Students applied in the spring for fellowships in the following academic year, which began with a required orientation retreat in late August.
Required monthly cohort meetings provided opportunities for group reflection, peer feedback, and ongoing learning. Most monthly meetings included guest speakers and presenters drawn from local and regional networks, to provide technical skill-building workshops and offer real-world insights into community-engaged writing and research practices.
Fellows worked closely with the Storytellers faculty fellow at the beginning of the fellowship year to set individual goals and workplans. Depending on their areas of focus (see below), students worked with other faculty and Swearer Center staff as appropriate.
Storytellers Fellows received a stipend of $2,000 for the academic year.
The Storytellers Fellowship accommodated a wide range of interests and expertise. Students could specify areas of interest (e.g., communications, long-form narrative journalism, audio storytelling or podcasting, video, etc.) on their application and submit any relevant work samples.
All Storytellers Fellows developed individual goals and workplans for the fellowship year, which specified the type, frequency, and deadlines for their stories. For example, students worked with Swearer Center staff to develop a series of stories for use in the Swearer Center’s print or digital communications platforms. Students with literary nonfiction experience identified a single, long-form piece on a specific issue to work on over the course of the year, with the goal of submitting it for publication. All fellows were expected to maintain an online portfolio of their work and complete final written reflections on their experiences.
The Storytellers Fellowship is no longer offered by the Swearer Center. Visit our programs page to explore other opportunities for students.
