FP to receive $30,000 Grant from the National Endowment For The Arts
New York, NY – National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $25 million in grants as part of the NEA’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $30,000 to the Feminist Press for the publication of contemporary feminist literature. The Art Works category is the NEA’s largest funding category and supports projects that focus on the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and/or the strengthening of communities through the arts.
“It is energizing to see the impact that the arts are making throughout the United States. These NEA-supported projects, such as this one to the Feminist Press, are good examples of how the arts build stronger and more vibrant communities, improve well-being, prepare our children to succeed, and increase the quality of our lives,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “At the National Endowment for the Arts, we believe that all people should have access to the joy, opportunities and connections the arts bring.”
Jamia Wilson, executive director and publisher of the Press, says, “The NEA’s support enables the Feminist Press to amplify untold stories, elevate traditionally silenced and marginalized voices, and inspire readers to ignite social change. We’re grateful for their role as a powerful sustainer that has allowed us to enliven our mission and play a critical role in fostering transformative storytelling and thought leadership worldwide.”
The grant will support the publication of five works of fiction that represent diverse experiences of feminism. Publications include La Bastarda, a novel by Trifonia Melibea Obono, the first Equatorial Guinean work by a woman to be translated into English; The Naked Woman, a surreal novella in translation by renowned Uruguayan author Armonía Somers; and Go Home!, an anthology of Asian diasporic writers that explores the personal and political dimensions of the word “home.” The Press will also publish two short story collections by debut authors. Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker navigates the vulnerability, uncertainty, and contradictions of black girl- and womanhood, and Love War Stories by Ivelisse Rodriguez explores generations of Puerto Rican women and girls battling over what it means to be a woman in love.
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.