Writing Fellowship

Applications for the 2013 fellowship are no longer being accepted. The 2013 writing fellow will be selected by the spring and will begin the program in June. The application process for the 2014 fellowship will begin in the late fall.

The Program

The American Prospect’s Writing Fellows Program offers journalists at the beginning of their career the opportunity to spend two full years at the magazine in Washington, D.C., developing their journalistic skills. Each fellow is expected to contribute regularly to the website and to the print edition. We are seeking candidates with strong writing and analytical abilities who are as comfortable generating article ideas as they are relying on assignments. A passion for politics, policy, and digital journalism is a prerequisite. Prior journalism experience is not required.

The goal of the program is to ensure that fellows develop the relationships, track record, credibility, and clips (!) to pursue a career in journalism. Past fellows have gone on to take leadership roles at the Prospect as well as to work and write for The New York Times, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Slate, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, The Boston Globe, and many other publications.

Fellows must make a one-year commitment. After that year, the Prospect and the fellow will evaluate and determine whether to renew for a second year. The fellowship pays $33,000 the first year and includes health, dental, and vision benefits.

The Magazine

The American Prospect was founded in 1990 and is devoted to promoting informed discussion and debate on public-policy matters of interest to all Americans—as well as people around the globe—from a progressive perspective. Through our website and bimonthly print edition, we seek to spread the new ideas and critical analyses necessary to support an informed public discourse.

The Application

Applicants must submit the following:

A critique of the Prospect website as published here. The critique should consider, among other points, the balance of pieces, their presentation, and the variety of individual voices. You are not expected to critique every article or blog, but you should engage with the argument of one or more pieces, looking at its style, clarity, and readability.
Three story ideas for The American Prospect that include 1) a reported feature or essay; 2) a piece on an important debate from the world of politics, policy, or ideas; 3) a multimedia story.
A response to the following questions: 1) What books, magazines, and/or blogs do you read and why? 2) Where do you see yourself in five years and why?
Two written recommendations.
Three to four writing samples. These can include newspaper and magazine clips, academic papers, blog posts, and unpublished pieces—anything that demonstrates your writing style and reporting at their best.
Your résumé.
Your college and (if applicable) graduate school transcripts.

All applications should be submitted through our online form or mailed to:

Christen Aragoni
Writing Fellows Program
The American Prospect
1710 Rhode Island Ave. NW, 12th Floor
Washington, DC 20036

Please contact Christen Aragoni with any questions at caragoni@prospect.org.

We are committed to a diverse workplace and to supporting our people with ongoing career-development opportunities. People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply.

What former writing fellows have to say

"No other position boasts the writing fellowship's track record in turning enthusiastic young journalists into well-respected, widely read policy thinkers."

—Dana Goldstein

"The best entry-level job in journalism."

—Ezra Klein, Washington Post

"The Prospect fellowship throws you right into D.C. and the world of politics and gives you more independence than any other program for young writers. You are free to explore the issues you care about most, as well as develop your own voice and reporting style. It really gives you a great start!"

—Kate Sheppard, Mother Jones

"The American Prospect Writing Fellowship is by far the best opportunity for young progressive writers out there. If it didn't exist, I'd probably be a highly paid lawyer today."

—Matthew Yglesias, Slate

"The writing fellowship was the best thing that ever happened to me."

—Adam Serwer, Mother Jones

Our current writing fellows

"Unlike many of my colleagues, I didn’t come to the Prospect with journalism experience. It’s not just that I didn’t work at a college newspaper—I hadn’t even interned for a publication. But the great thing about the writing fellowship, and the thing that makes it unique, is that it doesn’t require any journalism experience. As long as you have passion and skill, the Prospect will bring you in and help you develop the skills it takes to be a good journalist."

—Jamelle Bouie

"There aren't many opportunities left for young journalists to get a start in political reporting. The Prospect's Writing Fellowship offers a rare opportunity to learn the ins and outs of feature reporting alongside opportunities to move the daily discussion of progressive politics online. Plus, it brought me into the 53 percent of people who pay taxes and kept me off the scourge of relying on the government for a paycheck. "