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Literary Arts | National Endowment for the Arts
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class="main " role="main" tabindex="-1"> <div class="l-content"> <div class="l-full"> <div class="l-full__header"> <div class="hero has-breadcrumbs"> <div class="hero__media"> <picture> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/landing_hero_image/public/images/DSC00572_0.jpg?h=a24d22a0&itok=HkyEL5Uj 1x" media="(min-width: 1024px)" type="image/jpeg" width="1600" height="500"/> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/landing_hero_image_medium/public/images/DSC00572_0.jpg?h=a24d22a0&itok=ttlz0u7- 1x" media="(min-width: 700px)" type="image/jpeg" width="1024" height="320"/> <source srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/landing_hero_image_small/public/images/DSC00572_0.jpg?h=a24d22a0&itok=KQeY_lIA 1x" type="image/jpeg" width="700" height="219"/> <img loading="eager" src="/sites/default/files/styles/landing_hero_image_small/public/images/DSC00572_0.jpg?h=a24d22a0&itok=KQeY_lIA" width="700" height="219" alt="Girl sitting next to man on stage having a discussion." /> </picture> </div> <div class="hero__inner"> <div class="hero__content"> <div class="hero__breadcrumbs"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-label="Breadcrumb"> <ol class="breadcrumb__list"> <li class="breadcrumb__item"> <a class="breadcrumb__link" href="/">Home</a> </li> <li class="breadcrumb__item"> <a class="breadcrumb__link" href="/impact">Impact</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> <h1 class="hero__title">Literary Arts</h1> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="l-full__main"> <section class="l-section"> <div class="l-constrain l-constrain--xs"> <div class="l-section__content"> <p>Literary Arts inspire, enrich, educate, and entertain. They remind us that there is beauty and joy in language, that others have insights worth paying attention to, that in our struggles we are not alone. By helping writers and translators create new work and connect with audiences through publishers and other literary organizations and programs, the National Endowment for the Arts celebrates the literary arts as an essential reflection of our nation's rich diversity of voices. </p><p>Since the agency's beginnings in 1965, the Arts Endowment has awarded more than $125 million in direct grants to literary arts nonprofit organizations and more than $57 million to individual writers. </p><p>In addition to grants to organizations and fellowships to writers, the National Endowment for the Arts also engages the public with the literary arts through its initiatives Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide poetry recitation contest for high-schoolers, and NEA Big Read, innovative community reads around a single book, and its participation in the annual National Book Festival. </p><h2>Literature Fellowships</h2><p>The National Endowment for the Arts awards Literature Fellowship awards every year in creative writing and translation. These fellowships represent the agency's most direct investment in American creativity. The goal of the fellowships program is to encourage the production of new work and allow writers the time and means to write. Many recipients have gone on to receive the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and Fiction. Most received their fellowships before any major national award, usually at least a decade earlier.</p><p>The Literature Fellowships are the only competitive, non-nominated awards that the National Endowment for the Arts gives to individual artists. See a <a href="/grants/recent-grants/literature-fellowships/list-by-year"><strong>full list of all the fellowship awards</strong></a> that the agency has given. </p><h3>Creative Writing Fellowships</h3><p>Creative Writing Fellowships of $25,000 are awarded in alternating years in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry, giving recipients the time and space to create, revise, conduct research, and connect with readers. The program is arguably the most egalitarian grant program in its field: applications are free and open to the public; fellows are selected through an anonymous review process in which the sole criterion is artistic excellence; and the judging panel is diverse and varies year to year. The Arts Endowment has awarded more than 3,700 Creative Writing Fellowships, resulting in many of the most acclaimed novels of contemporary literature: Jeffrey Eugenides's <em>Middlesex</em>, Oscar Hijuelos's <em>The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love</em>, Alice Walker's <em>The Color Purple</em>, William Kennedy's <em>Ironweed</em>, and Bobbie Ann Mason's <em>In Country</em>.</p><p>You can <a href="/impact/literary-arts/creative-writing-fellows"><strong>meet some of the fellows</strong> </a>who received creative writing awards from 2001 to the present. </p><h3>Translation Fellowships</h3> <figure class="captioned-image align-left"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/images/Art%20of%20Empathy%20cover.jpg?itok=2qSPT512" width="311" height="480" alt="Cover of The Art of Empathy"> </figure> <p>Translation Fellowships ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 are awarded to literary translators, giving recipients the time and space to create English renditions of the world鈥檚 best literature, making them accessible to American audiences. Since 1981, the Arts Endowment has awarded 590 fellowships to 518 translators, with translations representing 80 languages and 90 countries, such as Roberto Bola帽o鈥檚 <em>2666</em>, translated by Natasha Wimmer, and Nobel Prize-winner Olga Tokarczuk鈥檚 <em>Flights</em>, translated by Jennifer Croft.</p><p>You can <a href="/node/75306" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="267d95e9-0036-4468-88ad-8760eed5052c" data-entity-substitution="canonical"><strong>meet some of the fellows</strong></a> who received translation awards from 2011 to the present. </p><p>And check out the Arts Endowment publication <a href="/about/publications/art-empathy-celebrating-literature-translation"><em><strong>The Art of Empathy: Celebration Literature in Translation</strong></em></a> containing 19 thought-provoking essays by award-winning translators and publishers on the art of translation and its ability to help us understand other cultures and ways of thought.</p><h2>Initiatives</h2><h3><a href="/initiatives/poetry-out-loud">Poetry Out Loud</a></h3><p>A partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students and 81,000 teachers from 20,000 schools across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud.</p><p>A 2020 research report, <a href="https://www.arts.gov/about/publications/line-by-line" data-extlink><em><strong>Line by Line: Transforming Student Lives and Learning with the Art of Poetry</strong></em></a><em><strong>,</strong></em> presents findings from an evaluation of Poetry Out Loud that involves data collection from ten sample schools assessing the program鈥檚 impact on poetry appreciation and engagement, social and emotional development, and academic performance. Among the findings:</p><ul><li>Participating POL students were 1.7 times more likely to have 4-year college or graduate school aspirations than nonparticipants, even after researchers controlled for other factors.</li><li>POL students were 1.5 times more likely than non-POL participants to engage in community service and volunteering, even after researchers controlled for other factors.</li><li>POL gave students an opportunity to grapple with their positive and negative feelings toward poetry. Through multiple modes of engagement, students learned a wide variety of ways to connect with poems鈥攁nd with each other.</li></ul><h3><a href="/initiatives/nea-big-read">NEA Big Read</a></h3><p>The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, a partnership with Arts Midwest, broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Showcasing a diverse range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, the NEA Big Read aims to inspire conversation and discovery.</p><p>Studies show that reading for pleasure reduces stress, heightens empathy, improves students' test scores, slows the onset of dementia, and makes us more active and aware citizens. Book clubs and community reading programs extend these benefits by creating opportunities to explore together the issues that are relevant to our lives. Wrote one NEA Big Read participant, echoing the sentiments of many other participants around the country, "the book taught us how to talk to and trust one another so that we could ultimately approach issues that were difficult and immediate."</p><p>Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,800 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $25 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, NEA Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 17 years, grantees have leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 6 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 100,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and more than 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible.</p><h3><a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-book-festival/about-this-program/">National Book Festival</a></h3><p>Every year since 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts has participated in the National Book Festival held by the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. First on the Library of Congress grounds and then on the National Mall before moving to the Washington Convention Center, the festival brings together hundreds of thousands of book lovers to hear authors read their work, participate in discussions, sign books, and more. It is one of the most prominent literary events in the nation. The Arts Endowment has sponsored a festival stage annually to focus attention on some of the nation鈥檚 finest literary writers鈥攎any of whom are National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellows.</p><p>On-demand videos of author talks and panels from previous years of the National Book Festival can be found on the <a href="https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-book-festival/videos/">Library of Congress website</a>. </p> </div> </div> </section> <section class="l-section"> <div class="l-constrain l-constrain advanced-listing-block"> <div class="l-section__header"> <h2 class="l-section__title">Literary Arts Podcasts</h2> <div class="l-section__button"> <a href="/stories/podcast/list?f%5B0%5D=podcast_artistic_field%3A151" class="button">All Literary Arts Podcasts</a> </div> </div> <div class="l-section__content"> <div class="views-element-container"> <div class="view view--advanced-listing view--display-image_card js-view-dom-id-5ab0832c53c6173d1f19e7360250a8d35e6c86f3322858aa119768b4a14cefef"> <div class="view__content"> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/podcast/christina-henry" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/christina-henry-pod2.jpg?h=10497c74&itok=ssV6kXFh" width="600" height="600" alt="Headshot of a woman." /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-10-29T12:00:00Z">Oct 29, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>Christina Henry</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Author</div> </div> </a> </div> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/podcast/revisiting-juan-felipe-herrera" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/herrera2-pod.jpg?h=950d2463&itok=buUbWHA3" width="600" height="600" alt="A man in a straw hat, with a broad smile, holding his head in his hands" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-10-16T12:00:00Z">Oct 16, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>Revisiting Juan Felipe Herrera</span> </div> <div class="card__text"> Poet, former Poet Laureate of the US and 2024 MacArthur Fellow</div> </div> </a> </div> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/podcast/jocelyn-bioh" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/jocelyn-bioh-pod.jpg?h=3d32231c&itok=i1BF7Xyw" width="600" height="600" alt="Headshot of a woman." /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-10-01T12:00:00Z">Oct 01, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>Jocelyn Bioh</span> </div> <div class="card__text">Playwright</div> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> <section class="l-section"> <div class="l-constrain l-constrain advanced-listing-block"> <div class="l-section__header"> <h2 class="l-section__title">Literary Arts Blog Posts</h2> <div class="l-section__button"> <a href="/stories/blog/list?f%5B0%5D=blog_artistic_field%3A151" class="button">All Literary Arts Blog Posts</a> </div> </div> <div class="l-section__content"> <div class="views-element-container"> <div class="view view--advanced-listing view--display-image_card js-view-dom-id-f54bd39b94397a88fb25b38bb633bd55d40612e7e4273bb659170e10ec26da41"> <div class="view__content"> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/blog/2024/nea-tech-check-poet-lillian-yvonne-bertram" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/lillianyvonne_a_mathiowetz_crop-1.jpg?h=b204cd5f&itok=zhxqFoxJ" width="600" height="600" alt="a light skinned woman with a short bob with streaks of purple" /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-11-15T12:00:00Z">Nov 15, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>NEA Tech Check: Poet Lillian-Yvonne Bertram</span> </div> </div> </a> </div> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/blog/2024/celebrating-2024-library-congress-national-book-festival" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/2024locbookfestival.jpeg?h=4a0aa9c1&itok=0USH1b8a" width="600" height="600" alt="Library of Congress National Book Festival August 24, 2024 with asterisk, quotation and exclamation point graphic " /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-08-23T12:00:00Z">Aug 23, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>Celebrating the 2024 Library of Congress National Book Festival </span> </div> </div> </a> </div> <div class="view__row"> <a href="/stories/blog/2024/ten-things-you-may-not-know-about-james-baldwin" class="card"> <div class="card__media"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/card_square/public/images/james_baldwin_1969_by_allan_warren.jpg?h=aef8569d&itok=ZGhsdHJg" width="600" height="600" alt="Black and white photo of a Black man wearing a white shirt and smiling. " /> </div> <div class="card__body"> <div class="card__meta"> <span class="card__date card__meta-item"><time datetime="2024-08-02T12:00:00Z">Aug 02, 2024</time> </span> </div> <div class="card__title"> <span>Ten Things You May Not Know About James Baldwin</span> </div> </div> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="e-newsletter"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div class="e-newsletter__wrapper"> <div class="e-newsletter__content"> <h3 class="e-newsletter__title">Stay Connected to the National Endowment for the Arts</h3> <div class="e-newsletter__text">Sign up for our newsletters and magazine</div> </div> <div class="e-newsletter__buttons"> <a href="/sign-up-for-updates" class="button button--secondary">Newsletter Signup</a> <a href="/form/sign-up-for-american-artscape-magazine" class="button button--secondary">Magazine Signup</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer class="l-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="l-constrain"> <div 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