CRDS FELLOWS PROGRAM

2026-2027

The CRDS Fellows Program supports emerging scholars, artists, organizers, writers, educators, and public intellectuals whose work engages death, dying, grief, mourning, memory, violence, burial, care, and the afterlives of injustice through a radical, justice-centered lens. Designed as both a training opportunity and a collaborative intellectual space, the program invites fellows to contribute to the ongoing work of the Collective for Radical Death Studies while developing their own voices, projects, and professional skills.

Fellows play an active role in expanding CRDS’s public-facing scholarship and community engagement. Depending on their interests and experience, fellows may support editorial projects such as the CRDS Blog and Field Notes, assist with social media and newsletter communications, help build digital resources, contribute to event planning and speaker series development, conduct research for public humanities projects, support fundraising or grant-writing efforts, and collaborate on initiatives that connect death studies to urgent social issues.

The program is grounded in anti-racist, feminist, queer, trans, disability justice, decolonial, abolitionist, and community-centered approaches. We understand death not only as a biological event, but as a political, cultural, historical, and social process shaped by systems of power. Fellows are encouraged to explore how death and dying intersect with race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, migration, colonialism, incarceration, environmental violence, public health, religion, ritual, and collective memory.

In addition to contributing to CRDS’s broader mission, fellows are encouraged to develop an independent project that reflects their own interests and commitments. This might take the form of a public essay, digital resource, interview series, creative project, teaching material, event proposal, or collaborative research initiative. Through mentorship, editorial guidance, and collective support, the CRDS Fellows Program helps cultivate the next generation of radical death studies scholars, practitioners, and cultural workers.

At its core, the program creates space for emerging voices to think critically and creatively about death, loss, and justice while building practical experience in public scholarship, nonprofit organizing, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Submit Your Application Here

Application Instructions

Applicants interested in the CRDS Fellows Program should submit an application that introduces who they are, why they are interested in radical death studies, and how their work, interests, or lived experience connect to the mission of the Collective for Radical Death Studies.

The application questions will be submitted through the Google Form Application:

  1. Statement of interest
    Please describe your interest in the CRDS Fellows Program, your connection to radical death studies, and what you hope to contribute to and gain from the fellowship.

  2. Brief bio
    Please provide a short professional or personal bio that highlights your background, areas of interest, current work, and any relevant experience in research, writing, organizing, teaching, art, public scholarship, community work, or digital communications.

  3. Proposed project or area of interest
    Tell us about a topic, project, question, or issue you would like to explore during the fellowship. This may be a blog post, interview series, digital resource, public humanities project, creative work, event proposal, teaching tool, or another project aligned with CRDS’s mission.

Submission Deadline

Applications are due by May 15, 2026, at midnight EST. Late applications may not be considered.

Applicants do not need to be affiliated with a university or hold an advanced degree to apply. We welcome applications from scholars, artists, activists, educators, students, death workers, cultural workers, and community organizers whose work engages death, dying, grief, mourning, memory, violence, or care through a justice-centered lens. CRDS especially encourages applications from people whose work is grounded in anti-racist, feminist, queer, trans, disability justice, decolonial, abolitionist, and community-based approaches.

Areas of Work

CRDS Fellows will contribute to one or more areas of work based on their interests, skills, experience, and the current needs of the Collective. Fellows are not expected to be experts in all areas. Rather, the program is designed to create space for learning, collaboration, mentorship, and meaningful contribution to the growth of radical death studies as a public-facing and justice-centered field.

Public Scholarship, Writing, and Editorial Support

Fellows in this area will support CRDS’s public scholarship through writing, editing, and editorial development for platforms such as the CRDS Blog, CRDS Field Notes, newsletters, interviews, and other public-facing publications. This work may include drafting short essays, conducting interviews, reviewing submissions, copyediting blog posts, developing calls for submissions, or helping shape thematic series related to death, dying, grief, violence, mourning, memory, and care.

This area is ideal for fellows interested in public humanities, accessible scholarship, academic editing, creative nonfiction, journalism, publishing, or interdisciplinary writing. Fellows may also help think through how CRDS can make complex conversations in death studies more accessible to broader publics without losing analytical depth or political urgency.

Possible role details may include:

  • Writing short public-facing essays or reflections

  • Interviewing scholars, artists, activists, death workers, or community organizers

  • Assisting with editorial review for blog or field notes submissions

  • Copyediting for clarity, accessibility, tone, and consistency

  • Developing themed calls for submissions

  • Helping build publication calendars

  • Supporting contributor outreach and communication

Digital Communications, Social Media, and Outreach

Research, Resource Development, and Educational Materials

Programming, Events, and Community Engagement

Fellows in this area will help expand CRDS’s digital presence and public engagement. This may include creating social media content, drafting newsletter copy, developing event promotion materials, updating website language, creating accessible captions and image descriptions, or helping CRDS communicate its mission to broader audiences.

This area is especially useful for fellows interested in digital humanities, nonprofit communications, social media strategy, public education, design, accessibility, and community outreach. Fellows may help translate CRDS’s values into clear, engaging, and accessible digital materials that reach scholars, students, artists, activists, death workers, educators, and community members.

Possible role details may include:

  • Drafting social media posts for CRDS events, publications, and calls

  • Creating captions, alt text, and image descriptions

  • Supporting newsletter development

  • Helping maintain or update website content

  • Designing simple graphics or promotional materials

  • Developing outreach strategies for new audiences

  • Identifying relevant organizations, programs, or communities for collaboration

Fellows in this area will help CRDS build resources that support teaching, learning, organizing, and public engagement around radical death studies. This may include developing bibliographies, reading lists, syllabi, teaching guides, zines, glossary entries, digital resource pages, or thematic toolkits.

This area is ideal for fellows interested in research, pedagogy, curriculum development, libraries and archives, public education, or community-based knowledge production. Projects might focus on topics such as death and incarceration, Black deathways, queer and trans grief, disability justice and care, environmental death, colonial violence, reproductive loss, migrant death, cemetery politics, death work, or memorialization.

Possible role details may include:

  • Building annotated bibliographies or reading lists

  • Developing teaching resources or discussion guides

  • Creating short explainers on key terms and concepts

  • Compiling resources for students, educators, activists, or community groups

  • Supporting digital archive or resource page development

  • Researching organizations, scholars, artists, and practitioners connected to radical death studies

  • Helping create accessible public-facing materials from academic conversations

Fellows in this area will help CRDS build resources that support teaching, learning, organizing, and public engagement around radical death studies. This may include developing bibliographies, reading lists, syllabi, teaching guides, zines, glossary entries, digital resource pages, or thematic toolkits.

This area is ideal for fellows interested in research, pedagogy, curriculum development, libraries and archives, public education, or community-based knowledge production. Projects might focus on topics such as death and incarceration, Black deathways, queer and trans grief, disability justice and care, environmental death, colonial violence, reproductive loss, migrant death, cemetery politics, death work, or memorialization.

Possible role details may include:

  • Building annotated bibliographies or reading lists

  • Developing teaching resources or discussion guides

  • Creating short explainers on key terms and concepts

  • Compiling resources for students, educators, activists, or community groups

  • Supporting digital archive or resource page development

  • Researching organizations, scholars, artists, and practitioners connected to radical death studies

  • Helping create accessible public-facing materials from academic conversations

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The CRDS Fellows Program is open to emerging scholars, artists, activists, educators, students, death workers, cultural workers, writers, and community organizers whose work engages death, dying, grief, mourning, memory, violence, burial, or care through a justice-centered lens. Applicants do not need to be affiliated with a university or hold an advanced degree to apply.

  • Fellows may propose projects such as public essays, blog posts, interview series, digital resources, creative works, teaching materials, public humanities projects, event proposals, or collaborative research initiatives. We welcome projects that connect death studies to issues such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, colonialism, incarceration, migration, public health, environmental violence, religion, ritual, and collective memory.

  • Fellows may contribute to CRDS through writing, research, editorial support, social media and newsletter development, resource-building, event planning, speaker series support, public scholarship, or community-engaged projects. Fellows will also have the opportunity to develop an independent project aligned with CRDS’s mission.

  • Fellows should expect to commit approximately 10–15 hours per month to the program. This may include attending occasional meetings, contributing to CRDS projects, developing an independent project, participating in editorial or communications work, and engaging with other fellows and CRDS members. The schedule is designed to be flexible and accessible for people balancing school, work, caregiving, creative practice, community work, or other commitments.

  • At this time, the CRDS Fellows Program is an unpaid fellowship. However, CRDS is actively applying for grants and other funding opportunities with the goal of providing stipends to fellows in the future. We recognize the value of fellows’ time, labor, and contributions, and are committed to seeking resources that will allow us to compensate fellows for their work whenever possible.

  • Yes. The CRDS Fellows Program is designed to be remote and accessible, allowing fellows to participate from different locations and time zones. Meetings, mentorship, project development, editorial collaboration, and community-building activities will take place virtually whenever possible. This structure allows CRDS to support fellows with a wide range of schedules, geographic locations, and access needs.

  • Applications for the CRDS Fellows Program are due by May 15, 2026, at midnight EST. After the application period closes, CRDS will review submissions and contact applicants with decisions by mid- to late June 2026. Selected fellows will receive additional information about next steps, onboarding, and program expectations at that time.