Chicago Women’s History Center is delighted to announce that we have an open call for Writing Fellowships that will begin in March 2026. The duration of Fellowships will begin in March 2026 and continue to September 2026 with texts completed by July 2026 to be published in Fall 2026.

These Fellowships are in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Women Building Chicago 1790 - 1990. Writing Fellows are invited to submit text that expand the historical record of Chicago women from 1990 - 2020. Writing submissions can include biography, memoir, historical narrative, narrative fiction, historical fiction, and poetry.

Each Fellow will be given a stipend of $1500 and will be expected to submit a work for publication by July 31, 2026 maximum of 11,000 words.

To apply please include in the following:

• An outline describing the woman you wish to write about and why their work in Chicago was historically significant.

• A Writer’s short biography (300 words),

• A resume in word doc or pdf

• One word sample (maximum of 10 pages submitted as one PDF)

Please submit proposals by Saturday, February 27, 2026 at Midnight CST.