DEADLINE: Wake Forest Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism Fellowships

Applications are now open for Wake Forest University Environmental Journalism Fellowship and Epistemic Justice Summer Institute! Deadline for applications March 20, 2023. Click here for more details and instructions on how to apply.

The Wake Forest University Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative is a multi-pronged Mellon Foundation funded research, teaching, and community engagement project that places at its center environmental and epistemic justice. The Initiative critically examines how and in what ways race and regimes of racial knowledge shape and inform our scholarly practices, public policies, and normative concerns.

The Initiative will host a 2023 Summer Institute from June 26-30, 2023 on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Institute will welcome 4-6 early to mid-career journalists as the inaugural class of Wake Forest Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism Fellows. The Institute will highlight issues of race, racialization, and the environment at the local and regional level with possible applicability to other communities across the United States.

The goal of the Wake Forest Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism Fellows program is to improve coverage of the many facets of environmental justice journalism while aiding in diversifying the ranks of environmental journalism. Applicants for Wake Forest Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism Fellows program must be published journalists, whether on staff or freelance, and have at least one year of reporting and feature writing experience for newspapers, magazines, or digital media outlets. Each fellow will receive a $2500 reporting stipend, plus expenses for travel and accommodations to attend the 2023 Summer Institute at Wake Forest University. The Institute is particularly interested in applicants with environmental justice projects that focus on North Carolina and the southeastern United States.

Applicants for the Wake Forest Mellon Environmental Justice Journalism Fellows program must provide a cover letter that speaks to why you want to participate in the program and how it fits with your professional goals. Applicants must also submit the following:

• A resume or curriculum vitae;
• An 2-3 page project proposal that describes the feature proposal you intend to develop as a fellow;
• A letter of support from a journalist or professional reference familiar with your work who can substantively comment on the project proposal and the applicant’s journalism;
• A letter of commitment or strong interest from an editor or publication outlet to publish the work;
• Three published work samples that best illustrate applicant’s skill, interest, and abilities.

For additional information, please contact Melba Newsome at newsomem@wfu.edu or Dr. Corey D. B. Walker at walkerco@wfu.edu.