The Black Creatives Revisions Workshop is an extended opportunity for writers who have completed a full draft of a Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult novel.
About the Revisions Workshop
The Black Creatives Revision Workshop is an extended opportunity for writers who have completed a full draft of a Middle Grade, Young Adult, or Adult novel. Twelve writers will be chosen from the applicant pool to receive training from a small faculty of esteemed Black authors to complete revisions of their manuscript and to submit their novel to a team of editors at Penguin Random House (PRH).Â
The Revision Workshop is for writers who believe that they will benefit from instruction in their final stages of revision and who will complete their edited manuscript within the five-month period of the workshop. The writers will also be dedicated to joining a committed community of other creatives participating in the Workshop.Â
Throughout the program, there will be opportunities for manuscript exchange and building writing partnerships along with extracurricular programming to introduce publishing industry do’s and don’ts. The BCF’s Program Manager and the Workshop’s Writing Coaches will also offer varied resources and support to the writers, fostering a nurturing environment and a supportive community for the participants.Â
The Workshop will focus on the writers completing their revisions by the end of the program so that they are ready to submit to PRH at the conclusion of the workshop.
2021 Revisions Workshop Participants
Trae Hawkins (Young Adult Novel) was born in Texas, raised in Virginia, went to high school in New York, and attended Penn State University. He draws inspiration from real-world issues, such as historical oppression, mental health, and LGBTQ+ issues, and incorporates them into his writing, which typically falls under the fantasy and science fiction umbrellas. He majored in Political Science and English, and in his free time, he likes to read, write, draw, play video games, and watch anime. On any given day, you can find him doing any of the aforementioned things in the name of procrastination. His life goal is to be able to share his writings with the world and to give everyone a sneak peek into the workings of his brain. He believes that creators have the ability to change the world through their art, and he yearns to make the world better through his writing.
2021 Revisions Workshop Faculty
Nicole Dennis-Benn is the author of the acclaimed novel, Patsy, (Norton/Liveright, June 2019), which Time Magazine called “stunning,” and the debut novel, Here Comes the Sun (Norton/Liveright, July 2016).
She is s a Lambda Literary Award winner and a recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Grant. Time Out Magazine has described Dennis-Benn as an immigrant putting her stamp on New York City and Vice named her among immigrant authors "who are making American Literature great again."
Dennis-Benn is a Kowald Visiting Faculty in City College's MFA Program and Lecturer in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University. She has previously taught in the writing programs at the University of Pennsylvania and NYU; and has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell Colony, Hedgebrook, Lambda, Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, Hurston/Wright, and Sewanee Writers' Conference. Dennis-Benn was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica.
She is a graduate of St. Andrew High School for Girls and Cornell University; and holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives with her wife in Brooklyn, New York.
Photo Credit: Jason Berger
About Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes:
Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author and educator for both youth and adults. She is the author of six books for children including the New York Times bestseller Ghost Boys and Black, Brother, Black, Brother, both named Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of the Year.
Her other books include Towers Falling, and the Louisiana Girls Trilogy: Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic. Jewell is the author of six adult novels: Voodoo Dreams, Magic City, Douglass’ Women, Season, Moon, and Hurricane, as well as the memoir Porch Stories: A Grandmother’s Guide to Happiness, and two writing guides, Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction. Jewell has won the American Book Award, the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence, and the Jane Addams Peace Association Book Award.
Jewell is the Founding Artistic Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Narrative Studies Professor and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she currently lives in Seattle.
Photo Credit: Jay Watson
Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work. You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her adorable little family on most social media platforms.
Photo Credit: Nic Stone
Karen Strong is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel Just South of Home, which was selected for several Best of Year lists including Kirkus Reviews Best Books, CCBC Choices, and Bank Street Best Books. Her short fiction appears in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back and A Phoenix First Must Burn. Born and raised in the rural South, she is a graduate of the University of Georgia and an advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). An avid lover of strong coffee, yellow flowers, and night skies, Karen lives in Atlanta. Visit her at karen-strong.com.
Photo Credit: Stephanie Ifendu
Jason Mott is the author of three novels, including the New York Times Bestseller, The Returned, which was the basis for the ABC television series, Resurrection. He has a MFA and a BFA, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and his work has been published in various journals. He was also an NAACP Image Award nominee. His fourth novel, Hell Of A Book, will be released August 10, 2021.
2021 Revisions Workshop Writing Coaches
Dee has been described as many things, but everything she does goes to back her love for reading. A forever student, she can always be found looking for a new project. Whether it be learning ASL, researching the lives of those in Tudor England, or tackling her ever-growing TBR list, Dee always finds a way to incorporate her hobbies into her biggest passion, reading and editing. While you can mainly find her reading Romance, she also loves Nonfiction, MG, and all things YA.
D. Ann Williams (she/her) is a Black American editor and diversity consultant. She started editing at UCLA as the editor-in-chief of two academic journals. For the past ten years, she has edited business and academic writing before expanding into fiction editing with Tessera Editorial. She provides a variety of services (from developmental editing to sensitivity reading), and her clients have included Big 5 publishers, indie publishers, and many authors. She loves to read and edit romance, kidlit (picture books, MG, and YA), thrillers, and science fiction/fantasy.
2022 Participant Opportunities
WNDB is offering twelve (12) slots total to writers who identify as part of the African diaspora. Only US-based applicants will be considered. The cohort will be split among the following categories: six Middle Grade (MG) or Young Adult (YA) and six Adult (A).
The selected participants will be expected to attend all program events, including all courses and Q&A sessions. Industry brown bag lunches are not mandatory, but participants are highly recommended to attend. Â
Additionally, all successful applicants will be awarded stipends. Twelve stipends of $1000 will be awarded to all selected applicants and two individual, $2000 prizes will be awarded to finalists at the completion of the program, one finalist who writes Adult and one finalist who writes MG or YA.
Only finalist manuscripts will be shared with PRH editors, and publishing offers will be strongly considered.
Eligibility
This Workshop is available to:Â
- unpublished and unagented writers
- who identify as part of the African diaspora and
- who have a fully completed manuscript that a.) features Black protagonists, and that b.) focuses on a diverse central subject matter.
The work AND the author must not be published, either traditionally, self-published, or in any other medium.
The submitted manuscript cannot be submitted to other programs designed to lead to publication.Â
Applicants who do not have a completed manuscript at the time of application will not be considered. Applicants should only submit one work in one genre. Multiple applications will not be considered.
The submitted manuscript should be:
- Fully written and complete; partially finished drafts are not eligible for submission.
- Unpublished in any form, including individual chapters or short story adaptations.
- Between 30,000 (For MG) and 100,000 words. These word counts are strict, any manuscripts over the word count will not be considered.
- Original work of the participant, not co-written or co-created.
You will be asked to submit your fully completed manuscript to a writing coach at the beginning of the program. If you are accepted and unable to produce your manuscript at the outset of the program, you will not be allowed to continue in the program and will not be compensated.
Participants must sign a document committing to submit a final manuscript to PRH at the conclusion of the program.
Program Structure
Over five months, writers accepted into the program will attend mandatory course sessions led by a faculty experienced in the development of a well-revised manuscript that is ready for submission.Â
Workshop participants will be given five months and a modest stipend to work through the course with the expectation that they will submit a completed manuscript for consideration at PRH at the end of the workshop. Every participant must submit a manuscript at the end of the course.
The workshop will be broken up month by month, with each month presenting a week where there is:
- One 1 & 1/2 - 2-hour revision faculty-led session
- One Industry Brown Bag lunch (not mandatory)
- One Faculty led Live Q&A
Participants will have between 2-3 weeks between workshop sessions and will be expected during that time to review faculty lessons and work through their revisions independently. There will be message boards for communication between participants and, though it is not required, it is recommended that participants use these boards to find critique partners within their genre group and to ask questions that might be pertinent and useful to the entire group.Â
Application Timeline
March 7, 2022: Application Launches
April 1, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST : Application Closes
Late April 2022: Successful Applicants Notified
May 9, 2022: Program Begins
Application
Contact Us
Thank you for your interest in the WNDB BCF Revisions Workshop. Applications are accepted from March 7, 2022 through April 1, 2022. Please return during this window to fill out the application.
Black Creatives Revisions Workshop FAQ
You can check the eligibility guidelines on the BCF Revisions Workshop general information website or contact at breannamcdaniel@diversebooks.org with questions.
There is not an age limit on applying, however, craft readiness for an offer of a book contract is part of the consideration criteria. Applicants should display a certain level of maturity, commitment, and practice at their craft. Those who apply need to have completed at least one full book draft, a synopsis, and have a career biographical statement ready at the time of submission or they will be disqualified.
Each application is reviewed by a panel of judges to ensure that all of the expectations set forth are met; the expectation is that authors will self-identify as part of the African diaspora through the application.
Using an anonymous system and on a rolling basis, judges with experience in assessing works in the various genres will select a pool of finalists from the larger group based on the merit of the writing sample submitted.
Once the final pool is selected, it will be submitted to a team of WNDB employees and PRH employees who will review the full applications of all the finalists to select the twelve who will be enrolled in the Workshop.
Applicants who do not comply with submission rules will be disqualified.
Application guidelines are available on the BCF Revisions Workshop general information website.
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All authors must have a completed manuscript available for immediate review by their writing coach at the time of application. An entire draft of the book should be complete by the time of submission even though applicants send only 10-15 pages for consideration in their application. Applicants also must include a synopsis of the full story (which can’t accurately be written until after a full draft is complete). No exceptions will be made.
No, the manuscript submitted must be authored by a single writer and not published in any form prior to submission to this workshop.
There are no limitations. The money is intended to provide financial support so that participants may have more time and flexibility to dedicate to their revisions. Participants may use the money however they see fit.Â
No. Anyone (in any category) who submits more than one application or manuscript will be disqualified. Anyone who applies for more than one category will also be disqualified.
No. Due to stipulations around the distribution of the grants, we can not currently accept international applications but there will be more programming forthcoming with the Black Creatives Fund open to international participation.
We evaluate all applications in mid-March and successful applicants will be notified in late-March.
We can’t advise you on the taxability of your stipend, so we encourage you to consult a qualified tax preparation professional.Â
Participation in each faculty lesson and faculty live Q&A is mandatory. During the week that there are lessons you can expect to spend from an hour and a half to two hours on the instruction piece and then an additional hour later in the week for the live Q&A. That same week industry insiders will be hosting a one-hour Industry Brown Bag Lunch that is not mandatory, but participants are strongly encouraged to attend each session. Alongside these engagements, the participants will be required to schedule three one-on-one sessions with their writing coaches: one at the beginning of the workshop, one at the mid-point and one at the end before submission of the manuscript. Outside of these events and appointments, the individual schedule for completion of the full revisions is up to each participant, but every participant must submit a final manuscript for full review by the end of the program. Please do not apply if you do not feel that your schedule over the next five months will allow for full engagement in the Workshop.
No. You’ll receive individual support by your Writing Coaches and engage with industry insiders available to answer your questions and concerns about revision and joining the publishing community. Faculty, Writing Coaches, and Industry Brown Bag lunch guests will not be expected to provide referrals to agents, editors, or other publishers. The focus of the workshop is craft-based on strong self-editing and revision, with opportunities to ask professional and business-related questions as they arise.
Writing Coaches help provide some structure for accountability with the program, helping participants to complete initial revision goals and helping to ensure that they are being met as the program continues and is completed.
Please use your real name on the portion of the application with contact information and let us know what your pen name is in the proper field on the application form. No names or identifying information should be on the manuscript itself.
All applicants must be unpublished, including self-publishing, and unrepresented by an agent. If you are already published or agented at the time of you application you are not eligible to participate in the Revisions Workshop.
Please email your questions to the BCF Program Manager at breannamcdaniel@diversebooks.org.