Shorenstein Center announces Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence Program

The Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy has created a new program for writers, named in honor of A.M. Rosenthal. The Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence Program will bring professional nonfiction writers to the Harvard Kennedy School and provide them with an opportunity to conduct research and work on a specific project, as well as interact with a community of scholars and students.

Future writers-in-residence will receive a $30,000 stipend, have an office at the center, and be provided with a student research assistant. They will also teach student workshops and participate in Shorenstein Center events. Candidates for the program should be writers with an established project and a solid history of published books or essays in the area of press, policy, or public affairs. The center’s first writer will be in residence during the spring semester of 2010.

Rosenthal, former executive editor of The New York Times, was a passionate reporter and editor who had a profound influence on the shape of journalism. As an editor he oversaw the coverage of major news stories, including the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers, and the Watergate scandal. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for international reporting.

“Abe Rosenthal was my boss at The Times,” said Alex S. Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center. “I think he would be delighted by the idea of a writing program in his name at Harvard. We are honored that Abe’s family and friends have chosen this new initiative as his memorial. He was a fierce believer in the power of writing and in democracy, and we will work to instill those values in the program.”

Shirley Lord Rosenthal, Rosenthal’s widow, is the lead donor to the program. Proceeds from the sale of her husband’s papers to the New York Public Library were given by Shirley to the Harvard Rosenthal Fund. Other donors include the Bialkin Family Foundation, Ralph Lauren and his wife, the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Peter G. Peterson, the Rattner Family Foundation, Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert, Richard E. Snyder, the A. Alfred Taubman Foundation, James D. Wolfensohn, and the Wolfensohn Family Foundation.

Writers who wish to be considered for the Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence Program should e-mail a one-page letter describing their writing project, along with their curriculum vitae, to Alex S. Jones at alex_jones@harvard.edu, who will chair the selection committee.