For 18 years, PJ Library has been committed to cultivating and elevating Jewish stories, with a particular focus on representing Jewish communities of all walks, culture and traditions. PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative, in conjunction with a generous grant and guidance from the Seattle-based Samis Foundation, is one such program, created to elevate Sephardi and Mizrachi creators. The initiative, now entering its second year, presents more opportunities to aspiring writers and illustrators than ever before.

This year-long, all-expenses paid fellowship (January – December 2025) includes monthly virtual workshops with Sephardic experts, established authors, and publishing professionals; individual mentorship; a special in-person writing retreat; and regular editorial feedback. The first-year fellows will serve as mentors to 13 emerging writers who will delve into the craft of writing children’s books and work with PJ Library publishing experts to develop their own stories that are informed by Sephardic or Mizrahi traditions, tales, and experiences. Thanks to the cohort model, participants will also build a strong support base of authors with similar backgrounds and aspirations.

The final component of the multi-year initiative is a Sephardic Stories manuscript prize that will be open to any unpublished manuscript, with the winner receiving a financial prize as well as a PJ Publishing contract.

PJ Library, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), has long distributed book titles for free to over 650,000 subscribers worldwide who are raising Jewish children.  But when they recognized that the Sephardic and Mizrachi population was underserved in the catalog, they contacted the Samis Foundation, a Seattle-based philanthropy known for supporting a variety of Sephardic educational initiatives in the Jewish community.

“It’s been a gift to partner with both the Samis Foundation, and these amazing up-and-coming authors, to bring the second year of this initiative to life,” says Patrick Coyle, Author and Illustrator Stewardship Coordinator, PJ Library. “I’m looking forward to seeing this second cohort benefit from the wisdom and mentorship of the first – a true testament to the way this program builds on itself to reach more and more Sephardi and Mizrahi authors, illustrators, and readers year after year.”

PJ Library inspires joyful Jewish experiences by sending free storybooks and activities to families with children ages 0-12 and offering ways to connect with community. The program was founded in 2005 by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) and, with the support of generous donors and partners, now distributes books in seven languages to more than 650,000 children in over 40 countries every month.

New York Jewish Parenting Guide