NEW YORK CITY: The Public Theater has announced the 10 playwrights for the 2016–17 Emerging Writers Group, a diverse group of playwrights who will receive support and resources to develop new work over the course of a year. Selected from more than 440 applicants, Liza Birkenmeier, Hammaad Chaudry, Phillip Howze, Monet Hurst-Mendoza, Geraldine Inoa, Jeremy J. Kamps, MJ Kaufman, Christopher Gabriel Núñez, Stav Palti-Negev, and Celine Song will participate in the program.

“We are so happy to welcome our sixth class of the Emerging Writers Group to the Public Theater,” said associate artistic director Mandy Hackett in a statement. “It’s been thrilling to watch this program grow over the years, and we are excited to get to know this very talented group of writers hailing from all over the world.”

Writers for the group are selected biannually, and receive a two-year fellowship including a stipend. The writers participate in biweekly writing groups and master classes, and receive developmental mentorship from established writers and the literary department at the Public. Staged readings of works by the writers are presented in the Public’s Spotlight Series.