Mid-Career Fellowships panel

By Tonya Clayton

Mid-career journalism fellowships can be wonderful opportunities for rejuvenation and redirection.

Fellowships might last a week or a year. They might pay, or not. They might involve studying in the offices of theoretical physicists or rocking and rolling on Arctic high seas with oceanographers. They might even forbid reporting.

Fellowship outcomes are just as varied, but the one commonality seems to be a deep appreciation for the opportunity. For many writers, the fellowship experience has been transformative.

Five panelists explored these themes at the "Mid-Career Fellowships" discussion.

Charlie Petit, science writer for U.S. News & World Report, chaired the session. Panel participants were Korey Capozza, an Oakland-based freelance journalist; K. C. Cole, book author and Los Angeles Times science writer; John Cox, book author and former science reporter; and Penny Duckham, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation media fellowships program.

First things first: Don't be scared off by that word "mid-career."

"'Mid-career,'" Petit said, "doesn't mean anything other than you didn't start yesterday." As few as two years of clips might be sufficient, he said.

Many fellowships, sabbaticals, and workshops are available, targeting a wide range of writers.

Even unplanned work breaks can be beneficial. "I think every time I've taken a sabbatical it was because I lost a job," Cole said. "I started book writing because of that. I started teaching because of that. I started radio because of that."

Cox's more formal fellowship experience was similarly transformative. He was a Knight fellow at MIT. "I spent a wonderful year there, like a kid in a candy store," he said.

Cox, who was a daily science reporter at the time, said he returned from the fellowship with a different sense of self and what he was capable of. The fellowship was "a sharp right turn," he said. Cox has gone on to write three books about weather and climate.

Freelance journalist Capozza, who has received numerous fellowship awards, said key benefits for her were opportunities to upgrade her skills and pursue longer, more investigative pieces. Her Pew International Fellowship provided a "terrific opportunity to head abroad without any real pressure." A fellowship with the Center for Investigative Reporting deepened her reporting skills.

Some fellowships require full-time employment at a daily news outlet, but many are flexible. Most important are pitch letters and clips.

Petit said freelancers may have a tougher time getting into some programs since working for a major outlet can "grease the system." Capozza said the Centers for Disease Control, for example, is hesitant to take freelancers, but the final decision rests on the strength of one's clips. She noted that applications requiring pitch letters can actually favor freelancers.

For writers seeking to segue into a new specialty via a fellowship, Cole and Duckham said judges are looking for a strong pitch letter indicating the writer's devotion to learning the new material. The fellowship should include time to build background.

Competition for many fellowships is fierce. Petit noted that, ironically, those who would benefit most from a fellowship often cannot get one. But, he said, "You aren't going to be elbowed out in every fellowship."

The panel encouraged writers not to focus exclusively on high-profile fellowships such as the Knight or Kaiser programs, but to consider the great, diverse array of options.

The Center for the Advancement and Support of Education, for example, offers a great variety of short-term opportunities, Petit said. CASE workshops can be ideal, he said, "if you're a freelancer and you're looking for an idea or if you already have one and want to do some concentrated homework."

Cole highlighted the new fellowship program at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara. "The education would be phenomenal," Cole said. "They are very good explainers and teachers." And they are not yet receiving many applications.

Many overseas programs are available and expanding, said Duckham. The pre-eminent one, Capozza said, is the Pew International Journalism Program. Knight, Reuters, and the Gates Foundation also offer opportunities to write or teach abroad.

Some fellowships are non-reporting ones. The CDC, for example, requires that its fellows not report during their time shadowing disease detectives. "It's a little weird," Capozza said, turning off the reporter's skills. "At the end, you're rusty." But, she said, it's a "fascinating life experience."

Program director Duckham emphasized the importance of the basics in applying for fellowships. First of all, she said emphatically, "spell names right." Next, be careful what you wish for. (Do you really want to move cross-country for a whole year?) Read and follow the prescribed application process. Check in with previous fellows about their experiences. And call ahead. "I'm more interested in people I've talked to, " Duckham said, than in anonymous applications.

In summary, fellowships can provide a wonderful chance for reflection and enrichment without the pressure of deadlines, Petit said. They can offer a chance to recalibrate one's career, whether that means becoming more focused or changing direction altogether.

"Someone else pays for your time to sit and take in information," Petit said.

"What could be better?" Cole added.

Additional information:

• Panelist and moderator Charlie Petit generously compiled a sample list of fellowship opportunities. See this resource guide to fellowships.