Tenacious Writing Fellowship
About the Tenacious Writing Fellowship
At Golden May, we believe that storytelling is both an art and an act of courage—one with the power to connect, heal, and transform individuals and communities. Whether a writer’s dream is to get a specific story out of them or to create a full-time publishing career, the simple act of creative expression is invaluable. Our mission is to help writers build sustainable, joyful writing lives that honor who they uniquely are and the stories only they can tell.
Unfortunately, systemic inequities too often limit opportunities for writers from marginalized communities. Not only does the publishing world ignore and even silence certain voices, but the realities of living as a marginalized person also create energetic and financial barriers to simply exploring creative expression.
To help reduce those barriers, we are offering six Tenacious Writing Fellowships to writers whose voices are historically marginalized. Selected fellows will receive full access to our Tenacious Writing program, plus additional benefits, at no cost. Learn more about the Tenacious Writing program here.
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What Fellows Receive
- Full, free enrollment in Golden May’s Tenacious Writing program
- Lifetime access to future Tenacious Writing live workshops, community events, and resources
- Three optional one-on-one coaching sessions with a professional coach (Emily or Rachel) to discuss your writing goals and next steps to achieve them (to be scheduled within one year of acceptance)
- A supportive, inclusive community of writers who are committed to personal growth and creative joy
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What is Tenacious Writing?Â
Tenacious Writing is a life-time access program for fiction writers. It’s your one-stop-shop for everything you need to finish writing books you love and enjoy doing it. At a top level, Tenacious Writing is a) an online library of recorded writing craft, mindset, and process resources, b) an online Slack community of incredible writers, and c) regular live events and workshops on Zoom with Golden May’s coaches Emily & Rachel—but it’s also so much more than that.
Tenacious Writing is a place where writers are claiming their voices and art in a world that says it doesn’t matter. We’re exploring and claiming the stories we wish to tell in a loving and supportive community. We’re regularly confronting the toxic hustle culture beliefs that our extractive, capitalistic world has injected into us to keep us small. We’re constantly questioning what we’re told craft and process should look like in our pursuit of supporting every unique writer. In Tenacious Writing, we see one another as three-dimensional human beings with unique brains, bodies, minds, and perspectives—and we’re helping each other write our best books, grow as writers and humans, and claim our best writing lives.
To learn more details about the program, please visit https://tenaciouswriting.com.
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Who is this Fellowship for?
The Tenacious Writing Fellowship is open to fiction writers worldwide who are at any stage of their writing journey—whether just starting out or years into the craft — who are 18 years or older and identify with one or more of the following communities:
- BIPOC/ALAANA individuals
- People with disabilities (Visible or Invisible; Including but not limited to chronic pain, chronic illness, neurodivergence, mental illness, and/or physical impairments)
- LGBTQIA+ community
This Fellowship is for writers in the above communities who have a story burning inside them. They dream of telling their stories, fostering their creativity, and living their passion. They want to expand their skills so they can bring their stories to life and make their visions real. They view other writers as partners in abundance and creative potential, rather than as competition. This writer has a voice that deserves to be heard, but they may have struggled to find a space where they can feel safe to explore their art. This writer has pursued their creativity despite facing external and/or internal challenges. Whatever their writing dreams are–to be published, to finish a draft, to make a career, or something else–they hate the idea of giving up on them. They are persistent and tenacious.
If this sounds like you, the Tenacious Writing Fellowship is for you.
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How to Apply
Complete this short application form by July 15, 2026.
Fellows will be chosen by a committee of Tenacious Writing members who identify with one or more of the eligible communities.
Selection is based on:
- A demonstrated commitment to writing and storytelling
- Clarity of goals and how Tenacious Writing will support them
- Interest in and passion for creative community engagement
This rubric will be used to score applications and select the Fellowship recipients. All applications must be completed without the use of any generative-AI tools.
All applicants will be notified by August 3, 2026.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
About Us
Hey! I'm Emily.
As someone who grew up in a predominantly white small town in the middle of nowhere, books have always been a window into diverse perspectives for me. Fiction is the most powerful medium we have to share our hearts, minds, and voices with those who might not otherwise understand or hear us—and I believe I have a responsibility to fight for a diversity of people to share the stories branded on their hearts.
Marginalized communities have always had to fight far too hard to have their voices heard and valued, but when I first joined the writing world, back in the days of #writingcommunity and Twitter, there was so much hope. The people who fought for and organized movements like #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, and #OwnVoices—inside and outside publishing—had a demonstrable positive impact on marginalized voices. It wasn't enough (far, far from enough) but it was important. Over the last few years we've seen vicious attack after vicious attack on that progress and it is unacceptable.
Through the Tenacious Writing Fellowship program, I hope to support and lift up voices that might otherwise be sidelined or even silenced. Because no matter how the world tries to quiet you, no matter what genre you're writing, or what your message is, or if/how you plan to share it with the world—your story is worth writing. It is worth your love, it is worth your time, and you deserve to play in the joy of your own creativity.
You can find me on Instagram @ebgoldenbooks and Substack here.
Hey! I'm Rachel.
Books are so powerful, and I know that firsthand because books changed me. I grew up in a fairly insulated religious community and didn’t hear many opposing viewpoints or learn about experiences or identities outside my own. It wasn’t until I reached middle grade, high school, and college that I started reading extensively and was finally exposed to both the joys and the struggles of marginalized communities. It deeply impacted the way I viewed the world, my place in it, and how it was my responsibility to amplify those voices.
I firmly believe that stories change the world. When we listen to, value, and hear the voices of others, it makes us better humans. However, systemically marginalized voices are too often silenced, sidelined, and asked to change their work to fit a white, able-bodied, heteronormative narrative. This needs to change. Everyone should be able to tell the story branded on their heart, and be heard and valued no matter what that story is.
As a book coach and business owner, I believe it’s both my privilege and responsibility to create a safe place for writers in marginalized communities to learn, grow, and succeed in sharing the stories they dream of telling. Those writers deserve the joy of sustainable creativity, and those stories deserve to be told and amplified. Through this Fellowship program, I hope to create that safe place that honors diverse identities and the stories only they can tell.
You can find me on Instagram @bookcoachrachel and @author.remay.
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To learn more about us, you can find our services and writing resources at the Golden May website here. Want to get to know us? Check out our favorite Story Magic episodes:
