People bravely write their hearts out every day in New Literary Project, across generations, & communities, & boundaries.
We drive social change by unleashing artistic power. Learn how. Watch Jack Hazards of LA: The Documentary
“This is precisely the time when artists go to work…. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge—even wisdom. Like art.”
— TONI MORRISON
New Literary Project came together in 2015 in partnership between the University of California, Berkeley, English Department, the world’s foremost English Department, in the world’s leading public university, and altruistic community leaders in the Bay Area.
The 2025 Longlist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize
Thirty-two authors have been longlisted for the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize by New Literary Project (NewLit). The annual $50,000 award honors a mid-career author of fiction in the midst of a burgeoning career, a distinguished writer who has emerged and is still emerging. The Prize celebrates past achievement and supports forthcoming work. The 2025 JCO Prize will be the ninth such yearly award.
Longlisted authors were selected from official submissions by publishers, agents, authors, and author representatives. Not-for-profit NewLit collaborates with the University of California, Berkeley, English Department.
Finalists are expected to be named in March 2025, the Recipient in April 2025.
Applications Open for Jack Hazard Fellowships: $5,000 Summer Awards to Creative Writers Teaching High School
New Literary Project will accept applications for annual Jack Hazard Summer Fellowships starting on November 15, 2024. For Summer 2025, fellowships of $5,000 will again be awarded to creative writers who are full-time educators teaching in accredited high schools in the United States. Applications close on January 3, 2025,11:59 PM Eastern.
For more information about the fellowship, how to apply, and applicant eligibility, visit our Jack Hazard Fellowship Program page.
Scenes from VOTE NEWLIT 2024 and our October Residency Events
New Literary Project was delighted to host 2024 Joyce Carol Oates Prize WInner Ben Fountain, author of Devil Makes Three and Billy Lynn’s Long Half-Time Walk among other works, in October for a Bay Area residency.
We also released our new Jack Hazard Fellows short documentary and Simpsoniastas, vol. 6.
See scenes from our events on our Events Page.
NewLit Offering Bonnie Bonetti-Bell Fellowships and Workshops in 2024
The New Literary Project will offer five Bonnie Bonetti-Bell Fellowships and Workshops in 2024. Formerly named Simpson Fellowships, these Bonetti-Bell Workshops will be taught by Bonetti-Bell Fellows who are UC Berkeley graduate students. The creative writing workshops will be offered to young people throughout the Bay Area through partner organizations such as Girls, Inc., Mt. McKinley, Northgate, and Albany High Schools.
For more information about the fellowship, visit our program page and recent announcement.
About Bonnie Bonetti-Bell
Bonnie Bonetti-Bell (1945 – 2019) wrote and read her heart out as soon as she could read and hold a pencil. For most of her life, she read at least one book per week, and she was a compelling storyteller both as a writer and public speaker. Learn More
Our Story
New Literary Project invests in students & teachers, readers & authors, and it inspires and equips writers across the generations to write their hearts out. NewLit offers writing workshops free of charge for underserved younger writers; celebrates storytellers and storytelling through a major national award to a mid-career author of fiction (the Joyce Carol Oates Prize); and makes possible readings, events, and publication in our annual anthology of Project-connected authors, Simpsonistas.
Writing Workshops
New Literary Project leads creative writing workshops at high schools and afterschool programs throughout the Bay Area. The majority of the teenagers in our workshops will be the first in their families to attend college.
Jack Hazard Fellowships
Jack Hazard Fellows are fiction, creative nonfiction, and memoir writers who teach full time in an accredited United States high school. We provide a $5,000 award that enables these creative writers who teach to focus on their writing for a summer.
Simpsonistas
Simpsonistas highlights fiction, poetry, essays, and conversation by many brilliant associates of New Literary Project. Authors include teenagers published for the first time alongside distinguished award-winning authors.
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