FMS Writers
Fiction Meets Science offers one or two fellowships a year to writers working on a novel, short story collection, or work of narrative nonfiction (biography, documentary, journalism, history, or popular science), in which science is an essential, realistic feature of the book’s themes, plot, structure, or characters.
Now accepting expressions of interest for residencies from Spring
2026 - Winter 2027
The residency
The FMS Fellows are provided with a private apartment and office space at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute for Advanced Study), where they connect with the Institute’s interdisciplinary community of guest scientists. During their residencies, the writers are expected to give one reading or lecture and to attend the weekly lectures by the institute’s scientist fellows. Travel expenses and a monthly stipend are provided. Residencies vary from three to ten months (sometimes split over two years), and the timing is determined on an individual basis, depending on apartment availability at the Hanse and the writer’s own schedule.
Eligibility
Writers who have published at least one book, or comparable short works in reputable journals, may submit a letter of intent, along with a curriculum vitae and publication list. Writing a book can take many years, and we invite writers at any stage of the process from initial conception to final editing.
To be considered for an FMS Fellowship
To apply, please email Susan M Gaines with an expression of interest detailing how you expect to use the residency, as well as a CV and list of publications. If we think you will be a good fit, we will contact you to ask for samples of your work and invite you to a preliminary Zoom interview. Final selections are made by the Director and program administrator at the Hanse in consultation with the FMS Writers Advisory Board.We consider the writer’s experience and the literary quality of past work, as well as the proposed project, interest in engaging with scientific topics, and willingness to participate in the interdisciplinary life at the Hanse and in the occasional workshop with the FMS scholars (see, for example, the Experimental Encounters workshops).
More information about the intent of the residency program is available here.
The Writers
-
Alexander MastersAlexander Masters is the author of two works of creative non-fiction, More
-
Isaac YuenIsaac Yuen is a Hong Kong-Canadian writer with a lifelong passion for the environment. He holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Environmental Education and Communication. More
-
Frederick ReikenFrederick (Rick) Reiken is a novelist, short story writer, and essayist. He is currently a professor of creative writing at Emerson College in Boston, where he teaches in the MFA program. Rick is working on a new science novel at the Hanse in 2022 and 23. More
-
Ulrike SyhaAward-winning playwright Ulrike Syha was in residence from January through June of 2020, during which time she interviewed local scientists and worked on Das Labor, a new science play slated for production at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater. More
-
Chrissy KolayaChrissy Kolaya will be in residence from January through May 2020. She is working on a novel with the working title "The Second Voyage of Audley Worthington," about a nineteenth-century naturalist who disappears in the Spice Islands.More
-
Catherine BushCatherine Bush was in residence from February through April 2019 finishing her novel "Blaze Island" (Goose Lane Eds, 2020), about a climate scientist who is ousted from his university position at the behest of climate change deniers in the US and takes up residence on a remote island in the north Atlantic with his young daughter. More
-
Björn SC DeignerPlaywright, author and audioplay-producer Björn Deigner was in residence at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg from February 2019 through May 2019, during which time he worked on his play "Mission Mars", which premiered at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in 2020.More
-
Rebekka KricheldorfPlaywright Rebekka Kricheldorf was in residence from September through Decemeber 2017, during which time she worked on "Das Haus auf Monkey Island", a new science play which premiered at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in 2019 and was presented in Berlin at the "Authorentage" in the same year.More
-
Jaspreet SinghJaspreet Singh was in residence at the HWK from September 2017 through May 2018More
-
Padma VenkatramanPadma Venkatraman was in residence at the Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg from June through July 2018, as well as December 2018 through January 2019 and July through September 2019.More
-
Elisabeth SheffieldElisabeth Sheffield was in residence at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg from Fall 2016 through Spring 2017More
-
Edward SchwarzschildA novelist, short story writer, and professor of English, Edward Schwarzschild is working on a novel about several generations of theoretical physicists.More
-
Anne von CanalAnne von Canal was in residence at the HWK during February 2015. More
-
Pippa GoldschmidtNovelist, short story writer and astronomer, in residence from November 2014 through July 2015. More
-
Bernhard KegelNovelist, science writer, and biologist, in residence April through June, 2013 and September through December 2015. More