The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) last week announced that The Oxford American Literary Project is among the grant recipients in the NEA’s first round of funding for fiscal year 2009.
The Oxford American Literary Project will receive a $10,000 Access to Artistic Excellence grant through the NEA to support the publication and promotion of The Oxford American magazine, which is based on the UCA campus. According to the NEA’s announcement, The Oxford American “continues to highlight the work of emerging and established Southern writers.”
This is the first NEA grant awarded to The Oxford American.
“Today’s NEA award is another sign of the tremendous progress The Oxford American has made this year,” said Warwick Sabin, the publisher of The Oxford American magazine. “With this support, we will be able to continue to produce one of the nation’s leading literary publications.”The Oxford American this week released its 10th anniversary Southern Music Issue, which is accompanied by a double-CD. Last month it published its first book, The Oxford American Book of Great Music Writing, an anthology of articles from previous editions of the magazine.
The Oxford American has won two National Magazine Awards and other high honors since it began publication in 1992. The New York Times recently stated that The Oxford American “may be the liveliest literary magazine in America.”
The NEA’s Access to Artistic Excellence grants support the creation and presentation of work in the disciplines of dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literature, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting, theater, and visual arts. Projects include commissions, residencies, workshops, performances, exhibitions, publications, festivals, and professional development programs. This round of funding also supported grants to local arts agencies for service-to-the-field projects that assist artists and arts organizations improve managerial resources. Through this category, the NEA will fund 886 projects out of 1,394 eligible applications, for a total of $20,325,500 million.
NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said, “I am delighted to announce the NEA’s first round of grants for fiscal year 2009. We often hear from our grantees that the NEA’s grant support has a catalytic effect, helping the organization to exponentially garner additional funding for its project. These grants are an investment in our nation’s culture, and I’m proud to say that the return on that investment benefits Americans from coast to coast.”
