In 2012, the Asian American Writers' Workshop launched a set of online magazines in order to build conversations around cutting-edge ideas in Asian American literature, art, and social justice. Though the aims of our publications are distinct, both of them are committed to the reinvention and advancement of Asian American intellectual culture.
- The Margins is our award-winning magazine of arts and ideas dedicated to charting the rise of the Asian American creative class through essays, interviews, and creative writing.
We publish: 1) original creative writing, whether poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or even interdisciplinary work; 2) essays on literature and politics by sophisticated thinkers who can speak to a general audience about race, gender, sexuality, immigration, postcolonialism, pop culture, and diaspora; 3) reportage about immigrant communities in NYC by narrative storytellers who can set a scene with rich imagery and descriptive detail.
Our stories have been linked to by the Wall Street Journal, the New Inquiry and the New York Times. Our contributors have included Jessica Hagedorn, Hanya Yanagihara, Chang-rae Lee, Bhanu Kapil, Ashok Kondabolu, Jenny Zhang, Katie Kitamura, Hua Hsu, Kim Hyesoon, Alexander Chee, Vijay Iyer, and Yoko Ogawa. See below for ways you can submit your work!
APPLICATIONS DUE: December 15, by 11:59 PM ET
FELLOWSHIP STARTS: February 1, 2025
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop is now accepting applications for the 2025 Margins Fellowship. Four emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab writers of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction based in New York City will receive $5,000, residency time at Millay Arts, mentorship, access to the AAWW writing space (COVID-dependent), and publication opportunities in our online magazine, The Margins.
We see this as a chance to support Asian diasporic writers, including South and Southeast Asian diasporic writers, Arab and West Asian writers, and Muslim writers of color more broadly. If you are a writer of color who identifies with these communities, please discuss this in your application.
The Margins is an award-winning online magazine of arts and ideas featuring new fiction and poetry, literary and cultural criticism, and interviews with writers and artists. We are the recipient of a Whiting Literary Magazine award and our stories have been linked to by the Wall Street Journal, The New Inquiry, Literary Hub, and the New York Times.
We strongly encourage all applicants to read our FAQ before applying to determine whether or not they are eligible. The Margins fellowship is open to emerging Asian American, Muslim, and Arab creative writers who reside in New York City. Fellowship applicants may not be enrolled in any academic, conservatory, college, or degree granting training program during the fellowship term. To be considered you must apply through this Submittable form. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us at fellowships@aaww.org.
TIMELINE The Margins Fellowship deadline is Sunday, December 15, by 11:59 PM ET. The term of the fellowship is one year, from February 2025 to January 2026. Fellows will be selected and notified in January 2025.
HOW TO APPLY
1. READ OUR FAQ.
2. Get to know our magazine.
3. Fill out the application form below by 11:59 PM ET on December 15, 2024.
Please note all applicants must attach a statement of purpose, a CV/resumé, and a writing sample. There is no application fee. We do not accept handwritten documents, letters of recommendation, or support materials.
APPLICATIONS DUE: December 15, by 11:59 PM ET
FELLOWSHIP STARTS: February 1, 2025
The Asian American Writers' Workshop (AAWW) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Open City Editorial Fellowship. This fellowship is open to emerging writers and editors based in New York City who are passionate about documenting the stories of immigrant and Muslim communities in the tristate area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. It offers a unique opportunity to work closely with the editorial team of Open City, a section of The Margins dedicated to covering the Asian American, Muslim, and Arab communities in the tristate area. This year, the fellowship will focus on editorial skills development, offering hands-on experience in researching, editing, and writing stories for Open City.
Fellowship Overview: The fellow will work directly with the Senior Editor of Open City and collaborate with the editorial team to support the section's coverage of social justice issues such as immigration, racial discrimination, gentrification, and community policing. The fellow will be expected to commit at least four hours a week from February 2025 through January 2026 and will occasionally meet in person at AAWW’s Chelsea office.
Fellowship Benefits:
- A $5,000 stipend;
- Access to AAWW events, conferences, and workshops;
- Access to AAWW’s office and library;
- Mentorship from The Margins editorial team.
Responsibilities:
- Collaborating on story edits with the Senior Editor;
- Screening pitches and fact-checking stories;
- Writing stories for Open City;
- Copyediting stories on a tight deadline;
- Researching potential stories and identifying emerging writers;
- Regular check-ins with the Senior Editor or an AAWW staff member every two weeks.
Qualifications:
- A strong interest in Asian, Asian American, and Asian diasporic literature, politics, and history, with a focus on immigrant and Muslim communities;
- Strong writing and verbal communication skills;
- Knowledge of journalistic standards and practices;
- Experience guiding writers through the editorial process and delivering polished work;
- Some experience fact-checking stories;
- A collaborative approach to editing and writing;
- Familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style and copyediting (preferred);
- On-the-ground knowledge of immigrant and Muslim communities in the tristate area (preferred).
Application Instructions: Fill out the application form below by November 30, 2024. You will be asked to submit:
- A cover letter;
- Résumé;
- A pitch for a story you’d like to write for Open City;
- Two writing samples of journalistic work.
We look forward to receiving applications from emerging writers and editors eager to help tell the stories of New York City's dynamic immigrant communities!
Every Tuesday, The Margins publishes the work of emerging and established Asian American and diasporic poets. We publish English-language poems and translations of poems.
We pay contributors $50 to $90 (USD) for original and translated poetry; the fee varies based on the number and length of poems we publish. We may offer additional payment to the author of translated poems, depending on the work’s publication status. We do not pay for reprints.
Please allow four to six months for a response.
We are open to all styles, forms, and subjects. We’re drawn to poetry that:
- Transforms the mundane into the magical with unexpected imagery
- Reflects on personal and/or cultural history
- Responds to or reshapes the view on current events and issues
- Introduces or reimagines historical and literary figures
- Illuminates through translation the work of an Asian author who is not known or read (widely) by a general Anglophone audience
- Challenges, subverts, or expands formal, linguistic, and genre conventions
- Explores humorous, abject, or profane languages and/or themes
Guidelines:
- Submissions should be no longer than 5 pages total. Each poem must start on a new page. Though we do consider longer poems, we tend to select poems no longer than 3 pages.
- If you are submitting translations, please acquire translation and publication permission from the author and/or press prior to submission.
- Please use a standard serif (e.g., Constantia, Garamond, Times New Roman) or sans-serif font (e.g. Arial, Calibri) in font size no smaller than 12, unless there is a specific formal and visual reason to do otherwise.
- We prefer submissions in the .docx form but also accept PDFs.
- We allow simultaneous submissions. If a part of your submitted manuscript has been accepted elsewhere, please send a message with the unavailable title(s) on Submittable. If your entire manuscript becomes unavailable, please withdraw the submission.
- Most of our submissions are individual works. However, collaborative work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- We do not require any preliminary information in the cover letter, though you are welcome to include pertinent or necessary details about yourself or the submission. We will collect your updated bio upon acceptance. (Nice notes and hellos do not affect the decision, but we do appreciate them!)
- We accept previously published poems, as long as they have not appeared digitally in other venues. Please note any previously published works in your submission.
The Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW), Plympton, and Third State Books proudly present an open call/competition for fiction novels in progress.
Winners will receive:
- One-month residency with Writing Downtown in Las Vegas, Nevada;
- One-hour virtual consultation with Third State Books, a new publishing house amplifying stories from Asian America;
- One-hour virtual consultation with an AAPI literary agent;
- One complimentary seat to an AAWW workshop;
- One full-day pass to the AAWW’s 2025 Publishing Conference.
Winners will also receive invaluable networking and mentorship through the AAWW, Plympton, and Third State communities. Please note that travel costs are not included for any of the prizes.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- All genres of fiction will be considered, including but not limited to: speculative fiction, fantasy/science-fiction, young adult, horror, mystery, thriller, and romance.
- All submissions should include a one-page synopsis or overview of the work
- Our ideal manuscript is a nearly-complete draft of 50,000-100,000 words – let us help you get your book over the finish line!
- Please attach manuscripts in either Word .doc, .docx, or PDF format
- All work must be original; translations will not be accepted
- Previously published or forthcoming manuscripts will not be considered