Emerging Writers Fellowship: Announcement and Call for Applications

Southeast of Now: Directions in Contemporary and Modern Art in Asia is committed to supporting the development of new writing in the region, and to providing an opportunity for emerging writers to develop their research and writing skills, and engage with a broad readership in a new special section of the journal. We are pleased to announce a new donor-funded mentorship programme, to commence with Volume 2 (2018). Applications should be sent to southeastofnow@gmail.com no later than 15 April 2018.

Emerging writers (with no more than three years of publishing experience), who are citizens or permanent residents of any country in Southeast Asia, are invited to apply for the Emerging Writers Fellowship. Successful applicants will be awarded the following:

• • a grant of up to USD 1,000, to facilitate in-depth research and writing for a period of six months;

• • mentorship by one leading arts writer and one leading international curator, usually based in Southeast Asia. Successful applicants will be matched with appropriate mentors by the selection committee;

• • editing and advice from the Southeast of Now editorial collective; and

• • publication of selected essays (of between 3,000 and 5,000 words in English) in Southeast of Now, in a special Emerging Writers Fellowship section, to appear both in print and online.

Applications should include the following:

• • a cover letter of no more than one page, explaining your reason for applying;

• • a proposal of between one and two pages, outlining the topic you wish to research and write on. Topics may encompass the modern and contemporary art, broadly conceived, of any location/s in Southeast Asia. Topics may be monographic in focus, or take a comparative approach. As in all sections of Southeast of Now, we encourage a historically informed approach to any topic. Proposals should include a short bibliography on your chosen topic, as well as a research plan comprising a list of research materials you plan to consult (such as institutional and/or personal archives and collections, as well as interviews you would like to conduct, and so on), and a budget breakdown of how you propose to spend the grant funds of up to USD 1,000;

• • a CV of no more than two pages, including a list of previous publications, if any; and

• • a sample of your writing, of either published or unpublished material.

A selection committee, comprising the Editorial Collective of Southeast of Now as well as our donors, will assess all applications and will award up to two fellowships per year. Successful applicants must complete their research and writing within a period of six months, and will consult at least monthly with their mentors throughout this process. Fifty per cent of the grant will be paid upon commencement of the writing, with the remainder to be paid upon submission of a completed draft of between 3,000 and 5,000 words, deemed publishable by the journal's Editorial Collective. Texts deemed suitable for publication will appear in Southeast of Now in print and online.

Inquiries may be sent to southeastofnow@gmail.com. Applications are due no later than 15 April 2018.