PERIPLUS: An FAQ

PERIPLUS: AN FAQ

Updated September 2025

Hi! Thanks for your interest in Periplus, a mentorship collective serving U.S. writers who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. We’re glad you’re here. Read on for some information. If you have other questions after reading this FAQ, you can reach us at peripluscollective@gmail.com. This is our mission and values statement. These are the 2025 Periplus Fellows and the current and past mentors.

The application for 2026 fellowships is now closed. We don’t accept applications outside of our annual application period. If you’d like to be added to a mailing list so that we can alert you when the application opens again, please fill out this form.

Who are you, and what is this?

Periplus is a community of writers engaged in mentorship and community-building. Some of us are mentors (giving mentorship) and some are Fellows (receiving mentorship), but those lines can be blurry; we all benefit from our participation in the community, and we all share in supporting one another. In fact, some Fellows from past years (Jenzo DuQue, Zain Khalid, and Angelique Stevens) have gone on to become mentors as well. In addition, anyone who applies to Periplus and is named a finalist has access to much of the same programming as the Fellows (though not to the one-on-one mentorship).

You can read more about Periplus in this Poets & Writers profile (from May / June 2021) and this Atlantic Q&A (from September 2023).

Who are the mentors, and what do they do?

The Periplus mentors are a group of writers who, having benefited when we’ve belonged to diverse and inclusive writing communities, would like to mentor promising BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) writers in the United States who are earlier in their careers than we are. These are the current and past mentors.

We write essays, fiction, longform journalism, poetry, memoir, criticism, and various hybrid or undefined forms, and seek mentees working in those forms. (While several mentors are journalists with varied experience, this collective is geared more toward longform stories—features, investigations, and the like—than shortform reporting; people on the latter track might find more suitable resources through journalists’ organizations such as NAJA, NAHJ, NABJ, AAJA, and SAJA.) We don’t mentor in playwriting, screenwriting or graphic forms. We don’t mentor in writing for children. While we welcome writers who work in all languages, we mentor only in English.

The first year of mentorship took place in 2021. Each mentor takes on one mentee, known as a Periplus Fellow. Mentors and fellows will talk for at least 30 minutes every month, about topics that might include, for example, building writing into a daily routine, making money as a writer, considering craft concerns like structuring a book or magazine article, and approaching career-related problems like finding an agent, pitching magazines, or applying to graduate school. Some of us, though not all, can also read and give feedback on fellows’ work — within certain limits, which mentors can specify. In addition, mentors periodically arrange panels and presentations for the collective; in the past, for example, we have hosted panels of writers, literary agents, book editors, magazine and journal editors, and representatives from graduate creative-writing programs.

Because this is a collective, mentors make big decisions as a group and share some work of running it. That said, the depth of individual mentors’ involvement depends on their particular circumstances. The only requirement is the monthly conversations. Anything else mentors do on top of that — including reading fellows’ work or helping to read applications, for example — is up to them.

Who are the Fellows, and what do they do?

Periplus Fellows, past and present, have played a major role in making Periplus a robust, supportive community. As with the mentors, the depth of individual Fellows’ involvement depends on their particular circumstances. The only requirement, for Fellows, is the monthly conversations with mentors. These are the 2025 Periplus Fellows, and here are past Fellows.

That said, there are lots of opportunities for broader engagement on the part of Fellows: planning panels, talks, meet-ups, readings or other events; attending those events; sharing support and resources with the community; and doing whatever else they think would be useful and interesting.

Is any of the work paid? Is there a financial cost for anyone involved?

No one’s work is paid, and there is no financial cost. We’re a collective of writers who want to, and are able to, participate in this community. We like the idea of a low-key, informal, mutual-aid-style project that exists outside of institutions. Though some of us are affiliated with institutions such as universities or magazines, we don’t have outside funding or other institutional support for this project. It’s just us.

But who are you exactly?

A list of current and past mentors can be found here. A list of 2025 Fellows can be found here.

Since this is a leaderless collective, we make big decisions as a group and share some of the work of running it. That said, for the purposes of accountability and keeping things straight, Nicole Chung is the secretary. Pia Owens is our ombudsperson. Pia helps with communication; receives feedback, including confidential complaints; and weighs in on issues where an outside perspective is needed. Camille Wanliss is the social media director, responsible for Periplus’s social media presence. Taylor Lena McTootle is the director of partnerships, responsible for partnering with outside organizations. Nilsa Rivera is the archivist, responsible for organizing and maintaining documents in the Periplus resource library.

What are you looking for in Fellows, and how can I apply?

We’re looking for Fellows who identify as people of color, are located in the United States, and are at least 18 years old, and whose writing shows great promise. The mentors are seeking to mentor promising writers in the United States who are relatively early in their careers. We would especially like to award fellowships to those with limited past access to writing communities or writing guidance. We aim to equalize access so that writers can achieve their goals regardless of their background and affiliations.

If you are currently taking classes as part of a degree-granting program — e.g., high school, college, or any graduate degree-granting program — you are not eligible for mentorship. You are also not eligible if you have published a book (or have one under contract) with a major U.S. press in a genre in which we mentor.

The Periplus Fellowship is competitive; we typically receive hundreds of applications for fewer than 50 annual fellowships. To apply, you’ll need to submit ten to twenty pages’ worth of writing and a short bio, along with answering some questions about yourself and what you’re looking for in a mentor. If you’ve got a writing sample ready, filling out the application shouldn’t take much time.

Who assesses applications, and how are they assessed?

A large committee of volunteers from the writing world, including current mentors and Fellows reads and assesses the writing samples based on the promise evident in them. From there, a smaller committee of two or three mentors narrows the field by assessing how helpful a Periplus Fellowship could be for your craft and career, based on your existing access to writing resources, your existing commitment to your craft and career, and other factors.

Is this only for U.S. writers, or can international writers also apply?

We are currently accepting only applicants who are U.S.-based.

Is there a U.S. citizenship or permanent residency requirement?

No. We require only that you plan to be living in the United States during the mentorship year.

When you say that you’re looking to mentor writers in the United States who are earlier in their careers than you are, does that mean you’re looking for relatively young mentees?

No. We encourage writers of all ages to apply.

I’d been living in the United States until recently but had to leave. I will return sometime in the coming year. Am I eligible?

Yes, as long as you’ll return to the United States sometime during the fellowship year and will spend more than half of the year in the United States.

I split my time between the United States and someplace else. Am I eligible?

Yes, as long as you will spend more than half of the fellowship year in the United States.

I am taking classes at an academic institution, but not as part of a degree-granting program. Am I eligible?

Yes.

I am finishing the requirements for an academic degree, but I’m not currently taking classes. Am I eligible?

Yes.

I want a mentor in one of the genres for which you offer mentorship, but my most polished writing sample is an academic paper. Should I submit that?

We’ll be using your writing sample to gauge whether you’d be a good fit for one of our mentors, and we’re creative writers and longform journalists. You should submit your best work, but a piece of writing in the genre in which you want to be mentored is ideal.

I’m a writer, and I want to be a mentor, too. How can I get involved?

We’re not currently looking for new mentors, though we might be in the future and always keep a list of potential mentors. We also might need volunteers to help out with other stuff. If you’d like to be in touch about any of this, email us at peripluscollective@gmail.com.

I’m not a writer; I’m an editor or in some other field where I think I can be of help. How can I get involved?

We’re not currently matching fellows with non-writer mentors, but that could change, or we could involve non-writer mentors in other ways—for example, to give talks or participate in Q&A sessions. If you’d like to be in touch about this, email us at peripluscollective@gmail.com.

Are incarcerated writers eligible?

Yes.

Are people living in U.S. territories eligible?

Yes.

I’ve published a book with a major press, but not in a genre in which you mentor. Am I eligible?

We get this question a lot from people who have published children’s books, for example. If you have published a book with a major press, or have one forthcoming, in a genre in which we don’t mentor — such as a children’s book — you are eligible.

I’ve completed all the coursework for my degree but haven’t formally graduated yet. Am I eligible?

Yes. You might be asked to provide proof that your coursework is complete, though you haven’t yet formally graduated.

I’ve applied to an academic program and might be accepted and enroll during the fellowship year. Am I eligible?

Yes.

There are a few writers with whom I’d especially love to be matched. Do you ask that we specify writers we’d like to work with?

No, though you can, if you want. You can also tell us what you’re looking for in a mentor, in general.

How far along should a writing sample be? Should it be published? Can I send a sampling of work in a variety of genres?

You should submit your best work, whether it’s published or not. A sampling of different pieces—representing various genres or not—is just fine.

Does Periplus take donations?

No. We’re a collective of individuals volunteering our time, not a nonprofit, and we aren’t currently in need of donations.

Does Periplus accept non-monetary support?

Yes, we do! We partner with a growing list of organizations that offer our fellows free or discounted opportunities. Examples of this kind of support include tuition support from Lighthouse Writers Workshop to attend its Writing in Color Fest; fellowships from StoryStudio to attend their annual virtual Pub Crawl, about publishing; fellowships from One Story to attend their lecture series; fellowships from American Short Fiction to attend their MFA for All program; and a standing invitation from the Antioch MFA program to audit their residencies as special guests. It has been a really meaningful part of the Periplus experience, one that we’re grateful for. If you’d like to offer non-monetary support, you can email us at peripluscollective@gmail.com.

I have a question that isn’t addressed here, or something else I want to get in touch about.

You can email us at peripluscollective@gmail.com.