The NYPL and RHPG Announce the Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction
The New York Public Library and the Random House Publishing Group today announce the creation of the Kate Medina Fellowship for Literary Narrative Nonfiction to support writers whose projects engage with the world-class collections of the Library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
The Kate Medina Fellowship was established with the generous joint support of Kate Medina, former Executive Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Executive Editorial Director at Random House. The fellowship promotes originality and excellence in nonfiction works that combine strong storytelling, reportorial precision, artistic writing, and depth of research into important subjects and ideas.
Applications for the inaugural Kate Medina Fellowship are currently open and will close on June 15, 2026. The selected fellow will receive a stipend of $30,000 to support four continuous months of research between September 1, 2026 and March 15, 2027.
This is one of fourteen prominent fellowship programs offered by the Library through the tremendous support of donors that champion excellence in writing across disciplines.
Kate Medina, photo credit: Joyce Ravid.
“I’m thrilled to launch the Kate Medina Fellowship at the Library, ensuring that writers who are committed to using storytelling and creativity to bring important research topics to life have the support they need. I can’t wait to welcome the first Kate Medina Fellow to our research community and see the exciting works they bring into the world,” said Brent Reidy, Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries at The New York Public Library.
“At the heart of this fellowship program is my belief in the power of writers, and of creative literary narrative nonfiction, to inspire a wider understanding of our world, of other people, and of ourselves. I have long admired the depth and breadth of The New York Public Library’s remarkable collections, and am delighted that the fellows will be able to draw on the Library’s archives while working within the community of The Vartan Gregorian Center,” said Kate Medina.
“As an editor, Kate Medina helped shepherd so many brilliant works of narrative nonfiction into the world—and into the hearts of readers everywhere. And as Kate knows, great narrative nonfiction takes time and dedication. It is the sincere hope of the Random House Publishing Group that these fellowships will offer the next generation of deserving authors the resources they need to make work that matters and endures,” said Andy Ward, Executive Vice President of the Random House Publishing Group and Publisher of Random House.
Fellows at The New York Public Library will have access to the Library’s premier collections and a dedicated workspace in the Vartan Gregorian Center for Research in the Humanities, and will have opportunities to engage with and contribute to the Library’s broad scholarly community, including through a presentation of their work. More details on application criteria and what Fellows can expect is available on our website.
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