The Big Thinkers Changing the World

“My time as a New America Fellow made all the difference in not only completing my book, but also thinking about how to communicate with a wider audience. New America opened the door for me to have conversations with journalists, policymakers, and artists, and their input was so helpful in imagining the different people my work could reach.”
— Marcia Chatelain, Class of 2017 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

The world is full of thinkers with big ideas that will change our society, and New America’s Fellows Program has been proud to provide over 230 of these ambitious, big thinkers with the opportunity to pursue the stories that changed their lives, and that, one day, will change ours. Stories like Sherri Fink’s harrowing experience recreating five days at Memorial Hospital during Hurricane Katrina, and CJ Hunt’s documentary film exploring the lasting impact of confederate imagery, fueled by his experience witnessing the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. The fellows have a significant impact on a wide range of important public policy matters, and each year they publish hundreds of articles and op-eds in major national and international media outlets as they work toward the completion of their longform projects. Last year, New America’s fellows earned many accolades and praise from sharing their stories — they became Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times bestsellers, and award-winning podcasters and filmmakers.

The New America National Fellows are the torchbearers for society. They shine a light on the systemic problems that define America’s past, present, and future. For example, Clint Smith’s reckoning with slavery in How the Word is Passed, Reginald Dwayne Betts’s exploration of incarceration and its aftermath in his book of poems, Felon, and Katie Engelhart’s probing inquiry into the right to die movement in The Inevitable.

And each fall the program is in a time of exciting transition, as the newest class of fellows is welcomed with orientation and professional development sessions and, at the same time, the application process for the next class begins. This is a time when the goals of the program feel most tangible — reading the applications of those inspired to do the work that many overlook, while seeing the excitement of the new cohort as they come together for the first time to share their ideas and offer each other support. And the new class of fellows for 2022, which include writers, a podcaster, and scholars, are dedicating their time to enhancing conversations around the housing crisis, right-wing extremism, and sex-verification testing in sports.

The program prioritizes diversity and elevating the lived experiences of everyday Americans in their work. So in fellows selection, New America seeks to uplift the perspectives of these individuals to tell their own stories, and the stories of their communities, as the Fellows program builds the foundation to drive narrative empowerment and narrative change. With each fellows class we strive to build a supportive community between each class and an extensive alumni network, using cohort gatherings and workshops throughout the year to aid them. Brian Goldstone, Class of 2021 Fellow, said, “Writing a book can be an isolating experience, so the support and intellectual camaraderie of a New America Fellowship was incredibly appealing.”

And as we consider applications for the Class of 2023, we are looking for clear ties to the work and goals of New America, whether it’s furthering a new public policy idea through a domestic or international lens, or illuminating long-standing dilemmas of American life from new angles. Current and past fellows’ work — most notably, Pulitzer Prize-winners Marcia Chatelain, Eliza Griswold, and Nikole Hannah-Jones; and New York Times bestselling authors Clint Smith and Patrick Radden Keefe — has been cited and built upon in both New America’s research and in other distinguished publications, investigations, and policy journals, while remaining accessible to audiences outside of policy circles.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Class of 2022 Fellow, “couldn't imagine a better fellowship and community” to get the most out of himself and his material for his first book. He applied, noting, “There are so many journalists, writers and public intellectuals who I look up to whose projects have been supported by New America.”