Between a Pandemic, climate change, and advances in technology that continue to reshape almost every way of life, the past year has been a bellwether for work in the US. At WIRED, we believe some of the people best situated to cover this rapid evolution—from growing pains to genius pivots and everything in between—are the people who know those industries from the inside. That’s why we’re launching a new program called the WIRED Resilience Residency. Geared toward professionals whose own careers have been upended by these forces, the Resilience Residency offers a unique opportunity for non-journalists to report powerful stories from their changing fields and start new conversations about the future.
Over six months, beginning in June, residents will collaborate with WIRED’s award-winning editorial team on ambitious storytelling projects about their industries. An artist could report on how performers are reinventing theater, dance, and live music. An urban planner could explore how cities are actually changing as a result of the pandemic. These projects can take many forms, including written features, photo essays, data visualizations, podcasts, videos, social media experiments, and beyond. WIRED will publish residents’ work on its channels throughout the course of the program. In the process, residents will become well versed in WIRED’s reporting and editorial standards, receive feedback on their work, and work with experienced members of our staff.
Our aim is for everyone—residents, WIRED employees, and our audience—to benefit from the exchange of expertise, perspectives, and experiences. To that end, we invite and encourage candidates from underrepresented communities, as well as from industries that don’t regularly appear in our pages. WIRED is a publication about change, and we want our coverage to reflect the full diversity of transformation that is happening across the country.