program also helps to build a diverse talent pipeline for publishing and writing industries in New York City, empowering DREAMers to use their voices to correct misinformation about immigrants and to make sure that more voices are included in the literary canon of the future. Participants receive access to resources tailored for immigrant artists, including at least one author-led talkback about writing and publishing each year.

• Mentorship & instruction from published immigrant writers
• $200 student stipend for participation
• Publication in our annual anthology
• Career development support on getting published and breaking into the publishing industry
• Public speaking opportunities at the annual PEN World Voices Festival
• Access to a thoughtful, supportive, and socially conscious writing community

Dates & Times
Workshops take place once a week for eight sessions from the second week of March through the first week in May. To make scheduling easy, a variety of dates and times are available from our 2021 teaching artists, Álvaro Enrigue, Charlie Vázquez, Cherry Lou Sy, and Victor I. Cazares.

Questions?
Contact the program manager (Nicole Gervasio, ngervasio@pen.org) or program assistant (Viviane Eng, veng@pen.org).

DREAMing Out Loud is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME).

Requirements

Applicants must identify as an immigrant, have access to a computer with a stable internet connection, reside and/or go to college in New York City, and be 18 years or older to apply. Applicants must be students and/or residents in New York City to receive a stipend. The workshop primarily serves undocumented students and DACA recipients, though we also welcome new citizens, recent émigrés, and young immigrants in search of community.

All workshops will be virtual. For 2021, three workshops will be affiliated with the City University of New York as they have been in the past. The National Queer Theater will be offering a fourth, special section on playwriting and LGBTQIA+ experiences.

Application Instructions

The link to the application is here. The official deadline (Monday, February 22, 2021 by 11:59pm EST) is rolling and may close if all slots are filled. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance via email, and DREAMing Out Loud alumni as well as college graduates who have completed their education are welcome to apply.