AAWW is proud to offer two fellowships for emerging NYC and tristate area-based Asian American and Asian diasporic writers. The Open City Editorial Fellowship offers one emerging writer and editor a unique opportunity to work directly with the Senior Editor of Open City and other members of the editorial team, gaining invaluable experience in researching, editing, and occasionally writing stories. The Margins Fellowship is an opportunity for four New York-based emerging creative writers to establish a home for their writing as they make progress on a book-length work. AAWW is also excited to offer the The Margins Residency, a national program for emerging Asian and Asian diasporic writers, offering dedicated time, space, and support to bring a book-length work to life.
The Margins and Open City Fellowship application cycles are closed for this year. Check back in with us during winter 2026/2027 when we open them back up!
Open City Editorial Fellowship
Open City documents the pulse of real-time Asian America. We are looking for individuals with a passion for Asian, Asian American, and Asian diasporic literature, politics, and history, with a particular focus on the experiences of immigrant and Muslim communities in the tristate area.
The Open City Editorial Fellow receives a $5,000 grant, skill-building workshops, publishing opportunities in The Margins, and the opportunity to research potential stories and identify emerging writers.
The Margins Fellowship
The Margins is our award-winning online magazine of arts and ideas. We seek to bridge literary thought, social justice, pop culture, and critical theory while engaging with immigration, race, and transnationalism.
The Margins Fellowship grants a $5,000 fellowship, mentorship, work space, career guidance, and publishing opportunities to four Asian diasporic creative writers based in NYC for a full year. Fellows are also awarded residency time at Millay Arts—an innovative seven-acre artists retreat space at the former house and gardens of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay in Austerlitz, NY.
The Margins Residency
The Margins Residency offers a 2 to 4 week fully supported writing residency to four emerging Asian and Asian diasporic writers across the United States, providing dedicated time, space, and professional support to advance book-length projects.
Building on the legacy of the Margins Fellowship, residents convene at Writing Downtown Las Vegas—an independent bookstore and literary hub—while gaining access to AAWW’s national network of editors, agents, and publishing professionals. Designed to extend critical resources beyond New York City, the residency supports writers in bringing ambitious literary work to life.
The Van Lier Fellowship was AAWW’s first fellowship program and was awarded from 1993 to 2005. Given to emerging creative writers of color aged thirty and under, the Van Lier Fellowship supported many Asian American writers at the beginning of their careers, including Cathy Park Hong, Monique Truong, Ava Chin and Tina Chang.