Writers’ fellowship launched to help women from diverse backgrounds publish work

Reese Witherspoon launched Hello Sunshine to help promote women in literature and film, and her work has continued with a fellowship aimed to support under-represented women writers.

The fellowship, LitUp, provides mentorship and creates real change in the writing community by increasing support for female writers from diverse backgrounds such as women of colour, native or indigenous women, those from the LGBTQ community who identify as women, and female writers with disabilities.

LitUp will provide first-time authors from these backgrounds with the chance to have their stories read by more people, and with real support from the community, powered by ‘The Readership’: a pay-it-forward platform supporting diverse voices.

“As our community and reach continues to grow, we have all collectively sought out innovative ways to create real change and leave an indelible mark on the greater reading community,” Witherspoon said. “We know there are so many powerful stories from undiscovered voices, and now, more than ever, we need to hear them. We are so thrilled that LitUp will serve as a launchpad for a new generation of authors and provide them with the necessary tools and resources to forge formidable careers as storytellers.”

Reese Witherspoon

To be a candidate for the LitUp, writers must be US citizens, unpublished and without an agent. They must also identify as a woman writer and be part of any of the communities explained above.

An original and complete English language manuscript, in which a woman is at the centre of the story, should be submitted in order to be in with the chance of being chosen to attend an all-expenses-paid writer’s retreat. At the retreat the writer will gain support and knowledge, and the chance to work on their manuscript in depth. They will also be offered a 3-month long mentorship with a published author, a foot in the door with top literary agents, and a book-launch marketing commitment from Witherspoon’s company Hello Sunshine.

“In addition to providing financial support and mentorship resources through LitUp, we wanted to give these authors—who are often deemed ‘risky’ by many publishers—the opportunity to work with an agent and a comprehensive marketing campaign for their work. We’re so excited that LitUp will help usher in new voices with dynamic stories to tell,” the Hollywood Reporter was told.

Reese’s Book Club will be joined by We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) in order to ensure the process is fair by running an anti-bias screening process while reviewing candidates.

Submissions are open now until 30th May 30 2021.

Winners will be announced between the end of 2021 and the start of 2022.