The first Jakes Gerwel Foundation international fellowship

The Jakes Gerwel Foundation (JGF) is pleased to announce their first ever 6-week international fellowship, which is scheduled to take place in the first term of 2024 in the United States of America in New York City.

This extraordinary opportunity is only open to writers who have previously participated in a residency programme of the Foundation. It will be expected of the successful candidate to attend and present master classes at the Columbia University’s School of the Arts as well as at The New School. The final confirmation of the fellowship will depend on the acceptance of the candidate by the committee at the School of the Arts.

The Jakes Gerwel Foundation will cover the cost of the international flights and provide assistance with the visa application and accommodation in New York, including per diems (daily allowances). The flexible 6-week fellowship will be arranged to fall within the window period of mid-January to end April 2024. The successful candidate will be able to negotiate suitable start and end dates for the fellowship.

The selected writer will be required to attend a 2-hour seminar once a week, needs to be available for office consultation for 2 hours a week and will have to assign and respond to written work. The course should be reading-centred and taught from the perspective of a practising writer as opposed to the viewpoint of an academic. The fellow will also be required to present a Saturday creative writing class at The New School. Attendance of social events organised by the Foundation and its partners abroad will also be obligatory.

Interested JGF writers must submit their application by email to Theo Kemp at theo@jgf.org.za by 14 August. The following should be included in the application:

  • Detailed writer’s biography, including publications and achievements
  • Letter of motivation for the application
  • Proposed theme and syllabus of the master classes

Find out more about the New York partners by clicking on the links: