Mongolian Short Story and Essay Project

Supported by a 2020 CLS Alumni Development Fund grant Aubrey Menard (Russian 2013) ran a Mongolian short story and essay writing competition as part of her commitment to help more Mongolians, who are very underrepresented in publication, share their own stories with the world. She engaged nine prominent Mongolian authors to serve as judges and received 248 submissions, with entrants ranging from age 10 through age 82. Aubrey publicized the contest widely both in Mongolia and with Mongolian diaspora communities throughout the world, which yielded diverse voices among the submissions. With funds from another organization, Aubrey was able to award prizes to the contest winners and published their work as an anthology and podcast that were funded by her ADF award. The winners were honored at an awards ceremony and presented with certificates by the Mongolian judges.

"I’ve been engaging in this effort in a somewhat ad-hoc way by mentoring young authors and journalists. This CLS grant allowed me to systematize my efforts, work directly with several aspiring Mongolian writers, and to provide a platform for them to share their stories with the world."