The Clayman Institute announces the first recipients of its Feminist Writing Fellowship
Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research has selected its first cohort of writing fellows in its inaugural year of the new Writing Fellowship program, which aims to educate and train the next generation of feminist leaders in the realm of journalism.
The Gender News Feminist Correspondents are:
NATALIE JOHNSON (’20) is a sophomore, creative writer, Black feminist, and majoring in African & African American Studies with a focus on Black art and literature. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she is the youngest daughter of six girls and a proud product of public schools. She will likely declare a second major in Science, Technology, & Society, studying human interactions with either tech or the environment all the while gathering material for her science fiction novels. On campus, she is involved in the Black Feminist Collective and First Generation and/or Low Income Partnership (FLIP). Natalie is also the research assistant for Prison Renaissance @ Stanford and is on the Acts of Intolerance Advisory Committee.
SURBHI SACHDEVA (’20) is a sophomore from New Delhi, India. She is currently pursuing a major in International Relations. Her passion for gender equality and the written word has culminated in a number of published articles, analyses, and research and awareness projects: tackling issues ranging from witness protection for rape survivors to comparative feminist literature. Vocationally inclined towards investigative journalism, she has previously worked with organizations such as The Indian Express and India Today. She is currently also a staff writer for the Stanford Daily.
JULIA SAKOWITZ (’19) is a junior from New York City majoring in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Stanford. A pre-med, she is particularly interested in issues of women’s health and violence against women on campus, nationally, and worldwide. Working in Family Planning research, she has seen firsthand what it looks like to provide accessible contraception and abortion and looks forward to bringing that experience from the clinic to Gender News. Julia is also involved in the Jewish community at Stanford, where she has pioneered several feminist and interfaith initiatives during her time at Stanford, including Feminist Seder and Stanford’s first Sikh-Jewish Interfaith Dinner. She currently serves as co-President of the Jewish Student Association.
“This is a coterie of strong, feminist women and promising young writers,” said Clayman Institute Managing Editor Marcie Bianco, “who will transform our community and translation efforts at Stanford University.” She continued, “Their work throughout this coming year will show the vital necessity and critical importance of feminism journalism, not only on Stanford’s campus, but beyond.”
The Feminist Correspondents will contribute to the production of the Institute's monthly newsletter,Gender News, as well as to the annual publication, upRising. Through their training, which includes four workshops held throughout the academic year, they will hone their journalistic writing skills. The fellows will also have the opportunity to discuss ideas with the many feminist researchers, scholars, and practitioners, who work at and are affiliated with the Clayman Institute.
“I had been looking for an entry into journalism for a while, and this fellowship provided the perfect opportunity for me,” Johnson said. Writing Fellow Sachdeva concurred, “I’m absolutely thrilled by the opportunity to be mentored in feminist journalism, which will hopefully further solidify my footing in both my work on gender equality and in my vocational inclination to pursue journalism. I look forward to being closely involved with and learning from the researchers, faculty members, and editors at the Clayman Institute.”
