National Endowment for the Arts

NEA Literature Fellowships

40 Yea s

of Supporting American Writers

r
This year, the National Endowment for the Arts marks its 40th 

anniversary of leadership in the arts. The NEA is a public agency 

dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and 

established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing 

leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 

as an independent agency of the federal government, the 

Arts Endowment is the largest national funder of the arts, 

bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, 

inner cities, and military bases.
r

NEA Literature Fellowships

40 Yea s

of Supporting American Writers

National Endowment for the Arts

March 2006
This publication is published by:

National Endowment for the Arts

Office of Communications

Felicia Knight, Director

Don Ball, Publications Manager/Editor

Designed by Nancy Bratton Design 

Cover Photo by Nancy Bratton

Thanks to Amy Stolls, David Kipen, Jon Peede, Paulette Beete, Campbell 

Irving, Pamela Kirkpatrick, and Garrick Davis for their contributions to 

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Credits

Photo Credits

Dana Gioia: Photo by Vance Jacobs (page 1)

John Steinbeck and Ralph Ellison: Photo by R. Philip Hanes, Jr. (page 3)

Julia Alvarez: Photo by Bill Eichner (page 12)

T. C. Boyle: Photo by Pablo Campos (page 13)

Jared Carter: Photo by Diane Carter (page 14)

Annie Dillard: Photo by Carin Clevidence (page 15)

Rita Dove: Photo by Fred Viebahn (page 16)

Andre Dubus: Photo by Marion Ettlinger (page 17)

Ernest J. Gaines: Photo by Dianne S. Gaines (page 18)

Christina Garcia: Photo courtesy of Lavin Agency (page 19)

Kaye Gibbons: photo by Marion Ettlinger (page 20)

John Haines: Photo by Peter Iseman (page 21)

Joy Harjo: Photo courtesy of author (page 22)

Oscar Hijuelos: Photo by Dario Acosta (page 23)

Jane Hishfield: Photo by Nick Rosza (page 24)

Mark Jarman: Photo by Peyton Hoge (page 24)

Edward P. Jones: Photo courtesy of HarperCollins (page 26)

Suji Kwock Kim: Photo by Jim Saah (page 27)

Ted Kooser: Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln (page 28)

Philip Levine: Photo courtesy of author (page 29)

Bobbie Ann Mason: Photo courtesy of Viking Penguin (page 30)

Davis McCombs: Photo courtesy of author (page 31)

Marilyn Nelson: Photo by Fran Funk (page 32)

Ishmael Reed: Photo courtesy of author and Basic Books (page 33)

Norman Rush: Photo by Jerry Bauer (page 34)

Kay Ryan: Photo courtesy of Grove Press (page 35)

Charles Simic: Photo by Philip Simic (page 36)

Jeffrey Skinner: Photo courtesy of author (page 37)

Jane Smiley: Photo by Jack Canning (page 38)

Cathy Song: Photo by John Eddy (page 39)

Virgil Suárez: Photo by Jason Flom (page 40)

Larissa Szporluk: Photo courtesy of author (page 41)

Nancy Willard: Photo courtesy of author (page 42)

Joy Williams: Photo by Rollie McKenna (page 43)

Tobias Wolff: Photo by Giliola Christe (page 44)

Erdag Göknar: Photo courtesy of author (page 46)

David Hinton: Photo courtesy of author (page 47)

Lynne Sharon Schwartz: Photo courtesy of author (page 48)

William Jay Smith: Photo courtesy of author and Curbstone Press 

(page 49) 

Donald A. Yates: Photo courtesy of author (page 50)

Poet Laureate photos (page 52):

Billy Collins: Photo courtesy of Library of Congress

Rita Dove: Photo by Fred Viebahn

Louise Glück: Photo by Sigrid Estrada

Ted Kooser: Photo courtesy of University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

Stanley Kunitz: Photo by Ted Rosenberg

Robert Pinsky: Photo by N. Alicia Byers

Mark Strand: Photo by Jim Higgins

Mona Van Duyn: Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
Contents

Years

Preface ....................................................................... 1

The NEA Literature Fellowships 

Turn Forty: An Introduction ................................... 3

NEA Literature Fellowships:

Creative Writing Fellows .............................. 11

Translation Fellows .......................................45

National Awards and Honors 

Won by NEA Literature Fellows ............................ 51

 NEA Literature Fellowships 1

Preface

efore I assumed my current position, I supported my family for 12 years as a full-time 

writer. Although primarily a poet, I also reviewed 

books and music, edited anthologies, gave readings, 

wrote for radio, and even taught college part-time. I 

did what it took to make a living—while always trying 

to guard a little time for poetry. Making one’s way 

as a literary writer in America is hard work. Consequently, I understand only too well the importance 

of the NEA Literature Fellowship program. Over the 

past 40 years, these awards have helped new writers 

find their voices and established authors continue 

their work. The program represents one of the 

great successes of the Arts Endowment in enriching 

American culture.

Many important authors have been recognized 

by the NEA. Some of our early grants went to writers 

whose work is now a permanent part of America’s 

literary legacy—Gwendolyn Brooks, Isaac Bashevis 

Singer, John Berryman, Raymond Carver, Donald 

Justice, Wallace Stegner, Malcolm Cowley, Denise 

Levertov, Robert Penn Warren, and Eudora Welty, 

to name only a few immortals. The notable variety of 

their talents testifies to the inclusivity of the NEA’s 

program. You have to respect any poetry list broad 

enough to include both Anthony Hecht and Charles 

Bukowski—Allen Tate and Allen Ginsberg. More 

B important, the NEA Fellowships have also recognized 

many writers years before their talents were acknowledged by a wider audience, including Paul Auster, 

T. C. Boyle, Ernest J. Gaines, Tobias Wolff, Kay 

Ryan, Ted Kooser, Oscar Hijuelos, X. J. Kennedy, 

Maxine Hong Kingston, and Alice Walker.

In the fortieth year of the Arts Endowment’s existence, it seems both proper and timely to celebrate 

the history of the NEA Literature Fellowship program. Through this program of competitive individual grants—3,256 individual grants to date—the 

agency has made a direct investment in American 

creativity. By helping writers at every stage of their 

careers, the National Endowment for the Arts has 

supported the excellence and diversity—cultural, 

stylistic, and geographic—of American letters. 

The NEA awards also have had an importance 

beyond their immediate financial impact. By recognizing many writers at critical and often early stages 

of their careers, the Fellowships have brought significant attention to these individuals—publication 

opportunities, critical reviews, job offers, academic 

tenure, and especially added self-confidence. Such 

forms of recognition bring enduring benefit to a 

writer’s life long after the fellowship check has been 

cashed and spent.

Chairman Dana Gioia
2 National Endowment for the Arts

The NEA Literature Fellowship program includes 

four award categories—fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and translation. While the creative writing awards 

have gathered most of the attention, the importance of 

the translation awards can hardly be overstated. This 

program has been especially significant in a period 

when the publication of newly translated works by 

American presses has become a marginal activity. By 

supporting translation, the Arts Endowment broadens conversations among cultures and provides opportunities for Americans to gain perspective on our 

own complex national identity by exploring the work 

of writers from around the world.

By helping writers at every stage of their careers, the 

National Endowment for the Arts has supported 

the excellence and diversity—cultural, stylistic, and 

geographic—of American letters.

Walt Whitman once claimed that, “The United 

States themselves are essentially the greatest poem.” 

If that metaphor is true, then the Arts Endowment 

has helped enrich and enlarge the national poem 

with 40 years of bold and constant support. I cannot 

imagine anyone surveying the pages of names that 

follow without appreciating the enormous investment 

in American creativity represented by our program. 

Most of these authors are still writing at the peak of 

their powers. As Whitman observed, “The strongest 

and sweetest songs yet remain to be sung.”

Dana Gioia

Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
NEA Literature Fellowships 3

ne sweltering summer day in the nation’s capital, 

when the bureaucratic static of meetings and 

deadlines and clerical crises had peaked, I looked 

at our wall of fellowship applications and said to our 

hardworking intern we need art. After eight years at the 

agency, I knew the feeling of being buried in thousands of folders and files and piles of paper three-hole 

punched, boxed in, and taped shut. I knew, too, that 

when the job felt like a job, it was time to remind 

ourselves why we do what we do, and why we love it. We 

grabbed copies of a manuscript from the stacks and 

took a moment to read. And we were transported.

When the language sings, you can find yourself: 

in a civil war or a morning routine, a filthy fifthfloor walkup or a thousand acres of sagebrush and 

sky, staring and listening and understanding the pain 

of a wounded soldier, the rage of a silenced citizen, 

the simple joy of kicking a stone. On this particular 

afternoon, we were led to a crescendo of a moment, 

powerful in its subtlety, of an old Jewish woman 

who, after fifty years of sleeping through suburban 

afternoons and snapping insults, whispered for the 

first time the circumstances of her horrific capture 

during the Holocaust. We ended the story with our 

hands over our hearts, our breath quickened, and a 

visceral desire to say to everyone in the office read this!

Then we wanted to know who this writer was.

Art leads us to the artists because we are curious 

creatures. How do they do it? we wonder. If only a 

few hundred literary authors in America can make 

a living from royalties on books alone, how do most 

writers find the time and energy to write with night 

shifts and dirty diapers and a continual stream of rejection letters? They struggle, might be one answer. 

Or they stop, might be another. “If man needs bread 

and justice,” wrote Albert Camus, “he also needs 

pure beauty, which is the bread of his heart.” If it’s 

a struggle to find this bread of the heart because it is 

not being created and not reaching audiences, then 

the logical next question for us as Americans should 

be: how can we best help?

For 40 years, the National Endowment for the 

Arts has been asking that very question. The answers 

haven’t always come easy, but if you look through 

the following list of 2,756 writers and translators 

who have received NEA Literature Fellowships, 

you’ll see a varied landscape of the best contemporary literature America has to offer. And if you take 

into consideration that the majority of these writers 

received their fellowships early in their careers, when 

they most needed financial support and acknowledgement to keep them writing, you’ll understand why we 

at the Endowment feel we have something to celebrate. 

In its noble and unprecedented service to American 

letters, the Literature Fellowship program has made an 

invaluable contribution to the manifold expression of 

American culture.

o

In its noble and unprecedented service to American letters, 

the Literature Fellowship program has made an invaluable 

contribution to the manifold expression of American culture.

The NEA Literature Fellowships 

Turn Forty: an introduction

By Amy Stolls, NEA Literature Specialist

Authors John Steinbeck and Ralph 

Ellison at one of the first National Council 

on the Arts meetings in Tarrytown, NY.
4 National Endowment for the Arts

A Unique System

The NEA Literature Fellowship program is arguably the most egalitarian grant program in its field. 

The $20,000 fellowships for general writing-related 

costs are highly competitive, but unlike most other 

literary awards, they are selected through an anonymous process in which the sole criterion for review is 

artistic excellence.

How, then, is it possible to ensure the diversity 

of the group of writers to whom we give grants? We 

assemble a different panel of judges every year, each 

diverse with regard to geography, ethnicity, gender, 

age, aesthetics, and life experience. This system helps, 

but it’s no guarantee; a Latina poet, for example, can 

speak out for poetry by and about Latinas or be its 

harshest critic. And yet, the NEA’s commitment to 

artistic excellence leads consistently to diversity. Take 

the 42 prose Fellows from FY (fiscal year) 2004: 

they hailed from 22 states; 43 percent of them were 

women; and they ranged in age from 27 to 58. Also 

demonstrating the openness and inclusiveness of 

the program is the fact that 93 percent of them were 

first-time NEA grant recipients. The two things the 

2004 Fellows all have in common? They are American, and their writing made a panel of distinguished 

authors sit up and take notice. 

The fundamental emphasis of the program has 

always been on artistic excellence. Despite an anonymous process, the Endowment has had an outstanding track record of finding and supporting talent. 

For example, 46 of the 70 recipients of the National 

Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle 

Award, and the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and Fiction 

since 1990 were previous NEA Fellows. All but three 

received NEA Literature Fellowships before any major national award, usually at least a decade earlier.

In the Beginning

In May 1966, eight months after the NEA and its advisory board—the National Council on the Arts—were 

established, Council members Ralph Ellison, Paul 

Engle, Harper Lee, and John Steinbeck proposed 

the development of a program to provide grants to 

creative writers. 

While the Endowment awarded individual 

grants to all types of artists in 1966—Donald Justice, 

X. J. Kennedy, Léonie Adams, and W. D. Snodgrass 

among them—a formal program to support creative 

writers began in 1967 with 23 individual grants to 

How the NEA Literature 

Fellowship Process Works Today

Writers who meet the Endowment’s eligibility 

requirements may apply by filling out a form (available on the NEA Web site: www.arts.gov) and sending in a sample of their best work. In a year when 

prose is reviewed, applicants submit 30 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction; in the alternate year for 

poetry, they submit 10 pages of poems (translation 

is a separate category with different requirements). 

To facilitate the process of blind judging, our staff 

assigns a tracking number to each anonymous 

manuscript, copies of which are then sent to a panel 

of distinguished American writers who spend five 

months evaluating them.

To ease the workload (and entice panelists to serve), 

we split the panel into teams, each of which receives 

a portion of the total number of manuscripts (which 

came in just under 1,600 in FY 2005). Each team 

picks its favorites, thus creating a pool of manuscripts 

to be discussed at a meeting all panelists will attend 

in Washington, DC. Every chosen manuscript is read, 

discussed, and scored by a subset of judges (panelists 

include a layperson, who acts as a representative of 

the public and is not in the business of writing books 

but is an avid reader and knowledgeable on the genre 

of the manuscripts being reviewed). At this point, 

any panelist who is in conflict with a manuscript is 

removed from the subset of reviewers.

Manuscripts are ultimately rank-ordered according 

to their combined scores. The full panel looks at the 

ranked list and makes its final recommendations, 

which then go through two more levels of review: 

the presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed 

National Council on the Arts and the NEA Chairman. 

Fellows are announced to the public at the end of 

each year. They may use their grant as they wish, 

as long as it relates to their writing. They will send 

us a progress report during the grant period and a 

final report at the end, usually outlining publishing 

achievements and speaking engagements.

In this ever-changing world, there are always timely 

issues that demand attention. What exactly is creative nonfiction? Should certain self-published work 

be eligible? Should we accept manuscripts in other 

languages? How do graphic novels or blogs or performance poems fit into the picture? At the end of 

every panel meeting, the Endowment holds a public 

policy session in which panelists (who are sometimes 

former NEA Fellows themselves) raise these sorts of 

questions and offer suggestions. This, in fact, is how 

the Endowment arrived at a system that works: by 

listening to the advice of those over the years who 

sailed, stumbled, or slogged through it all. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 5

such writers as William Gaddis, Tillie Olsen, Grace 

Paley, May Sarton, Richard Yates, and Isaac Bashevis Singer. With his grant money, Singer was able to 

focus on completing his novel The Manor; 11 years later, 

he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Similarly, 

numerous poets well known today—Hayden Carruth, 

Maxine Kumin, Robert Duncan—were awarded NEA 

grants that year at a time when their national literary 

reputations were still developing.

To facilitate the new program, the Endowment 

appointed poet Carolyn Kizer in 1968 as the first 

NEA Literature Director. From that time to today, 

the NEA Literature Program has been committed to 

the support of the individual writer.

For the first six years of the program, there were 

several variations of such support. While most of 

the NEA’s grants were not controversial, the agency 

learned early on that it would be criticized for decisions, including ones it did not make directly. For 

example, in 1970, the NEA gave a grant in support of 

The American Literary Anthology, edited by George Plimpton. Under the guidelines then in place, editors of 

leading literary magazines were asked to submit works 

of authors presented in their magazines that year. 

These authors were paid a cash award and included 

in the anthology. The program ended in part due 

to delays in publication of the first volume, concerns of self-sustainability, and what became the 

NEA Literature Program’s first controversy. Aram 

Saroyan’s seven-letter poem—lighght—for which a 

federally funded effort indirectly paid $750—was 

among those selected for the anthology. Though the 

poem was picked by Plimpton rather than an NEA 

panel, it caused a flurry of agency criticism. Michael 

Straight, then deputy chairman of the Endowment, 

was personally called to the offices of 46 members of 

Congress to explain the matter. 

Other individual grants in Literature made 

an immediate impact on developing writers. The 

Endowment gave grants to writers to visit predominantly black colleges in the South. It gave grants to 

help writers and other artists teaching in institutions 

of higher learning to take one-year leaves to pursue 

their creative work. And it gave grants for travel or 

research or finishing a work-in-progress. Most of 

these grantees were hand-selected by a Literature 

advisory panel.

The issue of whether to fund established writers 

for their accomplishments or help younger writers 

find time and resources to write was at the forefront 

of the debates in the early days of the program. For 

a time, the Endowment gave lifetime achievement 

awards designed to attract national attention to writers of significant accomplishment, writers such as 

John Berryman, Denise Levertov, Wallace Stegner, 

and Gwendolyn Brooks. These fellowships never garnered enthusiastic support from Congress, and even 

in the arts community one could hear rumblings 

about “aesthetic partisanship.”

Discovery Grants

The Endowment initially decided it could make 

a greater contribution through Discovery Awards 

to emerging writers. The Endowment hired “talent scouts” to find these gifted, financially needy, 

Initial Goal of the Program in 1967

To help all writers, but in particular those writers 

who were—to use a modern term—underserved, 

such as:

· Non-teaching writers;

· Women with domestic responsibilities and 

dependent children;

· Talented writers from disadvantaged 

backgrounds, including urban ghettos;

· Young writers who do not yet have the kind 

of established reputations to appeal to private 

foundations; and

· Older writers whose reputations have faded, 

but who have made distinguished contributions 

to the cultural fabric of this country, and whose 

productive years may be extended and enriched 

by aid and recognition.

NEA’s Lifetime Achievement Awards

In the late 1960s, there were Distinguished Service Awards, worth $10,000; in the 1980s, they 

were called Senior Fellowships, worth $15,000

at the start, climbing to $25,000 in 1984 and 

$40,000 in 1986. They were finally cut in 1992 

due to shifting priorities. 
unknown writers. The response from the scouts was 

“overwhelming,” claims a 1967 report to the Council, 

citing “a young Negro poet who supports her three 

children by running a general store in Alabama,” and 

another “young Southern writer, blind since birth 

and seriously crippled in infancy, who has managed 

to struggle through her teacher’s certificate, and is 

now teaching young children in Tennessee, and writing poems and stories for three hours each evening.” 

Grants were then awarded according to need: $1,000 

to the single writer without dependents; $1,500 to 

the writer with one dependent; and $2,000 to the 

writer with two or more dependents. Among these 

recipients one can find the 25-year-old Alexander 

Theroux and the 26-year-old Nikki Giovanni.

The Discovery Awards didn’t last long. The first 

advisory panel on literature, consisting mostly of editors and publishers, held its first meeting in September 1970 and recommended these awards be terminated. Members voted almost unanimously in opposition 

to the addition of economic need as a determining 

factor in making grant selections. In 1972, therefore, 

the Endowment began what can be called the precursor to the current system—a competitive fellowship 

program based on artistic merit.

Creating the Process

To receive a fellowship in the early 1970s, a writer had 

to be nominated by an established writer. An oversight 

committee composed of a broad spectrum of publishers, editors, agents, critics, and other experts in the 

field from around the country selected the nominators—among them James Dickey, Eudora Welty, 

George P. Elliott, Kenneth Koch, Adrienne Rich, 

and William Stafford. (The Endowment publicized 

the names of committee members and nominators to 

avoid the perception that decisions were being made in 

secret.) The nominators were to recommend potential 

writers who had published a book or at least two short 

stories or poems or essays in magazines, or had a play 

staged. From their recommendations, the NEA Literature Fellowship program was launched with 27 awards.

When the system of nominations was replaced 

with an open application policy in 1974, the Endowment received a whopping 1,500-plus proposals, of 

which 120 were awarded grants at $5,000 each (the 

number of applications escalated to nearly 2,500 

the next year). Reflective of the time, most of them 

were from men, and more than half were from poets. 

Four years later, the number of successful fiction 

applicants would substantially exceed the number of 

poets. And by the mid-1980s, applicants would come 

to represent American writers living in all 50 states 

and Washington, DC, and women would make up 

a significant portion of each year’s grantees. What 

hasn’t changed significantly over the decades is the 

percentage of applicants who are chosen to receive 

grants; on average it has been only five percent, with 

recent years showing two or three percent.

The Endowment periodically tweaked the fellowship process to meet the demands of the times and 

the ever-increasing workload. To adjust for cost-ofliving, the amount of the grant was incrementally 

increased over the years. Film and television scriptwriters were transferred to the Endowment’s Media 

Arts Program; playwrights were sent to the Theater Program. Guidelines were amended to accept 

manuscripts in languages other than English if they 

came with an English translation. Eligibility requirements became more stringent to address the growing 

number of applications. “Belles lettres” was added 

as a genre eligible for funding and then changed to 

“creative nonfiction.” And when Congress significantly reduced the budget in FY 1996, the Endowment moved to judging genres in alternate years 

(prose one year, poetry another).

Translation Awards

Perhaps the most successful outgrowth of the 1980s 

was the development of a process to review fellowships 

in translation, which began in 1981 and flourished 

under the leadership of then Literature Director 

Frank Conroy. Translation Fellowships in poetry and 

prose are currently offered to published literary translators for specific translation projects from other languages into English. Unlike the other fellowships, the 

Translation Fellowships are not reviewed anonymously, and they can be for either $10,000 or $20,000, 

depending on the scope and merit of the project. To 

date, the Endowment has awarded 246 Translation 

Fellowships, bringing to the American public more 

than 200 foreign works in 46 languages from 60 

countries. Among them one can find Khaled Mattawa’s (FY 1999) translation of Without an Alphabet, Without a 

The fundamental emphasis of the program has always 

been on artistic excellence.

6 National Endowment for the Arts
Face by Saadi Youssef, one of the Arab world’s foremost 

contemporary poets who deftly shows us a glimpse into 

modern Iraqi culture; and Howard Goldblatt’s (FY 

1992) translation of Red Sorghum by Chinese author Mo 

Yan, which received publicity through the critically 

acclaimed 1987 film by the same name.

Transition: The 1990s

Throughout the life of the fellowship program, 

critics have questioned its worth or, in some cases, 

lobbied for its demise. Some criticism has come 

from writers. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, for example, 

told the Washington Post in 1992 that he “objected to a 

welfare system that would turn wild artists into tame 

lapdogs.” Many vocal critics came from the halls of 

Congress, which exercises legal oversight and budget 

control of the NEA, as it does with all federal agencies. “Aid to individuals is nothing more than a 

subsidy for hippies, beatniks, junkies, and Vietniks,” 

stated one member of Congress during the Vietnam 

Translation Fellows: Languages and Countries

The NEA has awarded 246 Translation Fellowships since the program began in 1981, 

bringing to the American public more than 200 foreign works in 46 languages from 

60 countries.

Languages Countries

Albanian .......................Albania

Arabic ............................Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,

 .............................Libya

Armenian ......................Armenia

Aztec .............................Mexico

Bengali ..........................Bangladesh, India

Burmese ........................Burma

Carib .............................Venezuela

Catalan ..........................Spain

Chinese ..........................China

Tamil .............................India

Cree/

Swampy Cree ...............Canada

Czech.............................Czech Republic

Danish ...........................Denmark, Sweden

Dutch .............................Holland

Finnish ..........................Finland

French ...........................Czech Republic, France, 

 .............................Martinique, Romania, 

 .............................Switzerland, Uruguay, 

 .............................Vietnam, West Indies, 

 .............................Zaire

German .........................Germany, Romania

Greek.............................Cyprus, Greece

Hebrew ..........................Germany, Israel, Spain

Hindi .............................India

Hungarian ....................Hungary

Indonesian ....................Indonesia

Italian ............................Italy

Languages Countries

Japanese .......................Japan

Korean ...........................Korea

Latin .............................Italy

Lithuanian ....................Lithuania

Malagasy ......................Madagascar

Malay .............................Malaysia

Nepali ............................Nepal

Norwegian ....................Norway

Polish .............................Poland

Portuguese ...................Brazil, Portugal

Rajasthani ....................India

Romanian .....................Romania

Russian .........................Russia

Serbo-Croatian ............Bosnia, former Yugoslavia

Sinhala ..........................Sri Lanka

Spanish .........................Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, 

 .............................Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, 

 .............................Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, 

 .............................Puerto Rico, Spain, 

 .............................Uruguay

Swedish ........................Finland, Sweden

Turkish ..........................Turkey

Ukrainian ......................Ukraine

Urdu .............................Pakistan

Vietnamese ..................Vietnam

Welsh ............................Wales

Yiddish ..........................Poland, Russia

NEA Literature Fellowships 7
8 National Endowment for the Arts

War. Congressmen with concurring views, if not 

concurring quotes, were successful in moving the 

House to curtail the Endowment’s ability to award 

individual grants. The agency, however, made a 

strong case for the restoration of this power. A Congressional compromise allowed grants to continue, 

as long as the words “of exceptional talent” were 

inserted to describe persons who would be eligible.

A larger threat to the program, and to the agency 

as a whole, came in 1995 when measures emerged in 

the House to phase out the Endowment or, at the 

very least, slash the budget and abolish all grants to 

individual artists. The literature field, in pure grassroots fashion, rose up in protest to the cuts. Hundreds of writers published opinion pieces and wrote 

letters. Representatives from literary organizations 

held meetings every month and brought writers to 

Capitol Hill to meet with Congressmen, writers such 

as E. L. Doctorow, Wendy Wasserstein, Bobbie Ann 

Mason, and Walter Mosley. 

“People all across America came together to 

prioritize the fellowships,” said Gigi Bradford, 

NEA Literature Director from 1992 to 1997. “The 

individual fellowships made up 50 percent of our 

budget in literature, so we had a lot to lose.” Ultimately, Congress voted to eliminate individual grants 

awarded by application in all disciplines, except for 

Literature Fellowships in poetry, fiction, creative 

nonfiction, and translation. (Congress also voted to 

continue two popular lifetime achievement fellowships awarded through public nominations—the NEA 

National Heritage Fellowships and the NEA Jazz 

Masters Fellowships.)

The Congressional decision to continue the 

Literature Fellowships affirmed the integrity of the 

anonymous panel review process and the undeniable 

excellence of Literature Fellowship recipients. “The 

committee recognizes that a great many of the grants 

to individuals have been for projects of superior 

merit and worth,” states a 1995 majority report on 

the Arts, Humanities, and Museums Amendments 

from the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. “It was a victory not to have to change policy,” 

said Bradford. “After the cuts, there was intense 

Congressional scrutiny of the process, but it was 

always affirmed by both the agency and by erstwhile 

Congressional critics.”

The Program Today

Celebrating the discipline from which he emerged, 

Chairman Dana Gioia has increased the allocation 

for support to writers, thus raising the number of 

NEA Literature Fellowships from 42 in FY 2004 to 

50 in FY 2006. In addition, he has tightened the 

conflict of interest requirements for panelists both 

to ensure the integrity of the process and to prevent 

even the appearance of any conflicts. “The fellowship 

process for a public agency needs to be fair, open, 

democratic, and inclusive,” stated Gioia. 

Gioia also supported a policy shift in FY 2005, 

initiated by Literature Director Cliff Becker, to 

separate the review process for fellowships in translation from the review process in creative writing to 

highlight the importance of translation as its own 

art form. “The American arts are most vibrant when 

they include the best works of art from other nations,” said Gioia. “Through our commitment to 

funding translation, the NEA has been an essential 

catalyst for bringing the world’s literature to our 

country.”

Since 1996, the number of Literature Fellowships has increased overall and the review process 

continues to impress its participants. “Scrupulousness was the watchword of those overseeing our 

discussions and our voting, and scrupulousness was 

our guide,” wrote Elinor Lipman, a judge for the FY 

2006 Creative Writing Fellowships. “My experience 

on the panel, listening and discussing, arguing or 

defending, restored my faith in level playing fields 

and art for art’s sake.”

The present-day NEA Literature Division 

administers several other programs in addition to 

1972–74 1976 1977 1979 1981 1985–present

Individual 

Grant Amounts

$5,000 $6,000

$7,500

$10,000

$12,500

$20,000
NEA Literature Fellowships 9

the Literature Fellowships, all designed to build an 

infrastructure that can support American writers 

and connect them with communities nationwide. 

“Through its grants to literary journals and presses, 

literary centers, reading series, festivals, writers-inthe-schools programs, libraries, and other literary 

organizations, the Endowment ensures that the writing of our Fellows is published and preserved,” Gioia 

stated. “We should remember the words of Whitman 

who said, ‘To have great poets, there must be great 

audiences, too.’” These grants to organizations connect Fellows with audiences across the country—from 

soccer moms to soldiers, radio listeners to subway 

riders, secondary-school students to senior citizens.

To further cultivate an audience for literature, 

Chairman Gioia announced in December 2005 

the launch of The Big Read, headed by Literature 

Director David Kipen. Modeled after successful “city 

reads” programs, The Big Read is a national initiative 

to encourage literary reading by asking communities 

to come together to read and discuss one book. In 

partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA will provide 

organizer’s guides, reader’s guides, teacher’s guides, 

CDs of readings, a Web site, and additional funding to selected communities to initiate activities and 

partnerships with schools, arts organizations, and local government. “The NEA’s landmark 2004 study, 

Reading At Risk, showed that literary reading in the U.S. 

is in steep decline,” said Gioia. “No single program 

can entirely reverse this trend. But if cities nationally 

unite to adopt The Big Read, together we can restore 

reading to its essential place in American culture.”

The Fellows

Fellows are freelance writers and university lecturers. 

But they are also registered nurses and gardeners, 

diplomats and farmers. One Fellow I called about 

winning a grant said she was a mother of 12. Another 

said he had been volunteering as a subject for medical experiments to make money and he was glad not 

to have to do that anymore.

Most Fellows will tell you the money they received 

provided an essential boost to their career. But they 

also will tell you the benefits of an NEA grant extend 

far beyond the cash. They’ll tell you it allowed family, friends, and colleagues to accept them as serious 

writers, that it brought them into first or further 

contact with editors, publishers, and other writers at 

the national level. It got them invitations to conduct 

workshops, give readings, or teach. It allowed them 

to undertake longer or different kinds of work, to 

take risks, to write with confidence. And it gave them 

a desire to give back to their country. 

In his final report at the completion of his FY 

1999 grant, poet Dainis Hazners from Wyoming 

recounted the following anecdote:

 At the feed store, buying grain for my 

goats and chickens, I was introduced to the 

new owner as Our Local Poet. “He’s the one 

got that big award. Quite the honor.”

 “I was ... shocked,” I offered.

 “You mean that NBA outfit back East?” 

the new guy asked.

 “National Endowment for the Arts,” I 

said, meekly. “Washington.”

 “That’s it. I’m proud to know you!” he 

grinned.

“It’s amazing to me,” wrote Hazners, that “even 

after a year, people remember. I belong to them, in 

a funny kind of way—like the mountains and the bad 

weather, I’m out there somewhere.” 

May the bread of the heart be plenty, may the bakers be always out there. Happy 40th anniversary, NEA.

NEA Literature Directors

Carolyn Kizer ....................................1968–69

Len Randolph ...................................1970–78

David Wilk ........................................1979–81

Frank Conroy ....................................1982–87

Stephen Goodwin ............................1988–90

Joe David Bellamy ...........................1990–92

Gigi Bradford ....................................1992–97

Cliff Becker .......................................1998–2005

David Kipen ......................................2005–present

Creative Writing Fellows
12 National Endowment for the Arts 

a

Chester Aaron (76)

Moraga, CA

Jonathan Aaron (84)

Cambridge, MA

Lee K. Abbott (79, 85)

Cleveland, OH

Louise Abbott (68)

Louisville, GA

Raymond Abbott (79)

Louisville, KY

Robert Abel (78)

Lake Pleasant, MA

Walter Abish (79, 85)

New York, NY

Thomas Absher (76, 84)

Plainfield, VT

Diana Abu-Jaber (94)

Eugene, OR

Diane Ackerman (76, 86)

St. Louis, MO

Jennifer Ackerman (04)

Charlottesville, VA

Duane Ackerson (75)

Eugene, OR

Ralph Adamo (03)

New Orleans, LA

Alice Adams (76)

San Francisco, CA

Dock Adams (68)

Charleston, MO

Glenda Adams (81)

New York, NY

Léonie Adams (66)

New York, NY

Mary Adams (05)

Cullowhee, NC

Elizabeth Adcock (84)

Raleigh, NC

Kim Addonizio (90, 95)

San Francisco, CA

Chris Adrian (02)

Norfolk, VA

Joel Agee (87)

Brooklyn, NY

Jonis Agee (78)

St. Paul, MN

Thomas Ahern (79)

Providence, RI

Ai (79, 85)

Lexington, KY

Ellen Akins (88)

Chicago, IL

Sandra Alcosser (85, 91)

Encinitas, CA

Daisy Aldan (69)

New York, NY

Elizabeth Alexander (92)

Washington, DC

Margaret Walker Alexander 

 (91)

Jackson, MS

Sherman Alexie (92)

Wellpinit, WA

Nelson Algren (76)

Hackensack, NJ

Jody Aliesan (77)

Seattle, WA

Debra Allbery (86, 93)

Carlisle, PA

Dick Allen (84)

Trumbull, CT

Mary Allen (02)

Iowa City, IA

Paula Gunn Allen (77)

Cubero, NM

Samuel Allen (79)

Boston, MA

John Allman (84, 90)

Katonah, NY

Margaret Almon (97)

Dunmore, PA

Juan Alonso (73)

Somerville, MA

S. Keith Althaus (76)

Provincetown, MA

Julia Alvarez (87)

Urbana, IL

Bay Anapol (06)

Santa Fe, NM

Rudolfo Anaya (79)

Albuquerque, NM

Barbara Anderson (86)

Tucson, AZ

Calvin Anderson (76, 87)

El Paso, TX

Daniel Anderson (03)

Sewanee, TN

Donald Anderson (96)

Colorado Springs, CO

Jack Anderson (69, 73)

New York, NY

James Anderson (79)

Oxford, IA

Jon Anderson (81, 86)

Tucson, AZ

K. Douglas Anderson (93)

Florence, MA

Margaret Anderson (84, 91)

Kent, OH

Rodney L. Anderson (80)

New York, NY

Bruce Andrews (79)

New York, NY

Claudia Emerson Andrews

 (94)

Chatham, VA

Jeanne Andrews (74)

St. Paul, MN

Thomas Andrews (93)

Athens, OH

Bim Angst (81)

Starkville, PA

A. Manette Ansay (93)

Exeter, NH

Carol Anshaw (95)

Chicago, IL

Robert Antoni (88)

Iowa City, IA

Donald Antrim (02)

Brooklyn, NY

Gloria Anzaldua (91)

Santa Cruz, CA

Max Apple (76)

Houston, TX

Philip Appleman (75)

New York, NY

James Applewhite (75)

Durham, NC

Ricardo Aquilar (89)

El Paso, TX

Ray Aranha (77)

Stamford, CT

Anthony Ardizzone (85, 90)

Bloomington, IN

Linda Arking (76)

New York, NY

Jose Armas (83)

Albuquerque, NM

Carroll Arnett (75)

Mecosta, MI

Craig Anthony Arnold (99)

Salt Lake City, UT

Alfred Arteaga (95)

Berkeley, CA

Elizabeth Arthur (83, 89)

Waterville, ME

L. S. Asekoff (97)

St. James, NY

John Ashbery (69)

New York, NY

Sandra Asher (77)

Springfield, MO

I had been writing for over 

two decades and thinking I 

would never be considered 

a true American writer 

because I was an immigrant 

girl with English as my 

second language. But I kept 

working at the craft, writing, revising, trying to keep 

faith with the dream inside 

me. Every year I’d send off 

my application for an NEA 

grant, hoping that this 

would be the year my work 

was recognized. When I got 

my NEA grant, I felt as if 

I was now included among 

the storytellers and poets of 

my new country! 

Julia Alvarez (87), born in 

New York City to Dominican 

parents, has written 14 books 

of essays, poetry, short stories, novels, children’s books, 

and young adult novels, 

including How the García Girls 

Lost Their Accents (1991) and 

In the Time of the Butterflies

(1994). Alvarez has also 

translated the poetry of 

Pablo Neruda.

The fiscal year(s) NEA Literature Fellows received the award is in parentheses following the name. Residence listed 

is that of the Fellow at the time of award (for multiple awards, residence of most recent award is used).
NEA Literature Fellowships 13

Renee Ashley (97)

Ringwood, NJ

Daphne Athas (68, 74, 79)

Chapel Hill, NC

Samuel Atlee (00)

Lancaster, PA

Alvin Aubert (73, 81)

Detroit, MI

Jessica Auerbach (85)

Ridgefield, CT

Paul Auster (79, 85)

Brooklyn, NY 

b

Jimmy Santiago Baca (87)

Albuquerque, NM

Charlotte Bacon (00)

Lee, NH

William Baer (94)

Evansville, IL

Robert Bagg (74)

Northampton, MA

Thomas Bailey (94)

Binghamton, NY

Julene Bair (04)

Laramie, WY

David Baker (85, 05)

Granville, OH

Donald Baker (74)

Crawfordsville, IN

William Baker (81)

Nampa, ID

Constantine Bakopoulos (06)

Madison, WI

John Balaban (77)

State College, PA

Peter Balakian (04)

Hamilton, NY

Angela Ball (91)

Hattiesburg, MS

Toni Cade Bambara (83)

Atlanta, GA

Russell Banks (78, 83)

Concord, NH

Stanley Banks (90)

Kansas City, MO

Amiri Baraka (81)

Newark, NJ

Tom Barbash (04)

San Francisco, CA

Walter Bargen (91)

Ashland, MO

Joshua Barkan (06)

New York, NY

Wendy Barker (86)

Boerne, TX

Bradford Barkley (94)

Fayetteville, AR

Coleman Barks (79)

Athens, GA

Anna Marie Barlow (76)

New York, NY

Djuna Barnes (80)

New York, NY

Jim Barnes (78)

Macon, MO

Helen Barolini (76)

Ossining, NY

Rick Barot (01)

Oakland, CA

Elizabeth Barr (89)

Philadelphia, PA

Dorothy Barresi (97)

Northridge, CA

Andrea Barrett (92)

Rochester, NY

Carol Barrett (91)

San Antonio, TX

Lynne Barrett (91)

Miami, FL

Gregory Barron (90)

London, England

Anita Barrows (90)

Berkeley, CA

John Barry (76)

Estes Park, CO

Quan Barry (03)

Madison, WI

Frederick Barthelme (79)

Hattiesburg, MS

Emily Barton (06)

Brooklyn, NY

Rick Bass (91)

Troy, MT

Claire Bateman (91)

Clemson, SC

Randolph Bates (86)

New Orleans, LA

Wendy Battin (88)

Syracuse, NY

Douglas Bauer (90)

Boston, MA

Jonathan Baumbach (68)

Brooklyn, NY

Richard Bausch (83)

Fairfax, VA

Charles Baxter (83)

Ann Arbor, MI

Peter S. Beagle (78)

Watsonville, CA

Bruce Beasley (92)

Charlottesville, VA

Laura Beausoleil (81)

San Francisco, CA

Geoffrey Becker (95)

Iowa City, IA

Robin Becker (89)

Cambridge, MA

Barry Beckham (83)

Providence, RI

John Beecher (76)

Burnsville, NC

Ralph Beer (86)

Helena, MT

Robin Behn (92)

Tuscaloosa, AL

Ben Belitt (66)

Bennington, VT

M. Shayne Bell (91)

Salt Lake City, UT

Madison Smartt Bell (92)

Baltimore, MD

Marvin Bell (77, 84)

Iowa City, IA

Joe David Bellamy (85)

Canton, NY

Sally Bellerose (95)

Northampton, MA

Lance S. Belville (80)

St. Paul, MN

Karen E. Bender (02)

New York, NY

Dianne Benedict (86)

Scarborough, ME

Pinckney Benedict (00)

Roanoke, VA

Michael Benedikt (79)

Boston, MA

Dina Ben-Lev (94)

Seattle, WA

George Bennett (81)

New York, NY

Paul Bennett (73)

Granville, OH

Robert Benson (96)

Oneonta, NY

Stephen Benson (90)

Berkeley, CA

Beth Bentley (76)

Seattle, WA

Roy Bentley (01)

Granville, OH

Both grants came early in 

my career and were invaluable not only for buying 

me time to complete two 

novels, but as a psychological boost too—here was a 

ratification that what I was 

doing was worthwhile. 

I should say, too, that I 

served on the Literature 

Panel under Frank Conroy in 1986-87 as a way of 

expressing my gratitude 

for a program that I feel is 

essential to fostering the 

arts—particularly for beginning or out-of-the-way 

artists whose work is not 

immediately apprehended 

in a commercial way.

T. C. Boyle (78, 83) has 

written 11 novels and 

seven collections of short 

stories, including World’s End

(1987), for which he won the 

PEN/Faulkner Award. Boyle 

founded the creative writing 

program at the University of 

Southern California in 1978 

and still directs it. 
14 National Endowment for the Arts 

In 1985 and 1986, I was 

invited to serve on a variety 

of panels convened by 

the Literature Program. I 

witnessed firsthand the hard 

work on the part of the staff 

and the panel members 

that goes into making the 

grant-giving process as fair 

and equitable as possible. In 

retrospect, this experience 

was a valuable complement 

to the welcome financial 

assistance provided by the 

two grants I received, and by 

serving on the panels, I was 

able to give something in 

return.

Jared Carter (81, 91) was 

born in Indiana, where he 

still lives. He has written four 

books of poetry, the latest—

Cross this Bridge at a Walk—

to be published in 2006. 

Among the honors he has 

received are a Guggenheim 

Fellowship, the Walt Whitman 

Award from the Academy of 

American Poets, the New Letters Literary Award for Poetry, 

the Indiana Governor’s Arts 

Award, and the Poets’ Prize.

Sharona Ben-Tov (01)

Perrysburg, OH

Nancy Berg (92)

Fairfield, IA

Stephen Berg (76)

Philadelphia, PA

Carol Berge (79)

Albuquerque, NM

Linda-Ruth Berger (97)

Contoocook, NH

Lou Berger (80)

Brooklyn, NY

Deidre L. Bergson (73)

New York, NY

Judith Berke (01)

Miami Beach, FL

William Berkson (79)

Southampton, NY

Lucia Berlin (87)

Oakland, CA

Kenneth Bernard (78)

West Winfield, NY

Pamela Bernard (96)

Duxbury, MA

Suzanne Berne (94)

Watertown, NY

Alan Bernheimer, Jr. (79)

San Francisco, CA

Charles Bernstein (79)

New York, NY

Jane Bernstein (83, 00)

Pittsburgh, PA

Lisa Bernstein (92)

San Francisco, CA

Gina Berriault (86)

Mill Valley, CA

Ted Berrigan (79)

New York, NY

David Berry (77)

Providence, RI

John Berryman (68)

Minneapolis, MN

Leo Bersani (69)

New Brunswick, NJ

Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge 

 (76, 81)

El Rito, NM

James Bertolino (75)

Ithaca, NY

Alvah Bessie (78)

Terra Linda, CA

Harvey Bialy (76)

Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Frank Bidart (76, 85)

Cambridge, MA

Wayne Biddle (79)

Altamonte Springs, FL

Linda Bierds (88, 96)

Bainbridge Island, WA

David Biespiel (97)

Portland, OR

George Bilgere (89)

Santa Cruz, CA

Laurel Bird (66)

Knoxville, TN

Ann Birstein (81)

New York, NY

Becky Birtha (88)

Philadelphia, PA

John Bishop (80)

New York, NY

Trim Bissell (68)

Detroit, MI

David Black (79)

West Stockbridge, MA

Gus Blaisdell (79)

Albuquerque, NM

Clark L. Blaise (81)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Laurie Blauner (90)

Seattle, WA

Richard A. Blessing (81)

Seattle, WA

Corinne Demas Bliss 

 (78, 83)

South Hadley, MA

Chana Bloch (89)

Berkeley, CA

Ron Block (02)

North Platte, NE

Steven Bloom (98)

Heidelberg, Germany

Laurel Blossom (87)

New York, NY

Michael Blumenthal 

 (84, 05)

Clarksville, TN 

Judy Blunt (04)

Missoula, MT

Elaine F. Boatin (81, 86)

Somerville, MA

Alan Boatman (74)

Saginaw, MI

Victor Bockris (78)

New York, NY

Deborah L. Boe (81)

Princeton, NJ

Louise Bogan (68)

New York, NY

Donald Bogen (89)

Cincinnati, OH

Nina Bogin (89)

Giromagny, France

Michelle Boisseau (89)

Morehead, KY

Isabel Bolton (67)

No city listed, NY

Joseph Bolton (89)

Gainesville, FL

Bruce Bond (01)

Denton, TX

Harold Bond (76)

Melrose, MA

Philip Booth (79)

Castine, ME

Audrey Borenstein (76)

New Platz, NY

Millicent Borges (97)

Long Beach, CA

Ruth Borson (87)

Los Alamos, NM

Marianne Boruch (84, 99)

West Lafayette, IN

Phillip Bosakowski (80)

San Francisco, CA

Malcolm Bosse (76)

New York, NY

Robert Boswell (87, 93)

Las Cruces, NM

David Bosworth (79)

Cambridge, MA

David Bottoms (88)

Marietta, GA

Marilyn Boucher (79)

Berkeley, CA

Vance Bourjailly (66, 79)

Iowa City, IA

Kevin Bowen (03)

Dorchester, MA

Faubion Bowers (67)

No city listed, NY

Neal Bowers (89)

Ames, IA

Paul Bowles (78, 80)

New York, NY

Blanche McCrary Boyd (88)

New London, CT

Kay Boyle (80)

San Francisco, CA

T. C. Boyle (78, 83)

Tujunga, CA

Barry Boys (68)

New York, NY
NEA Literature Fellowships 15

Allen Braden (05)

Tacoma, WA

Scott Bradfield (92)

Storrs, CT

C. Jane Bradley (92)

Toledo, OH

David Bradley (91)

La Jolla, CA

George Bradley (90)

Chester, CT

John Bradley (88)

Fort Collins, CO

Joan Brady (86)

New York, NY

John Brandi (79)

Guadalupita, NM

Beth Brant (91)

Melvindale, MI

Giannina Braschi (95)

Santurce, PR

James Brasfield (01)

State College, PA

Samuel Brasfield (66)

Demopolis, AL

Richard Brautigan (69)

San Francisco, CA

Mark Brazaitis (00)

Washington, DC

Donald Bredes (79)

St. Johnsburg, VT

Sean Brendan-Brown (97)

Olympia, WA

Harold Brenna (90)

San Diego, CA

Karen M. Brennan (96)

Salt Lake City, UT

Jack Brenner (68)

Seattle, WA

Wendy Brenner (00)

Wilmington, NC

Lee Breuer (80)

New York, NY

Richard Brickner (74)

New York, NY

Kim Suzanne Bridgeford

 (99)

Wallingford, CT

Besmir Brigham (70)

Horatio, AR

John Malcolm Brinnin (83)

Cambridge, MA

Geoffrey Brock (03)

Dallas, TX

James Brock (90)

Nashville, TN

Lucie Brock-Broido (84, 99)

Cambridge, MA

Kevin Brockmeier (02)

Little Rock, AR

Harold Brodkey (85)

New York, NY

Barbara Brody (92)

Cambria, CA

Leslie Brody (81)

San Francisco, CA

David Bromige (79)

San Francisco, CA

Esther Broner (79, 87)

Detroit, MI

Donna Brook (81)

Brooklyn, NY

Gwendolyn Brooks (89)

Chicago, IL

Chandler Brossard (78)

La Mesa, CA

J. Alan Broughton (76)

Burlington, VT

Olga Broumas (77)

Eugene, OR

Joel Brouwer, II (99)

East Lansing, MI

Brock Brower (69)

Princeton, NJ

Alan Brown (98)

New York, NY

Carrie Brown (04)

Sweet Briar, VA

Claude Brown (83)

Newark, NJ

James D. Brown (91)

Eugene, OR

James M. Brown (95)

San Bernardino, CA

James W. Brown (80, 95)

South Dartmouth, MA

Kenneth Brown (73)

Brooklyn, NY

Lennox Brown (76)

Queens, NY

Linda J. Brown (81)

New York, NY

Rita Brown (78)

Boston, MA

Rosellen Brown (73, 81)

Peterborough, NH

Stephanie Brown (01)

San Clemente, CA

Sterling Brown (80)

Washington, DC

William Brown (66)

Graham, NC

Michael Dennis Browne (77)

Minneapolis, MN

Michael Brownstein (79)

Boulder, CO

Jane Brox (94)

Dracut, MA

Joseph Bruchac (74)

Greenfield Center, NY

James Brummels (84)

Winside, NE

Thomas Brush (84)

Issaquah, WA

C. D. B. Bryan (80)

Guilford, CT

Sharon Bryan (87, 96)

Salt Lake City, UT

Charlie Elizabeth Buck (98)

Virginia City, NV

Claudia Buckholts (88)

Ardmore, OK

Christopher Buckley (84, 01)

Lompoc, CA

Julia Budenz (88)

Cambridge, MA

Judy Budnitz (02)

New York, NY

Andrea Hollander Budy (91)

Mountain View, AR

Frederick Buell (72)

New York, NY

Michael Bugeja (90)

Athens, OH

Charles Bukowski (73)

Los Angeles, CA

Ed Bullins (74)

Bronx, NY

Jerald Bullis (72)

Appleton, WI

R. Michael Bundgaard (66)

Colorado Springs, CO

Michael Burkard (85, 91)

Rome, NY

Kenneth Burke (69)

Andover, NJ

Cherly Burket (01)

San Francisco, CA

Derick Burleson (99)

Houston, TX

Deborah Burnham (91)

Philadelphia, PA

Gerald Burns (85)

Dallas, TX

The grant freed me from 

teaching and enabled me to 

write two books: a book of 

thoughts about contemporary fiction, Living By Fiction,

and a book of essays, Teaching a Stone to Talk.

I try to describe what it 

feels like to be alive in the 

United States. My books 

are about rural Virginia, 

about Pittsburgh, about 

the Pacific Northwest 

Coast . . . Literature has all 

my heart and mind. That 

the NEA supports literature in the United States 

enhances and confirms our 

cultural status. All civilized 

nations support artists; 

we know nations by their 

works of art.

Annie Dillard (81) is the 

author of 11 books, often 

about nature and spirituality, 

including the Pulitzer Prizewinner Pilgrim at Tinker Creek 

(1974). She is currently living 

and teaching in Connecticut. 
16 National Endowment for the Arts 

Michael Burns (95)

Willard, MO

Ralph Burns (84, 93)

Little Rock, AR

Timothy Burns (80)

Los Angeles, CA

Madeleine Burnside (79)

Great River, NY

Franklin Burroughs, Jr. (94)

Bowdoinham, ME

Janet Burroway (76)

Tallahassee, FL

Christopher Bursk (87)

Langhorne Manor, PA

Frederick Busch (76)

Poolville, NY

Barney Bush (81)

Herod, IL

Mary Bush (95)

Pasadena, CA

Naomi Bushman (75)

New York, NY

Bill Butler (70)

Missoula, MT

Robert Olen Butler (94)

Lake Charles, LA

Kathryn Byer (88)

Cullowhee, NC

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum 

 (06)

Los Angeles, CA

Robert J. Byrd (90)

El Paso, TX 

c

Mary Cable (78)

Santa Fe, NM

Alison Cadbury (95)

Berkeley, CA

Teresa Cader (88, 94)

Lexington, MD

Michael Cadnum (84)

Albany, CA

Jack Cady (92)

Port Townsend, WA

Shannon Cain (06)

Tucson, AZ

Anne Calcagno (89)

Manhasset, NY

Bo Caldwell (04)

Cupertino, CA

Conyus Calhoun (81)

San Francisco, CA

Hortense Calisher (68, 89)

New York, NY

Robert Callahan (77)

Berkeley, CA

Kathy Callaway (84, 90)

Nome, AK

Peter Cameron (87)

New York, NY

Francois Camoin (85)

Salt Lake City, UT

Bebe Moore Campbell (80)

Takoma Park, MD

Ewing Campbell (90)

Hearne, TX

James Campbell (77)

Staten Island, NY

Richard Campbell (94)

Quincy, FL

Ethan Canin (88, 95)

San Francisco, CA

Steve Cannon (81)

New York, NY

Alfred Cantor (88)

Cambridge, MA

Robert Cantwell (87)

Gambier, OH

Nick Carbo (97)

San Antonio, TX

Alvaro Cardona-Hine (78)

St. Paul, MN

Robin Carey (90)

Ashland, OR

David Carkeet (83)

St. Louis, MO

Henry Carlile (70, 76)

Portland, OR

Ron Carlson (85)

Salt Lake City, UT

John Carpenter (76)

Seattle, WA

William Carpenter (84)

Stockton Springs, ME

Hayden Carruth 

 (67, 69, 75, 88) 

Munnsville, NY

Jared Carter (81, 91)

Indianapolis, IN

Lonnie Carter (74)

Lakeville, CT

Mary Carter (86)

Tucson, AZ

Michelle Carter (87)

East Palo Alto, CA

Randolph Carter (80)

New York, NY

Steve Carter (80)

Rego Park, NY

Xam Cartier (79)

San Francisco, CA

Raymond Carver (70, 80)

Tucson, AZ

Oscar Casares (06)

Austin, TX

Deborah Ann Casey (88)

Eugene, OR

Jane Casey (76)

Charlottesville, VA

John Casey (83)

Charlottesville, VA

Cyrus Cassells (86, 05)

Austin, TX

Turner Cassity (79)

Decatur, GA

Ana Castillo (90, 95)

Gainesville, FL

Anne Caston (99)

Lexington Park, MD

Rosemary Catacalos (93)

Palo Alto, CA

Joann Cattonar (68)

Kalamazoo, MI

Ann Cavallaro (80)

West Haven, CT

Maura Stanton Cecil (74)

Richmond, VA

Joseph Ceravelo (72)

Bloomfield, NJ

Lorna Dee Cervantes (77, 93)

Boulder, CO

Cydney Marie Chadwick (02)

Petaluma, CA

May-Lee Chai (06)

Laramie, WY

Marisha Chamberlain (76)

St. Paul, MN

George Chambers (80)

Peoria, IL

Veronica Chambers (98)

Brooklyn, NY

Marianne Halley Chametzky 

 (81)

Amherst, MA

Lan Samantha Chang (98)

Appleton, WI

Leslie Chapman (70)

Laguna Pueblo Reservation, AZ

Jerome Charyn (80, 85)

New York, NY

E. Hale Chatfield (74)

Huntsburg, OH

It is impossible for me to 

say what I would have done 

had I not received a fellowship; I can only say that 

I believe the course of my 

literary career would have 

been markedly different. 

Because of my gratitude, I 

have served on several panels for the Endowment—my 

way of repaying, in part, 

the support and encouragement provided me at a 

young and tentative age.

Rita Dove (77, 89) has written eight books of poetry, 

including the Pulitzer Prizewinning Thomas and Beulah

(1986), as well as books 

of fiction and essays. Her 

numerous honors include the 

National Humanities Medal 

and an NAACP Great American Artist Award. From 1993 

to 1995, Dove served as the 

U.S. Poet Laureate. In 2004, 

she was appointed the Poet 

Laureate of Virginia.
NEA Literature Fellowships 17

Julie Checkoway (95)

Baltimore, MD

Alexander Chee (04)

Brooklyn, NY

Terrence Cheng (06)

New York, NY

Kim Chernin (90)

Berkeley, CA

Thalia Cheronis-Selz (81)

Columbia, MD

Kelly Cherry (80)

Madison, WI

Laura Chester (79)

Berkeley, CA

Alan Cheuse (80)

Knoxville, TN

Thomas Chiarella (93)

Greencastle, IN

Frank Chin (74, 80)

Seattle, WA

Marilyn Mei Ling Chin 

 (85, 93)

La Mesa, CA

Yvonne Chism-Peace 

 (74, 84)

Riverdale, NY

Susan Choi (00)

Brooklyn, NY

Paul Christensen (91)

College Station, TX

John Christgau (83)

Belmont, CA

Ann Christie (97)

Baltimore, MD

Nicholas Christopher (87)

New York, NY

Peter Christopher (91)

Brooklyn, NY

Jill Karen Ciment (95)

New York, NY

Sandra Cisneros (81, 88)

Chicago, IL

David Citino (86)

Marion, OH

Sybil Claiborne (80)

New York, NY

George Clark (02)

Lafayette, LA

Naomi Clark (87)

Los Gatos, CA

Tom Clark (69, 85)

Berkeley, CA

David Clarke (78)

New York, NY

Jan Clausen (81)

Brooklyn, NY

John Clayton (80)

Montague, MA

Michelle Cliff (83, 89)

Santa Cruz, CA

Lucille Clifton (70, 73)

Baltimore, MD

Michelle Clinton (92)

Santa Monica, CA

Joshua Clover (94)

Berkeley, CA

Lawrence Coates (00)

Cedar City, UT

William Cobb (78, 92)

Houston, TX

Amanda Cockrell (98)

Roanoke, VA

George Codegan (76)

Los Angeles, CA

Andrei Codrescu (73)

San Francisco, CA

Judith Ortiz Cofer (89)

Athens, GA

Lisa Coffman (97)

Morrisville, PA

Helen Degen Cohen (88)

Deerfield, IL

Jonathan S. Cohen (91)

Swarthmore, PA

L. Keith Cohen (78)

Madison, WI

Nan Cohen (03)

Sherman Oaks, CA

Valerie Colander (91)

Fairmont, WV

Charles T. Cole (80)

Kent, CT

Henri Cole (93)

Portland, OR

Lewis Cole (83)

New York, NY

Richard D. Cole (86)

New York, NY

James Coleman (78)

Norwichtown, CT

Wanda Coleman (81)

Los Angeles, CA

Katherine Coles (90)

Salt Lake City, UT

Michael Collier (84, 94)

Catonsville, MD

Peter Collier (80)

Oakland, CA

Phyllis Collier (88)

Kent, WA

Billy Collins (88)

Scarsdale, NY

Kathleen Collins (86)

Piermont, NY

Martha Collins (90)

Cambridge, MA

Jack Collom (79, 90)

Boulder, CO

Laurie Colwin (85)

New York, NY

Phil Condon (93)

Missoula, MT

Leo Connellan (70)

Clinton, CT

Geraldine Connolly (87, 95)

Bethesda, MD

Frank Conroy (68, 69)

Brooklyn, NY

Jack Conroy (77)

Moberly, MO

Mary Conselmann (76)

Gadsden, AL

Gerald Constanzo (74, 88)

Mount Lebanon, PA

Carolyn Cooke (98)

Point Arena, CA

Nicole Cooley (96)

Atlanta, GA

Clark Coolidge (77)

New Lebanon, NY

Bernard Cooper (04)

Los Angeles, CA

Jane Cooper (81)

Iowa City, IA

Stephen Cooper (91)

Los Angeles, CA

Robert Coover (85)

Providence, RI

William Corbett (79)

Boston, MA

Barbara Corcoran (78)

Missoula, MT

Robert Cording (91, 05)

Woodstock, CT

Raymond Coreil (76)

Ville Platte, LA

Cid Corman (75)

Boston, MA

Alfred Corn (79, 91)

New York, NY

Jennifer Cornell (98)

Corvallis, OR

In my career I have mostly 

made a living from teaching jobs, readings, grants—

and have rarely made a 

living from sales of books, 

or stories to magazines. 

The 1985 NEA grant was 

bountiful for me. It was 

$20,000, an amount I 

would have earned had I 

still been teaching, and 

that year I got a lot of 

work done, finishing a 

book of four novellas 

and two stories called The 

Last Worthless Evening.

Andre Dubus (78, 85) was 

the author of nine works of 

fiction, including the short 

story collection Dancing After 

Hours (1996). In 1986, he was 

struck by a car, but continued 

to write; his 1991 collection of 

essays, Broken Vessels, deals 

with this accident. Dubus 

passed away in 1999. 
18 National Endowment for the Arts 

Sam Cornish (68)

Cambridge, MA

James Corpora (80)

Escondido, CA

Mary Corrigan (78)

Los Angeles, CA

Jayne Cortez (79, 86)

New York, NY

Kathleen Coskran (91)

Minneapolis, MN

Gerald Costanzo (88)

Mount Lebanon, PA

Mark P. Costello (73, 91)

Champaign, IL

Sarah Cotterill (90)

Silver Spring, MD

Henri Coulette (77)

Los Angeles, CA

Nancy Couto (87, 99)

Ithaca, NY

Dennis Covington (96)

Birmingham, AL

Vicki Covington (88)

Birmingham, AL

Michael Covino (81)

Berkeley, CA

Malcolm Cowley (68)

Milford, CT

Louis Coxe (77)

Brunswick, ME

Steven Cramer (84)

Cambridge, MA

Max Crawford (76)

Missoula, MT

Stanley Crawford (73, 90)

Dixon, NM

Thomas Crawford (74, 85)

Cloverdale, OR

Bobbie Creeley (80)

Bolinas, CA

Robert Creeley (81)

Buffalo, NY

Frederick Crews (69)

Berkeley, CA

Harry Crews (74)

Gainesville, FL

Moira Crone (90)

Baton Rouge, LA

Justin Cronin (04)

Houston, TX

James Cross (74)

Chevy Chase, MD

Mary Crow (84)

Ft. Collins, CO

Douglas Crowell (83)

Lubbock, TX

Victor Hernández Cruz (81)

San Francisco, CA

Elizabeth Cullinan (74)

New York, NY

James Cummins (88)

Cincinnati, OH

James Cunningham (66)

Waltham, MA

Laura Cunningham (91)

Stone Ridge, NY

Michael Cunningham (88)

La Ca~nada, CA

George Cuomo (76)

Amherst, MA

Silvia Curbelo (90)

Tampa, FL

Richard Currey (81, 87)

Las Lunas, NM

David Curry (76)

Springfield, IL

Bruce Cutler (89)

St. Paul, MN

Janet Cutler (68)

Roanoke, AL 

d

Richard Dabney (75)

Arlington, VA

John Dacey (75, 79)

Cottonwood, MN

Edward Dahlberg (66, 73)

New York, NY

Charles D’Ambrosio (95)

Los Angeles, CA

Robert Dana (85, 93)

Coralville, IA

John Daniel (98)

Elmira, OR

Rosemary Daniell (74, 81)

Savannah, GA

James Daniels (85, 05)

Pittsburgh, PA

Ann Darby (04)

New York, NY

Oreste D’Arconte (66)

Allentown, PA

Alice Elliott Dark (95)

Montclair, NJ

Ann Darr (76)

Chevy Chase, MD

Tina Darragh (79)

Mt. Rainier, MD

Mich Daugherty (74)

North Hollywood, CA

Tracy Daugherty (98)

Corvallis, OR

Cecil Daukins (76)

Taos, NM

Diana Davenport (92)

Willow Street, PA

John Davidson (80)

Austin, TX

Michael Davidson (76)

La Jolla, CA

Peter Ho Davies (98)

Eugene, OR

Alfred I. Davis (73)

Bronx, NY

Allen Davis (77)

New York, NY

Christopher Davis (74)

Philadelphia, PA

Cortney Davis (94)

Redding, CT

Jon Davis (86, 05)

Santa Fe, NM

Kathryn Davis (81, 88)

East Calais, VT

Lydia Davis (89)

Kingston, NY

Melody Davis (95)

Brooklyn, NY

Sally Dawidoff (05)

New York, NY

Ariel Dawson (89)

San Francisco, CA

Jean Day (01)

Berkeley, CA

Richard Day (85)

Arcata, CA

Robert Day (83)

Hays, KS

Ann Deagon (81)

Greensboro, NC

Philip Deaver (89)

Longwood, FL

David Deck (70)

San Francisco, CA

John Deck (73)

Santa Cruz, CA

Lynne H. deCourcy (91)

Oxford, OH

Jonathan Dee (06)

New York, NY

The NEA grant—a thousand dollars at that time—

encouraged me to keep 

writing. I was finally being 

recognized by critics and 

my colleagues. The young 

writer needs that. He needs 

the money, yes—but he 

also needs a little recognition now and then to keep 

pushing himself. I know 

many young, very talented 

people who gave up out of 

despair. I feel that I was 

lucky. The recognition by 

the NEA gave me enough 

push to start my next novel, 

The Autobiography of Miss Jane 

Pittman. I have not looked 

back since.

Ernest J. Gaines (68) published his first short story in 

1956, and since has written 

eight books of fiction that 

examine African-American 

life in the American South, 

specifically in his home state 

of Louisiana. A Lesson Before 

Dying won the 1993 National 

Book Critics Circle Award. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 19

Bill Deemer (68)

Eugene, OR

Madeline DeFrees (81)

Amherst, MA

Tom DeHaven (80, 86)

Jersey City, NJ

Constance DeJong (80)

New York, NY

James DeJongh (78)

New York, NY

Nicholas Delbanco (73, 83)

Bennington, VT

Rick DeMarinis (76, 83)

Missoula, MT

Alison Deming (90, 95)

Tucson, AZ

James DenBoer (76)

Santa Barbara, CA

Deborah DeNicola (97)

Brookline, MA

Reuel Denney (66)

Honolulu, HI

Candace Denning (88)

Great Falls, VA

Carl Dennis (88)

Buffalo, NY

Theodore Deppe (93, 03)

Bloomington, IN

Toi Derricotte (85, 90)

Potomac, MD

Janet Desaulniers (92)

Evanston, IL

Alexis DeVeaux (81)

Brooklyn, NY

James DeVita (04)

Spring Green, WI

Pete Dexter (70)

Fort Lauderdale, FL

Ramola Dharmaraj (05)

Arlington, VA

Pietro di Donato (77)

Setauket, NY

Monica Di Emidio (70)

San Francisco, CA

W. S. Di Piero (89)

Menlo Park, CA

Diane di Prima (73, 79)

San Francisco, CA

William Dickey (77)

San Francisco, CA

John Dickson (90)

Evanston, IL

Margaret Diehl (92)

New York, NY

Deborah Digges (87)

Chevy Chase, MD

Annie Dillard (81)

Middletown, CT

Sharon Dilworth (00)

Pittsburgh, PA

Ray DiPalma (79)

New York, NY

Stuart Dischell (96)

Las Cruces, NM

Melvin Dixon (84)

New York, NY

Stephen Dixon (74, 90)

Baltimore, MD

Charles Dizenzo (72)

New York, NY

Gregory Djanikian (86)

Philadelphia, PA

Patricia Dobler (85)

Pittsburgh, PA

Stephen Dobyns (74, 81, 86) 

Watertown, MA

Susan Dodd (92)

Bristol, RI

Wayne Dodd (84)

Athens, OH

Judy Doenges (02)

Fort Collins, CO

Anthony Doerr (02)

Boise, ID

Harriet Doerr (83)

Pasadena, CA

Ivan Doig (85)

Seattle, WA

J. D. Dolan (06)

Kalamazoo, MI

John Domini (77)

Cambridge, MA

Matthew Donovan (05)

Hudson, OH

D.W. Donzella (77)

Bridgeport, CT

Edward Dorn (69)

West Newbury, MA

Michael Dorris (89)

Cornish, NH

Mark Doty (87, 95)

Provincetown, MA

Rita Dove (77, 89)

Tempe, AZ

Philip Dow (79)

Pittsburgh, PA

Michael Downs (06)

Missoula, MT

Albert Drake (74, 83)

Okemos, MI

Barbara Drake (66, 86)

Portland, OR

John Dranow (92)

Plainfield, VT

Joel Dressler (68)

Detroit, MI

John Driscoll (81)

Interlochen, MI

Merle Drown (93)

Concord, NH

Anthony D’Souza (06)

Sarasota, FL

Norman Dubie (85)

Tempe, AZ

Maggie Dubris (01)

New York, NY

Andre Dubus (78, 85)

Bradford, MA

Gary Duehr (01)

Somerville, MA

Joseph Duemer (84, 92)

Potsdam, NY

Laurie Duesing (91)

Benicia, CA

Richard Duggin (92)

Omaha, NE

Denise Duhamel (01)

Woonsocket, RI

E. Norman Dukes (79)

Cambridge, MA

Margaret Dukore (83)

Honolulu, HI

Harris Dulany (74)

Brooklyn, NY

Adele Dumaran (90)

Honolulu, HI

Jeffrey Duncan (78)

Ypsilanti, MI

Robert Duncan (67, 80)

San Francisco, CA

Camille Dungy (03)

Lynchburg, VA

Stephen E. Dunn (73, 81, 89) 

Port Republic, NJ

Stephen R. Dunn (76)

Anchorage, AK

Pam Durban (98)

Atlanta, GA

Flora Durham (90)

Portland, OR

David Dwyer (87)

Lemmon, SD

I had been struggling long 

and hard on my third 

novel, Monkey Hunting, when 

I got a call from the NEA 

telling me I had won a fiction fellowship. It lifted me 

from a state of desperate 

futility (what was I doing writing a book about 

a 19th-century Chinese 

farmer in colonial Cuba, 

anyway?) to one of optimistic determination. 

Thanks to the grant, I was 

able to concentrate exclusively on my writing, see 

my way through the book’s 

cultural and chronological obstacles, and do what I 

love best: tell a good story.

Cristina Garcia (04) was 

born in Havana, Cuba, in 

1958, and emigrated to the 

U.S. with her family in 1960. 

She is the author of three 

novels and has been a finalist 

for the National Book Award. 

Garcia’s work has appeared 

in many anthologies, and she 

is the editor of Cubanisimo: 

Readings in Contemporary 

Cuban Literature.
20 National Endowment for the Arts 

Stuart Dybek (81, 94)

Kalamazoo, MI 

e

Joan Eades (81)

Grand Forks, ND

Cornelius Eady (85)

Sweet Briar, PA

Patricia A. Eakins (81, 87)

New York, NY

Debra Earling (06)

Polson, MT

Robert Early (80)

Bowling Green, OH

George Economou (88, 99)

Norman, OK

Russell Edson (76, 81, 92)

Stamford, CT

Kim Edwards (94)

Pittsburgh, PA

Margaret Edwards (78)

Burlington, VT

William Edyvean (68)

Fort Collins, CO

Jennifer Egan (91)

New York, NY

Paul Eggers (02)

Forest Ranch, CA

Gretel Ehrlich (81)

Shell, WY

Nancy Eimers (89, 96)

Kalamazoo, MI

Jill Eisenstadt (92)

Brooklyn, NY

Sergio D. Elizondo (81)

Las Cruces, NM

Stanley Elkin (72)

Universal City, MO

Gary Eller (94)

Ames, IA

Richard Elman (72)

New York, NY

James Scott Ely (92)

Rock Hill, SC

Lynn Emanuel (84, 92)

Pittsburgh, PA

Carolyn F. Emshwiller (80)

Wantagh, NY

Susan Engberg (87)

Milwaukee, WI

John Engels (84, 92)

Burlington, VT

Mary Engh (83)

Pullman, WA

Ted Enslin (76)

Temple, ME

George Garrett Epps (78)

Richmond, VA

Phillip Anthony Eprile 

 (83, 94)

Del Mar, CA

Daniel Epstein (74)

Baltimore, MD

Leslie D. Epstein (72, 81)

Brookline, MA

Sandra Epstein (80)

Oxford, CT

Pamela Erbe (83)

Kalamazoo, MI

Louise Erdrich (83)

Cornish, NH

Stephen C. Erhart (73)

San Jose, CA

Steve Erickson (87)

Los Angeles, CA

Clayton Eshleman (79)

Santa Barbara, CA

Martin Espada (86, 92)

Boston, MA

Jill Alexander Essbaum (03)

Austin, TX

Barbara Esstman (90)

Oakton, VA

Paul Estaver (86)

Gainesville, VA

Jeffrey Eugenides (95)

New York, NY

David Allan Evans (74)

Brookings, SD

Elizabeth Evans (98)

Tucson, AZ

George Evans (84, 89)

Plymouth, CA

Brian Evenson (95)

Provo, UT

Welch Everman (78)

Philadelphia, PA

William Everson (81)

Davenport, CA

Peter Everwine (75)

Fresno, CA 

f

Kathy Fagan (91)

Delaware, OH

Larry Fagin (79)

New York, NY

Ronald Fair (74)

Chicago, IL

Bertram Fairchild, Jr. 

 (88, 05)

Claremont, CA

Nancy Fales (80)

Brooklyn, NY

Thomas Farber (78, 83, 94) 

Berkeley, CA

Nancy Farmer (92)

Arcata, CA

Robert Farnsworth (89)

Lewiston, ME

James T. Farrell (78)

New York, NY

Raymond Federman (85)

Eggertsville, NY

Cheri Fein (81)

New York, NY

Ross Feld (85)

Cincinnati, OH

Alan Feldman (86)

Framingham, MA

Irving Feldman (87)

Buffalo, NY

John Felstiner (69)

Woodside, CA

Anita Feng (92)

Champaign, IL

Beth Ann Fennelly (03)

Galesburg, IL

David Fenza (95)

Washington, DC

Margaret Ferguson (66)

Richmond, VA

Carolyn Ferrell (04)

Bronx, NY

Robert Ferrell (87)

New York, NY

Lucy Ferriss (88)

Staatsburg, NY

Andrew Fetler (76, 83)

Amherst, MA

James Fetler (80)

Mountain View, CA

Marlon Lee Fick (05)

Overland Park, KS

Julia Fields (68)

Scotland Neck, NC

James L. Files (83)

Glenwood Springs, CO

Warren Fine (72, 80)

Lincoln, NE

Before I received an NEA 

Literature Fellowship in 

1989, I did not have the 

money for the February 

rent. But that grant enabled 

me to pay the rent, feed 

my children, and work in 

peace. However, I never saw 

the grant as something to 

which I was entitled. I felt I 

could contribute something 

of value to the American 

letters and therefore to my 

country. Because of the 

book I wrote with the grant 

and because of subsequent books, I have paid 

over $750,000 in federal 

income tax. The government has been more than 

repaid for its investment in 

my work, and for that, we 

should both be grateful.

Kaye Gibbons (89) has written eight novels, two of which 

were chosen as Oprah Book 

Club selections in 1997: Ellen 

Foster (1986) and A Virtuous Woman (1989). Gibbons 

continues to live in North 

Carolina, the state in which 

she was raised.
NEA Literature Fellowships 21

Donald Finkel (73)

St. Louis, MO

Caroline Finkelstein (84, 01)

Westport Point, MA

John Finlay (66)

Tuscaloosa, AL

David Fisher (81, 93)

Santa Rosa, CA

Harrison Fisher (77)

Bethesda, MD

Molly Fisk (99)

Nevada City, CA

Christina Fitzpatrick (06)

New York, NY

Thomas Fitzsimmons (89)

Rochester, MN

Robert Flanagan (74)

Delaware, OH

Jane Flanders (77)

Washington, DC

Kathleen Flenniken (05)

Seattle, WA

Daniel Fleshler (83)

Kalamazoo, MI

Roland Flint (70, 81)

Silver Spring, MD

Maria Flook (88)

Black Mountain, NC

Mary Florey (86)

Hamden, CT

Arthur Flowers (91)

Memphis, TN

Starkey Flythe, Jr. (87)

Augusta, GA

Richard Foerster (95)

York Beach, ME

Alice B. Fogel (97)

Acworth, NH

Josephine Foo (01)

Philadelphia, PA

Calvin Forbes (81)

Columbia, MD

Carolyn Forche (77, 84, 89) 

Provincetown, MA

Richard Ford (80, 86)

Coahoma, MS

Maria Irene Fornes (74)

New York, NY

Phillip Foss (87, 01)

San Juan Pueblo, NM

John Foster (94)

Columbia, MO

Paul Foster (73)

New York, NY

Gene Fowler (70)

Berkeley, CA

Karen Joy Fowler (88)

Davis, CA

Paula Fox (74)

Brooklyn, NY

Sarah Elizabeth Fox (99)

Minneapolis, MN

George Foy (94)

Osterville, MA

Richard France (73, 80)

Appleton, WI

Patricia Francisco (95)

Minneapolis, MN

Joseph Frank (69)

Princeton, NJ

Sheldon Frank (74)

Chicago, IL

Edward Franklin (89)

San Anselmo, CA

J. E. Franklin (80)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Jonathan Franzen (02)

New York, NY

Gregory Fraser (05)

Carrollton, GA

Kathleen Fraser (70, 77)

San Francisco, CA

Kenneth Frederick (93)

West Newton, MA

Lynn Freed (87)

San Francisco, CA

Stuart Friebert (79)

Oberlin, OH

Alan Friedman (74)

New York, NY

Carol Frost (81, 93)

Otego, NY

Richard Frost (92)

Otego, NY

Abby Frucht (87, 96)

Oshkosh, WI

Charles Fuller (76)

Philadelphia, PA

Alice Fulton (05)

Ithaca, NY

Allison Funk (88)

Groveland, MA

Virginia Furtwangler 

 (78, 94)

Sackville, Canada

g

William Gaddis (67, 74)

Piermont, NY

Frank Gagliano (73)

Tallahassee, FL

Ernest J. Gaines (68)

San Francisco, CA

Fred Gaines (72)

Somerset, WI

Tess Gallagher (76, 81, 88) 

Port Angeles, WA

Richard Gallup (79)

Boulder, CO

Brendan James Galvin 

 (75, 77, 88) 

Everett, MA

James Galvin (77, 86)

Iowa City, IA 

Catherine Gammon (80)

Fredonia, NY

Forrest Gander (01)

Barrington, RI

James Gander (89)

Providence, RI

Bruce Gans (74)

Iowa City, IA

John Gantos (86)

Boston, MA

Eugene Garber (78)

Bellingham, WA

Cecilio García-Camarillo 

 (81)

Albuquerque, NM

Cristina Garcia (04)

Santa Monica, CA

Richard Louis Garcia (91)

Santa Monica, CA

John R. Gardiner (78)

Middleburg, VA

John Gardner (72)

Carbondale, IL

Leonard Gardner (68)

San Francisco, CA

Thomas Gardner (95)

Blacksburg, VA

Rita Garitano (87)

Tucson, AZ

Max Garland (89)

Paducah, KY

Ruth-Miriam Garnett (92)

New York, NY

Christine Garren (99)

Greensboro, NC

When one has no bank account for at least ten years, 

and no money at all to speak 

of, when $20 constituted 

a fortune to be spent with 

considerable care, the generosity of a grant like this 

can easily be appreciated. 

I doubt that many people 

have had their lives changed 

as drastically as mine was at 

the time, but I don’t doubt 

that many others have had 

some related experience 

and a period free from immediate money concerns.

John Haines (68) has lived 

and worked in the Alaska 

wilderness much of his life. He 

has written thirteen volumes 

of poetry, and his many prose 

works include a memoir, 

The Stars, the Snow, the Fire

(1989). Haines currently lives 

in Helena, Montana. 
22 National Endowment for the Arts 

George Garrett (66)

Charlottesville, VA

William Garrison (95)

Kensington, MD

Barbara Garson (77)

New York, NY

Frank X. Gaspar (91)

Long Beach, CA

Tim Gautreaux (93)

Hammond, LA

Thomas Gavin (80)

Middlebury, VT

Joseph Geha (88)

Ames, IA

Jack Gelber (74)

New York, NY

Paul Genega (90)

New York, NY

Ted Genoways (03)

Minneapolis, MN

Diana George (06)

Seattle, WA

Sonia Gernes (99)

South Bend, IN

John Gery (92)

New Orleans, LA

Lucia Getsi (92)

Bloomington, IL

Hollis Giammatteo (93)

Lopez, WA

Denise Giardina (88, 96)

Charleston, WV

Robert Alan Gibb (99)

Homestead, PA

Kaye Gibbons (89)

Raleigh, NC

Reginald Gibbons (84)

Evanston, IL

Margaret Gibson (85)

Preston, CT

Patricia Gibson (78)

New York, NY

Barry Gifford (81)

Berkeley, CA

Dagoberto Gilb (92)

El Paso, TX

Christopher Gilbert (86, 94)

Providence, RI

Jack Gilbert (74)

San Francisco, CA

Virginia Gilbert (76)

Salt Lake City, UT

Gary Gildner (71, 76)

Des Moines, IA

John Gilhooley (77)

New York, NY

Laura Gilpin (81)

New York, NY

Allen Ginsberg (79, 87)

New York, NY

Marisa Gioffre (80)

New York, NY

Nikki Giovanni (70)

New York, NY

Cecil Giscombe (86)

Ithaca, NY

Celia Gittelson (93)

New York, NY

Diane Glancy (90, 03)

St. Paul, MN

Kenneth Glantz (86, 91)

Portland, OR

Elton Glaser (84, 90)

Akron, OH

Joanna M. Glass (80)

Guilford, CT

Julia Glass (04)

New York, NY

Michele Glazer (97)

Portland, OR

Myra Glazer (66)

Cambridge, MA

Gregory Glazner (05)

Santa Fe, NM

Judith Gleason (83)

New York, NY

Carole L. Glickfeld (91)

Seattle, WA

Gary Glickman (91)

Boston, MA

Joseph Glover (78)

Washington, DC

Louise Glück (70, 79, 88)

Plainfield, VT

Tereze Glück (93)

New York, NY

Thomas Glynn (94)

Brooklyn, NY

Gail Godwin (74)

Stone Ridge, NY

Rebecca Godwin (94)

Poestenkill, NY

Patricia Goedicke (76)

Guanajuato, Mexico

Ivan Gold (67)

No city listed, NY

Lloyd Gold (76)

Upper Montclair, NJ

Albert Goldbarth 

 (74, 79, 86) 

Austin, TX

Barbara Goldberg (86, 91)

Chevy Chase, MD

Lester Goldberg (80)

Cranford, NJ

Sidney Goldfarb (70)

New York, NY

Martin M. Goldsmith (80)

Sherman Oaks, CA

Jewelle Gomez (97)

San Francisco, CA

Genaro González (90)

Mission, TX

Rigoberto González (06)

Urbana, IL

Ivy Goodman (81)

Palo Alto, CA

Joanna Goodman (03)

New York, NY

Stephen Goodwin (72, 83)

Washington, DC

Caroline Gordon (67)

No city listed, NJ

Jaimy Gordon (78, 83, 91)

Kalamazoo, MI

Charles Gordone (80)

North Bergen, NJ

Angeline Goreau (81)

Princeton, NJ

Gary Goss (76)

Centerport, NY

Vincent Gotera (93)

Arcata, CA

Janice Gould (89)

Albuquerque, NM

Delice Gourdine (78)

St. Joseph, MI

Paula Gover (96)

Mt. Pleasant, MI

Douglas Gower (77)

San Francisco, CA

Jorie Graham (84)

Iowa City, IA

Philip Graham (92)

Urbana, IL

Judith Grahn (79)

Oakland, CA

Stephanie Grant (98)

Brooklyn, NY

Marcus Grapes (84)

Los Angeles, CA

David Gravender (03)

Seattle, WA

When I received my first 

NEA fellowship for poetry, 

I was a single parent with 

two children who were four 

and nine years old. With 

the time the grant bought, 

I was able to buy childcare, pay rent and utilities, 

and make my car payment 

while I wrote what would be 

most of my second book of 

poetry, She Had Some Horses, 

the collection that actually started my career. The 

grant began the momentum that has carried me 

through these years. I can 

now call myself a poet.

A member of the Muskogee 

Tribe, Joy Harjo (77, 92) 

is the author of six books 

of poetry, including In Mad 

Love and War (1990), which 

received an American Book 

Award. Her poems have been 

included in numerous journals 

and anthologies. Harjo served 

on the NEA’s National Council 

on the Arts from 1998 to 

2003. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 23

Elizabeth Graver (92)

Williamstown, MA

Ernest A. Gray (80)

Milwaukee, WI

Gayle Gray (68)

Los Angeles, CA

Spalding Gray (80)

New York, NY

Stephen Grecco (78)

Minneapolis, MN

Hannah Green (78)

New York, NY

Alvin Greenberg (72, 92)

St. Paul, MN

Paul Greenberg (06)

New York, NY

Jeffrey Greene (96)

No city listed, France

Jonathan Edward Greene (78)

Frankfort, KY

Robert Greenfield (95)

Goleta, CA

Theodore Greenwald (79)

New York, NY

T. Greenwood (04)

San Diego, CA

Andrew Sean Greer (06)

San Francisco, CA

Debora Greger (85, 91)

Gainesville, FL

Linda Gregerson (85, 92)

Ann Arbor, MI

Linda Gregg (93)

Forest Knolls, CA

Debora Gregor (77)

Richland, WA

Charles Gregory (76)

New York, NY

Robert Gregory (92)

Miami Beach, FL

Robert Grenier (79, 85)

Berkeley, CA

Eamon Grennan (91)

Poughkeepsie, NY

Susan Griffin (76)

Berkeley, CA

Michael Griffith (04)

Cincinnati, OH

Patricia Griffith (78)

Washington, DC

Lawrence Grobel (81)

Los Angeles, CA

Richard Grossinger (76)

Plainfield, VT

Allen Richard Grossman (85)

Lexington, MA

James Grove (78)

Cambridge, MA

Lee Grue (85)

New Orleans, LA

Albert Guerard (66)

Stanford, CA

Bruce Guernsey (84)

Charleston, IL

Barbara Guest (79)

New York, NY

Keith Gunderson (75)

Minneapolis, MN

Stephanie Gunn (83)

North Palm Beach, FL

Allan Gurganus (76, 85)

New York, NY

Jeffrey Gustavson (97)

Brooklyn, NY

Pedro Juan Gutiérrez (90)

Bellaire, TX

Lee Gutkind (78)

Pittsburgh, PA 

h

Barbara Haas (87)

Ames, IA

Marilyn Hacker (74, 85, 94) 

Gambier, OH

Pamela Hadas (84)

St. Louis, MO

Fred Haefele (91)

Stanford, CA

Jessica Hagedorn (95)

New York, NY

Alyson Hagy (00)

Laramie, WY

Kimiko Hahn (86, 92)

New York, NY

Robert Hahn (75)

Great Barrington, MA

John Haines (68)

Fairbanks, AK

Janet Campbell Hale (95)

Moscow, ID

Corrinne Hales (87, 93)

Fresno, CA

Daniel Hall (95)

Amherst, MA

James B. Hall (80)

Lexington, KY

Judith Hall (97)

Oxnard, CA

Oakley Hall (77)

New York, NY

Richard Hall (75)

Provincetown, MA

Walter Hall (70)

Tigard, OR

Kathleen Halme (97)

Wilmington, NC

Daniel Halpern (73, 74, 87) 

New York, NY

Barbara Hamby (96)

Tallahassee, FL

Sam Hamill (81)

Port Townsend, WA

Jane Hamilton (93)

Rochester, WI

Charles Hammer (87)

Shawnee, KS

Patricia Hampl (76, 90)

St. Paul, MN

James Hannah (88)

Navasota, TX

Allen Hannay (83)

Austin, TX

Julian Hansbarger (94)

Purcellville, VA

Joseph Hansen (74)

Los Angeles, CA

Ron Hansen (80, 87)

Ithaca, NY

Julie Jordan Hanson (99)

Cedar Rapids, IA

Kenneth O. Hanson 

 (76, 81)

Portland, OR

Pauline Hanson (72)

Saratoga Springs, NY

C. G. Hanzlicek (76)

Fresno, CA

Robert Harbison (77)

London, England

Elizabeth Hardwick (81)

New York, NY

Donald Harington (80)

Putney, VT

Joy Harjo (77, 92)

Albuquerque, NM

Joshua Harmon (04)

Portsmouth, RI

James Harms (05)

Morgantown, WV

Needless to say, the grant 

made an immeasurable 

difference to my creative 

life: because of it, over the 

next several years, I was able 

to complete my Pulitzer 

Prize-winning novel, The 

Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love.

From a fiscal point of view, 

I am proud to say that since 

that book’s critical and 

financial success, I was able 

to repay the government’s 

largesse back many times 

over, by way of taxes. 

But beyond that, I have 

always felt that the NEA is 

an invaluable asset to this 

country. For in expressing its faith in art, in all its 

diversity, the NEA provides 

the most vital service, which 

is the nurturing of this 

nation’s artistic legacy.

Born in 1951 of Cuban parentage in New York City, Oscar 

Hijuelos (85) is the author of 

six novels. In 1990, he became 

the first Hispanic-American 

writer to win the Pulitzer Prize 

in fiction. 
24 National Endowment for the Arts 

Michael S. Harper (77)

Taunton, MA

Stephen Harrigan (80)

Austin, TX

Grace Harriman (66)

Cambridge, MA

James Harris (76)

New York, NY

James W. Harris (97)

Alameda, CA

Marie Harris (76)

Center Barnstead, NH

Marina L. Harris (96)

Salt Lake City, UT

Mark Harris (66)

San Francisco, CA

Phyllis Masek Harris (69)

Berkeley, CA

Barbara Grizzuti Harrison 

 (81)

Brooklyn, NY

James Harrison (68)

Stony Brook, NY

Jeffrey Harrison (92)

Washington, DC

Jim Harrison (69)

Stony Brook, NY

William Harrison (78)

Fayetteville, AR

Richard Harteis (76)

Washington, DC

Charles Hartman (84)

Cambridge, MA

Anne Harvey (74)

Maplewood, NJ

Sharon Hashimoto (89)

Seattle, WA

Lola Haskins (84, 03)

LaCrosse, FL

Margaret Hasse (93)

St. Paul, MN

Linda Hasselstrom (84)

Hermosa, SD

James B. Hathaway (81)

Cincinnati, OH

Stephen Hathaway (81)

Wichita, KS

James Haug (90)

Shutesbury, MA

William Hauptman (77)

New York, NY

Marianne Hauser (78)

New York, NY

Gary Hawkes (00)

Williamsport, PA

Brooks Haxton (87)

Mount Vernon, NY

Josephine Haxton (76, 85)

Charlottesville, VA

John William Hay (66)

Sewanee, TN

Julie Hayden (78)

New York, NY

Terrance Hayes (05)

Pittsburgh, PA

Robert Hazel (69)

Laurel Spring, NC

Dainis Hazners (99)

Story, WY

Gwen Head (95)

Berkeley, CA

Shelby Hearon (83)

North White Plains, NY

Ernest Hebert (80)

Keene, NH

Anthony Hecht (89)

Washington, DC

Robert Hedin (76, 85, 94)

Frontenac, MN

Michael Heffernan 

 (78, 87, 93) 

Fayetteville, AR

Ursula Hegi (90)

Spokane, WA

Marcy Heidish (80)

Arlington, VA

Jack Heifner (77)

New York, NY

Larry Heinemann (81, 87)

Chicago, IL

Lloyd Held (05)

Newtonville, MA

Robert Hellenga (89)

Galtsburg, IL

Steve Heller (80)

Stillwater, OK

Robert Hemenway (78)

South Haven, MI

Essex Hemphill (86)

Washington, DC

Paul Hendrickson (02)

Takoma Park, MD

Don Hendrie (78)

South Hadley, MA

Charles Henley (83)

Hattiesburg, MS

Carol Henrie (89, 96)

Hayward, CA

DeWitt Henry (80)

Watertown, MA

Michelle Herman (86)

Iowa, City, IA

Luz Hernandez (79)

Oakland, CA

Juan Felipe Herrera (79, 85)

San Francisco, CA

William Herrin (85)

Ithaca, NY

Robert Hershon (79, 90)

Brooklyn, NY

Alan Hewat (88)

Brandon, VT

William Heyen (74, 84)

Brockport, NY

Arlene Heyman (70)

Syracuse, NY

James Heynen (75, 85)

Port Townsend, WA

Ben L. Hiatt (70)

Sacramento, CA

Leland Hickman (69)

New York, NY

Bob Hicok (99)

Ann Arbor, MI

Joanna Higgins (89)

Little Meadows, PA

John High (96)

San Francisco, CA

Robert Hightower (80)

Philadelphia, PA

Oscar Hijuelos (85)

New York, NY

Conrad Hilberry (75, 84)

Kalamazoo, MI

Robert Hiles (93)

Baltimore, MD

Ingrid Hill (91, 02)

Iowa City, IA

Kathleen Hill (90)

New York, NY

Pati Hill (76)

Stonington, CT

Richard Hill (76)

St. Petersburg, FL

Roberta Hill (77)

Oneida, WI

Brenda Hillman (84)

Kensington, CA

Dennis Hinrichsen (84)

Brookline, MA

Edward Hirsch (81)

Detroit, MI

A fellowship from the NEA 

is an act of optimism, of 

generosity proffered—not 

a reward for past work, but 

an invitation to the new. 

Mid-year now in the fellowship, I can say that the 

support the NEA offers 

has brought me time for 

the solitude and silence in 

which I can ponder, write, 

revise, consider, range, 

experiment, feel, and saturate myself in the necessary freedoms out of which 

poems arise. There are no 

guarantees that a given time 

will produce good work, 

or any work at all. But it’s 

exceedingly rare that the 

outside world ever says to 

a poet, ‘Please, would you 

write some new poems?’

Jane Hirshfield’s (05) fifth 

collection of poetry, After, is 

forthcoming in February 2006. 

Hirshfield has also published 

a collection of essays and has 

edited and co-translated three 

anthologies of work by women 

poets from the past. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 25

Jane Hirshfield (05)

Mill Valley, CA

Harvey Hix (95)

Kansas City, MO

William Hjortsberg (76)

Livingston, MT

Edward Hoagland (83)

New York, NY

Tony Hoagland (87, 94)

Waterville, ME

Geary Hobson (81)

Alexander, AR

Lonnie Hodge (94)

No city listed, China

Christie Hodgen (02)

Louisville, KY

William Hoffman (76)

New York, NY

William Hoffman (76)

Charlotte, VA

Linda Hogan (86)

Minneapolis, MN

Michael Hogan (76)

Florence, AZ

James Hoggard (80)

Wichita Falls, TX

Cynthia Hogue (90)

Tucson, AZ

Jonathan Holden (75, 85)

Manhattan, KS

Cary Holladay (06)

Memphis, TN

Noy Holland (04)

Heath, MA

Anselm Hollo (79)

Sweet Briar, VA

William Holm (87)

Minneota, MN

James Holmstrand (74)

Albuquerque, NM

Gary Holthaus (90)

Anchorage, AK

Arthur Homer (98)

Omaha, NE

A. M. Homes (95)

New York, NY

Cathy Hong (05)

Brooklyn, NY

Garrett Hongo (81, 88)

Gardena, CA

Edwin Honig (77)

Providence, RI

Paul Hoover (79)

Chicago, IL

Israel Horovitz (74)

New York, NY

Diane Horton (95)

Manitou Springs, CO

James D. Houston (76)

Santa Cruz, CA

Benjamin Howard (93)

Alfred, NY

Maureen Howard (88)

New York, NY

Richard Howard (87)

New York, NY

Fanny Howe (70, 91)

La Jolla, CA

Marie Howe (92)

Cambridge, MA

Christopher Howell (81, 01)

Spokane, WA

Edward Hower (76)

Ithaca, NY

Bette Howland (81)

Albuquerque, NM

C. J. Hribal (86)

Minneapolis, MN

David Huddle (78, 87)

Burlington, VT

Andrew Hudgins (86, 92)

Cincinnati, OH

Marcus Hudson (84)

Nespelem, WA

Mary Hughes (78)

Evanston, IL

Lynda Hull (89)

W. Caldwell, NJ

Harry Humes (90)

Breinigsville, PA

Terry Hummer (87)

Mount Vernon, OH

John Humphreys (80)

New York, NY

Del Hunt (75)

San Antonio, TX

William Hunt (68)

Chicago, IL

Cynthia Huntington 

 (84, 89)

Provincetown, MA

Barbara Hurd (02)

Frostburg, MD

Anne Hussey (76)

Cambridge, MA

Paula Huston (94)

Arroyo Grande, CA

Jade Ngoc Quang Huynh 

 (98)

Boone, NC

Nhuong Huynh (90)

Columbus, MO

Lewis Hyde (76, 81, 87)

Watertown, MA 

i

Karl Iagnemma (04)

Cambridge, MA

Momoko Iko (76)

Chicago, IL

Lawson Fusao Inada (72, 79)

Ashland, OR

Colette Inez (75, 88)

New York, NY

Lois-Ann Inferrera (94)

Honolulu, HI

Elizabeth Inness-Brown (83)

Ogdensburg, NY

Mikhail Iossel (93)

Minneapolis, MN

Thomas Ireland (95)

Santa Fe, NM

John Irving (74)

Iowa City, IA

Mark Irwin (93)

Amherst, OH

John Isles (05)

Alameda, CA

Richard Ives (86)

Seattle, WA

j

Marvin, Jackmon (72)

San Francisco, CA

Angela Jackson (80)

Chicago, IL

Laura Riding Jackson (80)

Wabasso, FL

Richard P. Jackson (84)

Chattanooga, TN

Sandra Jackson-Opoku (83)

Chicago, IL

Gray Jacobik (93)

Pomfret Center, CT

Harvey Jacobs (78)

New York, NY

Peter M. Jacobs (99)

Madison, WI

I have been the fortunate 

recipient of three grants 

from the NEA. Each of 

these grants has helped me 

find time to complete a 

book of poetry, but the first 

was the most important. 

When I received the NEA 

Literature Fellowship for 

poetry in 1977, I quit my 

onerous teaching job and 

went with my wife to live in 

Italy for the better part of 

a year. There I completed 

my second book of poetry. 

We were in our mid-twenties and able, at that time, 

to pick up and go. It was a 

crucial decision and year 

and would not have been 

possible without the NEA’s 

assistance.

Mark Jarman (77, 84, 92) is 

the author of seven collections of poetry, the booklength poem Iris (1992), and 

two books of essays on poetry. He teaches at Vanderbilt 

University.
26 National Endowment for the Arts 

Lowell Jaeger (86)

Bigfork, MT

Harold Jaffe (83, 88)

San Diego, CA

Joyce James (93)

Houston, TX

Kelvin Christopher James 

 (96)

New York, NY

Stewart James (92)

Houston, TX

Eugenia Janis (93)

Santa Fe, NM

Phyllis Janowitz (74, 88)

Ithaca, NY

Tama Janowitz (81, 86)

New York, NY

Jean Janzen (95)

Fresno, CA

Mark Jarman (77, 84, 92) 

Nashville, TN

David Jauss (93)

Little, Rock, AR

Roderick Jellema (79)

Bethesda, MD

Gish Jen (88)

Cambridge, MA

Len Jenkin (80)

New York, NY

Laura Jensen (79)

Tacoma, WA

Tyehimba Jess (05)

Brooklyn, NY

Carlos Johnson (90)

Astoria, NY

Charles Johnson (80)

Seattle, WA

Curtis L. Johnson (73, 81)

Chicago, IL

Denis Johnson (75, 81)

Phoenix, AZ

Dennis Loy Johnson (93)

Saratoga Springs, NY

Fenton Johnson (89, 95)

San Francisco, CA

Halvard Johnson (90)

Baltimore, MD

Kimberly Johnson (05)

West Jordan, UT

Peter Johnson (99)

Providence, RI

Ronald Johnson (70, 75)

San Francisco, CA

Thomas Johnson (76)

Ithaca, NY

Willis Johnson (88)

Gardiner, ME

Bret Anthony Johnston (06)

San Bernardino, CA

Alice Jones (94)

Oakland, CA

Catherine Jones (77)

Columbia, SC

Daryl Jones (85)

Lubbock, TX

Edward P. Jones (86)

Arlington, VA

Gayl Jones (76)

Providence, RI

Louis Jones (98)

Nevada City, CA

Nettie Jones (89)

Houghton, MI

Patricia Spears Jones (94)

Brooklyn, NY

Paula L. Jones (85)

Seattle, WA

Rodney Jones (84)

Bristol, VA

Stephen Jones (02)

Lubbock, TX

William Jones (80)

Lawndale, CA

Erica Jong (73)

New York, NY

Barbara Jordan (92)

Rochester, NY

June Jordan (81)

Brooklyn, NY

Teresa Jordan (94)

Elko, NV

Ernest A. Joselovitz (80)

Washington, DC

Lawrence Joseph (84, 95)

New York, NY

Allen Josephs (80)

Pensacola, FL

Donald Junkins (69, 74, 79) 

Deerfield, MA

Donald Justice (66, 79, 89) 

Gainesville, FL 

k

Rachel Kadish (00)

Cambridge, MA

Cynthia Kadohata (91)

Los Angeles, CA

Paul Kahn (79)

Arlington, MA

George Kalamaras (93)

Warsaw, IN

Roberta Kalechofsky (81)

Marblehead, MA

Rodger Kamenetz (92)

Baton Rouge, LA

Jerry Kamstra (78)

Aptos, CA

Lonny Kaneko (81)

Seattle, WA

David Kaplan (87)

Iowa City, IA

Johanna Kaplan (73)

New York, NY

Karen Karbo (92)

Portland, OR

Wayne Karlin (93, 04)

St. Mary’s City, MD

Kathy Karlson (98)

University Park, MD

Pamela Karol (94)

Hollywood, CA

Vickie Karp (94)

Northport, NY

Mary Karr (84)

Groves, TX

Laura Kasischke (94, 05)

Chelsea, MI

James Kates (84)

Fitzwilliam, NH

Judith Katz (91)

Minneapolis, MN

Steven Katz (76, 81)

Boulder, CO

Janet Kauffman (84)

Hudson, MI

Andrew Kaufman (94)

New York, NY

Bob Kaufman (81)

San Francisco, CA

Shirley Kaufman (79)

Jerusalem, Israel

Rebecca Kavaler (80, 85)

New York, NY

Timothy Keane (00)

Mt. Vernon, NY

Lawrence Kearney (81)

Stonybrook, NY

William Keckler (97)

Harrisburg, PA

Edmund Keeley (81)

Princeton, NJ

I can’t say I really had a 

career before receiving 

the NEA Literature Fellowship. I published a few 

stories, but had a day job 

summarizing newspaper 

and magazine articles on 

taxes, working 10 hours a 

day four days a week. When 

I got the grant from the 

National Endowment for 

the Arts, I stopped going 

in every day and worked at 

home. This freed up my 

time, and I could work the 

way I wanted: get up in the 

morning and write stories, 

and then do the summaries in the afternoons. I 

began in earnest writing 

the collection of stories 

that eventually came out in 

1992, Lost in the City.

Edward P. Jones (86) was 

born and raised in Washington, DC. He has written one 

book of short stories and 

one novel, The Known World 

(2003), which subsequently 

won the Pulitzer Prize and the 

National Book Critics Circle 

Award in fiction.
NEA Literature Fellowships 27

Deborah Keenan (87)

St. Paul, MN

Anna Maria Keesey (98)

Portland, OR

Barbara Keiler (77)

Chico, CA

Kirk Keller (88)

Moran, WY

Nora Okja Keller (00)

Waipahn, HI

Lewen Kellman (93)

Augusta, GA

Brigit Pegeen Kelly (85, 95)

Urbana, IL

David M. Kelly (70, 76, 92)

Geneseo, NY

Robert Kelly (76)

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Tim Kelly (76)

Los Angeles, CA

Charles Kemnitz (04)

Williamsport, PA

Dolores Kendrick (88)

Exeter, NH

Paul Kennebeck (75)

Denver, CO

Adrienne Kennedy (72)

New Haven, CT

Pamela Kennedy (93)

Allston, MA

Richard S. Kennedy (73)

Merion, PA

Sarah Kennedy (05)

Fairfield, VA

William Kennedy (81)

Averill Park, NY

X. J. Kennedy (66)

Medford, MA

Tamara Kennelly (78, 83)

Chicago, IL

Susan Kenney (83)

China, ME

Natalie Kenvin (95)

Chicago, IL

Jane Kenyon (81)

Danbury, NH

Beth Kephart (00)

Devon, PA

David Keplinger (03)

Harleysville, PA

Jesse Lee Kercheval (89)

Madison, WI

Baine Kerr (83)

Boulder, CO

Anthony Kerrigan (88)

South Bend, IN

John Kessel (80)

Overland Park, KS

Wendy Kesselman (80)

New York, NY

Brad Kessler (06)

Sandgate, VT

Jascha Kessler (75)

Santa Monica, CA

Keorapetse Kgositsile (70)

New York, NY

Faizul Khan (80)

Bronx, NY

Faye Kicknosway (85)

Bloomfield, MI

Tracy Kidder (74)

Iowa City, IA

John O. Killens (80)

Brooklyn, NY

Richard Kim (78)

Shutesbury, MA

Yong Ik Kim (76, 85)

Pittsburgh, PA

Suji Kwock Kim (01)

Milton, NY

James Kimbrell (05)

Tallahassee, FL

Jamaica Kincaid (86)

New York, NY

Nanci Kincaid (92)

Tuscaloosa, AL

Chuck Kinder (80)

Beckley, WV

Molly King (88)

Woodacre, CA

Douglas King (95)

Grass Valley, CA

Maxine Hong Kingston (80)

Honolulu, HI

Galway Kinnell (77, 84)

New York, NY

David Kirby (85)

Tallahassee, FL

Karl Kirchwey (96)

New York, NY

Irina Kirk (81)

Mansfield Center, CT

Smith Kirkpatrick (73)

Gainesville, FL

Patricia Kirkpatrick (92)

St. Paul, MN

Gary Kissick (81)

Port Richey, FL

Vera Kistler (80)

Darlington, SC

Judith Kitchen (91)

Brockport, NY

Brian Kiteley (91)

Northampton, MA

William Kittredge (74, 81)

Missoula, MT

Matthew Klam (02)

Washington, DC

Peter Klappert (73, 79)

Alexandria, VA

Edward Kleinschmidt (97)

San Francisco, CA

Irena Klepfisz (88)

Cherry Plain, NY

Marshall Klimasewiski (02)

St. Louis, MO

Verlyn Klinkenborg (88)

Bronx, NY

Milton Klonsky (77)

New York, NY

Stephen Knauth (84, 96)

Charlotte, NC

Etheridge Knight (72, 81)

Memphis, TN

Hillery Knight (68)

Chicago, IL

John I. Knoepfle (81)

Auburn, IL

William Knott (69, 79, 85)

Iowa City, IA

Caroline Knox (86)

Westerly, RI

Noelle Kocot (01)

Brooklyn, NY

Ronald Koertge (91)

South Pasadena, CA

Phyllis Koestenbaum (86)

San Jose, CA

John Koethe (96)

Milwaukee, WI

James Koller (73)

Wayne, ME

Yusef Komunyakaa (81, 88)

Bogalusa, LA

Hans Koning (78, 85)

Fairfield, CT

Ted Kooser (76, 84)

Lincoln, NE

Arthur Kopit (74)

Peru, VT

I used the fellowship to do 

research in Asia, necessary to the completion of 

my first book, Notes from 

the Divided Country. Among 

other things, it explores my 

family’s life in North and 

South Korea during the 

last century, particularly 

the War (1950-1953) and 

the Japanese occupation 

(1910-1945)... I hope to 

honor my family’s memory 

the only way I know how: by 

imagining and giving voice, 

however subjectively, to 

what they lived through and 

witnessed.

Suji Kwock Kim (01) has had 

work published in Poetry, 

Paris Review, The Nation, The 

New Republic, Threepenny Review, and other journals. Her 

first book, Notes from the Divided Country, was the winner 

of the 2002 Walt Whitman 

Award from the Academy of 

American Poets.
28 National Endowment for the Arts 

Henry Korn (77)

Brooklyn Heights, NY

Joyce Kornblatt (85)

Bethesda, MD

Tadeusz Korzeniewski (92)

New York, NY

Norman Kotker (85)

Northampton, MA

Zane Kotker (74)

New York, NY

Robert Kotlowitz (83)

New York, NY

William Kotzwinkle (74)

Scranton, PA

Steve Kowit (85)

San Diego, CA

Elaine Kraf (81)

Maspeth, NY

Eric Kraft (86)

Newburyport, MA

Richard Krawiec (92)

Wareham, MA

John Krich (80, 91)

San Francisco, CA

Gary Krist (89)

Brooklyn, NY

Judith Kroll (75, 79)

New Delhi, India

Jim Krusoe (85)

Santa Monica, CA

Marilyn Krysl (00)

Boulder, CO

Jan Kubicki (89, 95)

Philadelphia, PA

Kenneth Kuhlken (83)

Chico, CA

Ellen Kullman (80)

New Orleans, LA

Maxine Kumin (67)

No city listed, MA

Stanley Kunitz (84)

New York, NY

Alex Kuo (90)

Moscow, ID

Cleveland Kurtz (76)

Providence, RI

Don Kurtz (92)

Las Cruces, NM

Natalie Kusz (95)

Jamaica Plain, MA

Greg Kuzma (81)

Lincoln, NE

Joanne Kyger (69)

San Francisco, CA 

l

Norah Labiner (02)

Minneapolis, MN

Edward Lahey (79)

Butte, MT

Jhumpa Lahiri (06)

Brooklyn, NY

Wayne Banks Lainer (77)

Oklahoma City, OK

Michael Lally (74, 81)

New York, NY

Ivonne Lamazares (04)

Winter Park, FL

Wally Lamb (93)

Willimantic, CT

Arthur Lange (79)

Chicago, IL

Elinor Langer (76)

Chicago, IL

Joseph Langland (66)

Amherst, MA

William Lanouette (87)

Washington, DC

Marina LaPalma (84)

La Jolla, CA

Joan Larkin (87, 96)

Shelburne Falls, MA

Jeremy Larner (67)

No city listed, NY

Michael Larson (95)

Owatonna, MN

Peter LaSalle (81)

Austin, TX

John Latta (79, 01)

Ann Arbor, MI

Lois Lautner (69)

New York, NY

Dorianne Laux (90, 01)

Eugene, OR

Norman Lavers (81, 91)

Jonesboro, AR

Douglas Lawder (68)

Richmond, IN

Patrick Lawler (91)

Liverpool, NY

Leslie Lawrence (90)

Cambridge, MA

Naomi Lazard (81)

Missoula, MT

Jane Lazarre (91)

New York, NY

Meridel Le Sueur (80)

St. Paul, MN

Peter Leach (83)

St. Louis, MO

David Leavitt (85)

New York, NY

David LeCount (66)

College, AK

Don Lee (70, 81)

Chicago, IL

Karen An-hwei Lee (05)

Santa Ana, CA

Lance Lee (76)

Pacific Palisades, CA

Li-Young Lee (87, 95)

Chicago, IL

William D. Lee (86)

Paragonah, UT

Barbara Lefcowitz (84)

Bethesda, MD

Diane Lefer (83)

New York, NY

David Lehman (87)

Lansing, NY

Lynda Leidiger (90)

Iowa City, IA

Alex Lemon (05)

St. Paul, MN

Cecile Leneman (88)

San Francisco, CA

Cornel Lengyel (76)

Georgetown, CA

Rhoda Lerman (89)

Cazenovia, NY

Martin Lesley (86)

Portland, OR

Naton Leslie (93)

Loudonville, NY

Donald Levering (84)

Santa Fe, NM

Denise Levertov (69, 90)

Seattle, WA

Dana Levin (99)

Ukiah, CA

Robert Levin (81)

Berkeley, CA

Allen Levine (73)

New York, NY

Mark Levine (97)

Brooklyn, NY

Miriam Levine (98)

Arlington, MA

Philip Levine (76, 81, 87)

Fresno, CA

Larry Levinger (78)

Missoula, MT

I received my first NEA 

Fellowship in 1976 and was 

thrilled to have the recognition and, of course, the 

money. I considered the 

fellowship to be an encouragement, and I was encouraged indeed. I remember 

suddenly feeling like a real 

writer, and it was both a 

heady and productive time. 

During the next few years 

I published lots of poems 

in the journals and two 

collections of poems. Eight 

years later I received my 

second fellowship and that 

one helped me to finish the 

manuscript of a book published in the following year.

Ted Kooser (76, 84) is the 

author of ten collections of 

poetry, and was awarded 

the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for 

his collection Delights and 

Shadows. In 2004, he was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate. He 

is currently a visiting professor in the English department 

of the University of Nebraska 

at Lincoln. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 29

Larry Levis (73, 84, 89)

Columbia, MO

Ann Levy (78)

Lexington, KY

Robert Levy (88)

New York, NY

Grover Lewis (76)

Kanarraville, UT

Ira Lewis (80)

New York, NY

James Lewisohn (77)

Portland, ME

John L’Heureux (80, 85)

Stanford, CA

Morton Lichter (77)

New York, NY

Todd Lieber (87)

Indianola, IA

Laurence Lieberman (86)

Urbana, IL

Renee Lieberman (78)

Berkeley, CA

Herbert Liebman (80)

New York, NY

Kathleen Lignell (84)

Stockton Springs, ME

Harvey Lillywhite (89)

Reisterstown, MD

Lucy Lim (77)

New York, NY

Vicki Lindner (86)

New York, NY

Frances Lindsay (89)

Cambridge, MA

Kelly Link (06)

Northampton, MA

R. Zamora Linmark (01)

Honolulu, HI

Romulus Linney (74)

New York, NY

Peter Liotta (93)

Burke, VA

Lewis Lipsitz (68)

Chapel Hill, NC

Paul Lisicky (90)

Cherry Hill, NJ

Leo Litwak (69, 80)

San Francisco, CA

Stephen Liu (81)

Las Vegas, NV

Margot Livesey (86)

Cambridge, MA

Christina Llewellyn (88)

Washington, DC

Lucia Lockert (81)

East Lansing, MI

Ronald Loewinsohn (78, 86)

Berkeley, CA

John Logan (79)

Buffalo, NY

William Logan (84, 94)

Cambridge, England

Joan Logghe (91)

Espa ̃nola, NM

Ralph Lombreglia (87)

Morris Plains, NJ

Roy London (74)

New York, NY

Barbara Long (77)

New York, NY

David Long (93)

Kalispell, MT

Robert Hill Long (88, 05)

Eugene, OR

George Looney (92)

Bowling Green, OH

Phillip Lopate (78, 85)

Houston, TX

Ellenora Beth Lordan (93)

Carbondale, IL

Audre Lorde (81, 90)

St. Croix, VI

David Wong Louie (89)

Santa Cruz, CA

Adrian Louis (92)

Pine Ridge, SD

David Low (81)

New York, NY

Beverly Lowry (80)

Houston, TX

Susan Ludvigson (84)

Charlotte, NC

Edward Lueders (83)

Salt Lake City, UT

Darrell Lum (90)

Honolulu, HI

Lynn Luria-Sukenick 

 (74, 79, 86)

New York, NY

Glenna Luschei (77)

San Luis Obispo, CA

Gary Lutz (96)

Greensburg, PA

William Luvaas (06)

Hemet, CA

Thomas Lux (76, 81, 88)

West Newton, MA

Thomas Lynch (88)

Milford, MI

Daniel Lyons (94)

Ann Arbor, MI

Eugene Lyons (76)

Austin, TX

Jacqueline Lyons (03)

Salt Lake City, UT

Richard Lyons (82)

Eugene, OR

Andrew Lytle (66)

Sewanee, TN 

m

Catherine MacCoun (95)

Chicago, IL

Cynthia MacDonald (73, 90)

Houston, TX

David MacDonald (83)

Palo Alto, CA

Susan MacDonald (77)

Menlo Park, CA

Jamie MacInnis (79)

New York, NY

Donna Mack (78)

Anchorage, AK

Norman MacLoed (74)

Membroke, NC

Jackson MacLow (79)

New York, NY

Ian MacMillan (92)

Kailua, HI

Ben Maddow (69)

Los Angeles, CA

Philip Magdalany (80)

New York, NY

James Magnuson (78)

New York, NY

Rosemary Mahoney (06)

Providence, RI

Joseph Maiolo (78, 83)

Duluth, MN

Nancy Mairs (91)

Tucson, AZ

George Malko (68)

New York, NY

Henry Malone (68)

Detroit, MI

Jacquelyn Malone (88)

Lowell, MA

Michael Patrick Malone (83)

Chicago, IL

Paul Malone (90)

Wimberley, TX

The ’87 grant gave me resources to return to Detroit 

in order to research the 

poem, ‘A Walk with Tom 

Jefferson,’ the longest and 

best poem I’ve ever written.

Had such grants existed 

when I was in my 30s and 

early 40s and teaching 

too much and writing too 

little, there’s no knowing 

how much more I might 

have written, but I thank 

my good fortune that they 

arrived in time to help 

me become, for better 

or worse, the poet I have 

become. 

Philip Levine (76, 81, 87) 

was born in 1928 in Detroit, 

Michigan, where many of his 

poems are set. He has won 

numerous awards for his 

writing, including the National 

Book Award, the National 

Book Critics Circle Award, and 

the Pulitzer Prize. He is author 

of sixteen collections of poems and two books of essays. 
30 National Endowment for the Arts 

F. S. Manalli (70)

Santa Rosa, CA

Marvin Mandel (74)

West Roxbury, MA

Frederick Manfred (76, 83)

Luverne, MN

Freya Manfred (77)

Sioux Falls, SD

Renee Manfredi (92)

McMurray, PA

Frank Manley (95)

Decatur, GA

Linda Mannheim (00)

Miami, FL

Carl Marcum (03)

Chicago, IL

Adrianne Marcus (68)

San Rafael, CA

Ben Marcus (00)

Providence, RI

Laura Marello (83)

Reseda, CA

Paul Mariani (84)

Montague, MA

Peter Marin (76)

Santa Barbara, CA

Stephen Daniel Marion (00)

Dandridge, TN

Wallace Markfield (67)

No city listed, NY

Corey Marks (03)

Denton, TX

David Markson (90)

New York, NY

Julia Markus (80)

Washington, DC

Jack Marlando (76)

Pasadena, CA

Stefanie Marlis (94)

San Anselmo, CA

Charles Marowitz (80)

New York, NY

Paule Marshall (68, 78)

New York, NY

Charles Martin (96)

Brooklyn, NY

James Martin (76)

Cambridge, MA

Lee Martin (00)

Denton, TX

Richard Martin (82)

Avon, NY

Valerie Martin (90)

Montague, MA

Dionisio Martinez (97)

Tampa, FL

Michael Martone (83, 88)

Cambridge, MA

Mary Marvin (78)

San Francisco, CA

Donna Masini (91)

New York, NY

Carole Maso (88)

New York, NY

Bobbie Ann Mason (83)

Mayfield, KY

Clifford Mason (80)

New York, NY

Nicola Faith Mason (00)

Baton Rouge, LA

Tim Mason (76)

Minneapolis, MN

Harry Mathews (82)

Paris, France

Louis P. Mathews (92)

Los Angeles, CA

Anita Mathias (98)

Williamsburg, VA

Cleopatra Mathis (85, 03)

Hanover, NH

Dennis Mathis (83)

Petersburg, IL

Ted Mathys (05)

New York, NY

Holly Matter (98)

Seattle, WA

David Matthew (66)

New York, NY

William Matthews (75, 84)

Seattle, WA

Jessica Maxwell (82)

Santa Barbara, CA

Bernadette Mayer (79)

Lenox, MA

Frances Mayes (88)

San Francisco, CA

Lee Maynard (95)

Cochiti Lake, NM

Wendell Mayo, Jr. (00)

Haskins, OH

Gail Mazur (77)

Cambridge, MA

Cris Mazza (00)

Elmhurst, IL

James McAfee (76)

Columbia, MO

Thomas McAfee (69)

Columbia, MO

Bruce McAllister (91)

Redlands, CA

Mary McAnally (82)

Tulsa, OK

Sara McAulay (85)

Mountain Lakes, NJ

James McAuley (72)

Four Lakes, WA

Mekeel McBride (78, 85)

Princeton, NJ

Regina McBride (93)

New York, NY

Jane McCafferty (94)

Pittsburgh, PA

Donald McCaig (80)

Williamsville, VA

Janet McCann (89)

College Station, TX

Richard McCann (95)

Washington, DC

Linda McCarriston (84, 89)

Chelsea, VT

James McCartin (76)

Wayne, NJ

J. D. McClatchy (87)

New York, NY

Michael McClure (75)

San Francisco, CA

Davis McCombs (03)

Fayetteville, AR

James McConkey (69)

Trumansburg, NY

Frank D. McConnell (69)

Ithaca, NY

Malcolm McConnell (75)

Albany, NY

Patricia McConnell (83, 88)

Moab, UT

Howard McCord (76, 83)

Bowling Green, OH

James McCorkle (97)

Geneva, NY

Mairi MacInnes McCormick 

 (84)

Princeton, NJ

Elizabeth McCracken (92)

Philadelphia, PA

Peggy McCreary (90)

Bellingham, WA

Kenneth McCullough (74)

Bozeman, MT

Emily McCully (80)

Brooklyn, NY

I wanted to do something 

that would be rich and lasting, but I never expected it to 

have such popular appeal and 

tangible social effect. Yet this 

novel [In Country] was a surprising commercial success, 

and it has affected the lives of 

many people.

The NEA grant helped me 

write the novel, which I did 

for my own artistic reasons. I 

report these unexpected benefits that In Country brought 

to the community—from the 

classroom to the veterans’ 

group to the economy to the 

morale of my own hometown—because I think they 

are significant in reminding 

people that what may look 

like self-indulgence in its 

beginnings can turn out to 

have long-reaching, positive 

effects on the culture.

Bobbie Ann Mason (83) grew 

up in rural Kentucky, the setting of much of her fiction. 

She has written a memoir, 

novels, and short-story 

collections, including Shiloh 

and Other Stories (1982).
NEA Literature Fellowships 31

Jeffrey McDaniel (03)

Los Angeles, CA

W. A. McDonald (94)

No city listed, Chile

Walter McDonald (84, 89)

Lubbock, TX

Jill McDonough (05)

Jamaica Plain, MA

Tom McDonough (85)

New York, NY

Karen Salyer McElmurray 

 (93)

Weaverville, NC

Colleen McElroy (77, 91)

Seattle, WA

David McElroy (66, 76)

Missoula, MT

Joseph McElroy (73, 86)

New York, NY

Lynne McFall (90, 95)

Syracuse, NY

Dennis McFarland (91)

Watertown, MA

Michael McFee (87)

Durham, NC

Jean McGarry (87)

Columbia, MD

Thomas McGrath 

 (74, 82, 87) 

Minneapolis, MN

Heather McHugh (74, 82)

Eastport, ME

Christopher McIlroy (87)

Tucson, AZ

Kevin McIlvoy (83)

Las Cruces, NM

Ralph McInerny (83)

South Bend, IN

Vestal McIntyre (06)

New York, NY

David McKain (82)

Norwich, CT

Irene McKinney (86)

Clinton, NY

Reginald McKnight (91)

Pittsburgh, PA

Paula McLain (01)

Madison, WI

James McManus (79, 85)

Winnetka, IL

Terry McMillan (88)

Laramie, WY

Wesley McNair (79, 89)

Farmington, ME

Thomas McNally (94)

Rockford, IL

Robert McNamara (87)

Seattle, WA

Duncan McNaughton (87)

Santa Cruz, CA

Tom McNeal (06)

Fallbrook, CA

Martha McPhee (98)

New York, NY

James McPherson (72)

Berkeley, CA

Sandra McPherson 

 (74, 79, 85)

Portland, OR

Robert McQuilkin (84)

Simsbury, CT

Janet McReynolds (77)

Boulder, CO

Kat Meads (03)

Santa Cruz, CA

Mary E. Mebane (83)

Shorewood, WI

Pablo Medina (91)

Washington, DC

Ruben Medina (82)

Minneapolis, MN

Murray Mednick (69)

Brooklyn, NY

Jay Meek (73)

Manlius, NY

Emily Meier (98)

St. Paul, MN

Peter Meinke (74, 89)

St. Petersburg, FL

William Meissner (75)

St. Cloud, MN

Michael Mejia (06)

Rome, GA

David Meltzer (74)

Richmond, CA

Charlotte Mendez (87)

Wells Bridge, NY

Ifeanyi Menkiti (77)

Cambridge, MA

Mary E. Merchant (83)

Hamlin, NY

Don Meredith (83, 89)

Occidental, CA

William Meredith (72, 84)

Washington, DC

Louise M. Meriwether (73)

Bronx, NY

Anne Hamilton Merkley (66)

Pocatello, ID

James Mersmann (76)

Birmingham, AL

W. S. Merwin (69, 77)

New York, NY

Joanne Meschery (80, 85)

Truckee, CA

Sarah Messer (99)

North Marshfield, MA

Deena Metzger (78)

Studio City, CA

Michael Mewshaw (74)

Austin, TX

Thomas Meyer (79)

Highlands, NC

Kent Meyers (92)

Spearfish, SD

Lucas Meyers (68)

Sewanee, TN

Robert Mezey (85)

Claremont, CA

Peter Michelson (76)

Boulder, CO

Christopher Middleton (79)

Austin, TX

Barton Midwood (68)

Coral Gables, FL

Josephine Miles (66, 80)

Berkeley, CA

Sara Miles (82)

Brooklyn, NY

Joseph Millar (03)

Eugene, OR

Benjamin Miller (96)

Brooklyn, NY

Brown Miller (69)

Daly City, CA

Heather Ross Miller (68, 73)

Elizabethtown, NC

Jane Miller (85, 95)

Tucson, AZ

Leslie Miller (89)

Houston, TX

Susan Miller (76)

Los Angeles, CA

Steven Millhauser (86)

Mamaroneck, NY

Arthenia Millican (76)

Norfolk, VA

Pamela Millward (68)

San Francisco, CA

David Milofsky (89)

Denver, CO

John Milton (76)

Vermillion, SD

Katherine Min (92)

Campton, NM

The poems of my first 

book, Ultima Thule, like 

the eyeless fish found in 

Mammoth’s Echo River, 

evolved in the silence and 

darkness of the cave. The 

poems I am writing now 

begin to venture out into 

the world of light, into the 

vanishing communities of 

tobacco farms above the 

cave. With the help of the 

NEA, I can now devote myself fully to writing them. 

Only in that way do I have 

any hope of writing half the 

book I want.

Davis McCombs’s (03) first 

book, Ultima Thule, was 

chosen by W. S. Merwin as 

the winner of the 1999 Yale 

Series of Younger Poets. 

Published in April 2000, the 

book focused on Kentucky’s 

Mammoth Cave where he 

grew up. Sixteen of his recent 

“tobacco poems” won The 

Missouri Review’s 2005 Larry 

Levis Editor’s Prize. 
32 National Endowment for the Arts 

John Minczeski (84)

St. Paul, MN

Stephen Minot (76, 82)

Simsbury, CT

Gary Miranda (76)

Cambridge, MA

Stephanie Miskowski (90)

Seattle, WA

Judson Mitcham (88)

Macon, GA

Roger Mitchell (86, 01)

Bloomington, IN

Susan Mitchell (82)

Charlottesville, VA

James Masao Mitsui (76)

Seattle, WA

Wendy Mnookin (99)

Chestnut Hill, MA

Tony Moffeit (92)

Pueblo, CO

Judith Moffett (84)

Media, PA

Carol Moldaw (94)

Santa Fe, NM

Ursule Molinaro (82)

Blacksburg, VA

Dorothy Monet (78)

New York, NY

Joseph Monninger (87, 94)

Bridgewater, NH

Nicholas Montemarano (02)

Warrensburg, MO

Robert Montgomery (74)

New York, NY

Jose Montoya (82)

Sacramento, CA

Michael Moody (76)

New York, NY

Susan Moon (93)

Berkeley, CA

Michael M. Mooney (82)

Milwaukee, WI

Alison Moore (93)

Tucson, AZ

Dinty Moore (92)

Altoona, PA

Honor Moore (82)

New York, NY

Lorrie Moore (89)

Madison, WI

Rod Moore (80)

Cayey, PR

Michael Moos (75)

Moorhead, MN

Pat Mora (94)

Cincinnati, OH

Alejandro Morales (82)

Santa Ana, CA

Fred Morgan (78)

Albemarle, NC

Richard Morgan (82)

Portland, OR

Robert Morgan 

 (68, 75, 82, 87) 

Freeville, NY

Robin Morgan (79)

New York, NY

Speer Morgan (90)

Columbia, MO

Helga Morpurgo (75)

New York, NY

Catherine B. Morris (93)

Kansas City, MO

Mary Morris (78)

New York, NY

Wright Morris (86)

Mill Valley, CA

Madison Morrison (79)

Norman, OK

David Morse (92)

Storrs, CT

John Mort (92)

Kansas City, MO

Howard Frank Mosher (87)

Irasburg, VT

Barbara Klein Moss (06)

Haverford, PA

Howard Moss (84)

New York, NY

Thylias Moss (89)

Andover, MA

Nikki Moustaki (01)

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Julian Moynahan (66)

New Brunswick, NJ

Daniel Mueller (96)

Provincetown, MA

Lisel Mueller (90)

Lake Forest, IL

Bharati Mukharjee (86)

Long Island City, NY

Laura Mullen (88)

Palo Alto, CA

Robert Mullen (76)

New Haven, CT

Sheila Mulligan-Webb (02)

Gettysburg, PA

Jacqueline Pierce Mungai 

 (83)

Philadelphia, PA

Manuel Mun~oz (06)

New York, NY

David Mura (85, 93)

St. Paul, MN

Stephen Murabito (91)

Slickville, PA

Morna Murphy (76)

Los Angeles, CA

Roberta Murphy (88)

Washington, DC

Yannick Murphy (88)

Staten Island, NY

Joan Murray (89)

Rochester, NY

Matthew Murrey (95)

Urbana, IL

Carol Muske-Dukes (84)

Studio City, CA

Bernard Myers (80)

Washington, DC

Jack Myers (82, 86)

Dallas, TX

Walter Myers (82, 89)

Jersey City, NJ 

n

Peter Najarian (00)

Berkeley, CA

Rochelle Nameroff (92)

Berkeley, CA

Sena Jeter Naslund (78)

Louisville, KY

Lawrence Naumoff (70)

Carrboro, NC

Gloria Naylor (85)

Hollis, NY

Phyllis Naylor (87)

Bethesda, MD

Jessica Neely (90)

Washington, DC

Janet Neipris (80)

Winchester, MA

Antonya Nelson (89)

Evanston, IL

Kent Nelson (78, 91)

Exeter, NH

Marilyn Nelson (82, 90)

Mansfield Center, CT

Paul Nelson (77)

Plainfield, VT

In 1982 I had a teaching 

position in a department 

in which I was junior, 

one of few women, and 

the only person of color. 

My department weighed 

the value of poems toward 

tenure and merit pay 

increases by their length: 

a 3-page free-verse poem 

was worth more than a 

sonnet, and both were 

worth much less than an 

essay about commas in 

the work of Beauregard 

Wadsworth (1796 – 1861). 

With the fellowship I 

became not the African 

Americanist who hadn’t 

published, but the awardwinning poet. By freeing 

me from teaching responsibilities it allowed me to 

start the painful inner 

growth necessary for a 

new project.

Marilyn Nelson (82, 90) has 

written six books of poetry, 

several of which have been 

finalists for the National Book 

Award, and two collections of 

poetry for children. She is

Professor Emeritus at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, 

and was named Connecticut 

Poet Laureate in 2001. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 33

Richard J. Nelson (80)

Brooklyn, NY

Richard K. Nelson (91)

Sitka, AK

Jay Neugeboren (73, 89)

Northampton, MA

Michael Neville (77)

Bronx, NY

Susan Neville (78, 88)

Bowling Green, OH

Margaret Newlin (76)

Secane, PA

Charles H. Newman (73)

Evanston, IL

Leslea Newman (97)

Northhampton, MA

Fae Myenne Ng (90)

Brooklyn, NY

Maris Nichols (85)

Pittsfield, MA

Joseph Nicholson (80)

Loch Haven, PA

Ann Nietzke (87)

Los Angeles, CA

N. Michael Niflis (74)

Tillamook, OR

Nona Nimnicht (84)

Oakland, CA

John Frederick Nims (66)

Chicago, IL

Hugh Nissenson (78)

New York, NY

Cornelia Nixon (92)

Bloomington, IN

Sheryl Noethe (90)

Salmon, ND

James Nolan (78)

New Orleans, LA

Bink Noll (74)

Beloit, WI

John Ford Noonan (72, 80)

New York, NY

Howard Norman (91)

College Park, MD

Harold Norse (75)

San Francisco, CA

Charles North (79, 01)

New York, NY

Alice Notley (79, 95)

No city listed, France

Craig Nova (71, 74, 85)

West Dover, VT

Josip Novakovich (91, 02)

Blue Creek, OH

Beth Nugent (95)

Boulder, CO

Alan D. Nurkse (84, 95)

Brooklyn, NY

o

Joyce Carol Oates (69)

Windsor, Canada

Achy Obejas (86)

Chicago, IL

Dan O’Brien (76, 83)

Whitewood, SD

Dorene O’Brien (04)

West Bloomfield, MI

John A. O’Brien (80)

Roxbury, MA

John C. O’Brien (83)

Oswego, NY

William O’Brien (76, 88)

Boxford, MA

Edwin Ochester (84)

Shelocta, PA

Vanessa Ochs (91)

Morristown, NJ

Regina Ochsner (06)

Keizer, OR

Shaun O’Connell (76)

Sudbury, MA

Wendy O’Connor (87)

Washington, DC

Mary O’Donnell (75)

Madison, WI

Chris Offutt (93)

Iowa City, IA

Hugh Ogden (93)

Glastonbury, CT

Timothy O’Grady (92)

London, England

Diana O’Hehir (86)

Oakland, CA

Louis Ohle (78)

Austin, TX

Pamolu Oldham (87)

Cameron, NC

Sharon Olds (82)

New York, NY

Carole Oles (76)

Newton, MA

Carole Oligario (81)

Los Angeles, CA

Eve Olitsky (77)

New York, NY

Juan Oliver (86)

La Jolla, CA

Mary Oliver (72)

Provincetown, MA

Robert Olmstead (93)

Mt. Holly, PA

Lance Olsen (06)

New Meadows, ID

Tillie Olsen (67)

No city listed, CA

William Olsen (96)

Kalamazoo, MI

Charles Olson (69)

Gloucester, MA

Merle Olson (85)

Philadelphia, PA

Kevin O’Morrison (80)

New York, NY

John Omwake (66)

Chambersburg, PA

Robert Onopa (85)

Kailua, HI

George Oppen (80)

San Francisco, CA

Joel Oppenheimer (79)

New York, NY

Sally Ordway (77)

New York, NY

Steven Orlen (75, 79, 85)

Tucson, AZ

John M. Orlock (80)

St. Paul, MN

Peter Orlovsky (79)

New York, NY

William O’Rourke (82, 90)

South Bend, IN

Daniel Orozco (06)

Moscow, ID

Gregory Orr (78, 89)

Charlottesville, VA

Julie Orringer (04)

San Francisco, CA

Simon J. Ortiz (70, 82)

Pueblo of Acoma, NM

Mark Osaki (82)

Berkeley, CA

Brenda Osbey (90)

Los Angeles, CA

Jacqueline Osherow (99)

Salt Lake, City, UT

Jena Osman (91)

New York, NY

Alicia Ostriker (76)

Princeton, NJ

John L. O’Toole (81)

Washington, DC

I received a National 

Endowment Fellowship in 

1975. This assistance and 

a small advance from a 

publisher gave me the time 

to conduct research and 

to write my fourth novel, 

Flight To Canada, which was 

a parody of 19th-century 

fugitive slave novels. This 

novel is still in print!

Ishmael Reed (75) is the author of nine novels, six plays, 

one opera libretto, six books 

of poetry, and six books of 

essays, and he is the editor 

of numerous anthologies and 

magazines. His honors include 

the Chancellor’s Award for 

Community Service from the 

University of California, Berkeley, where he taught creative 

writing for 35 years, retiring 

emeritus as of January 2005. 

He is also founder of the 

Before Columbus Foundation, 

which annually presents the 

American Book Awards, and 

the Oakland chapter of PEN. 
34 National Endowment for the Arts 

Ron Overton (76)

Lake Grove, NY

Maureen Owen (79)

Guilford, CT

Louis Owens (89)

Sandia Park, NM

Rochelle Owens (74)

New York, NY

Cynthia Ozick (68)

New Rochelle, NY

p

Robert Pack (69)

Middlebury, VT

Ann Packer (93)

Eugene, OR

Nancy Packer (83)

Stanford, CA

Charlotte Painter (72)

Berkeley, CA

Pamela Painter (88)

Boston, MA

Grace Paley (67, 87)

New York, NY

Karen Palmer (00)

Boulder, CO

Michael Palmer (75, 85)

San Francisco, CA

Ann Pancake (96)

Seattle, WA

Eric Pankey (88, 05)

Fairfax, VA

Suzanne Paola (02)

Bellingham, WA

Greg Pape (77, 84)

Tuscaloosa, AL

Ronnie Paris (76)

New York, NY

Michael Parker (04)

Greensboro, NC

John Parras (04)

New Milford, NJ

Alexander Parsons (04)

Portsmouth, NH

Roy Parvin (04)

Fortuna, CA

Linda Pasten (72)

Rockville, MD

Kenneth Patchen (67)

No city listed, CA

Jeff Pate (77)

Vermillion, SD

Michael Paterniti (02)

Portland, ME

William Patrick (79)

Arlington, VA

Lindsay Patterson (68)

New York, NY

Raymond R. Patterson (70)

Merrick, NY

John Pauker (79)

Washington, DC

Molly Peacock (91)

New York, NY

Harry Pearson (67)

No city listed, NC

Janet Peery (92)

Wichita, KS

Kathleen Peirce (05)

Wimberley, TX

Ted Pejovich (90)

New York, NY

William Pelfrey (73)

Roseville, MI

Theodore Pelton (94)

Sheboygan, WI

Jonathan Penner (76, 83)

Tucson, AZ

Mindy Pennybacker (80)

Davis, CA

Victor Perera (80)

Capitola, CA

David H. Perkins (73, 83)

Kansas City, MO

Richard Perry (89)

Tenafly, NJ

Joyce Peseroff (84)

Lexington, MA

Bette Pesetsky (80)

Dobbs Ferry, NY

Robert Peters (75)

Irvine, CA

Allan Peterson (92)

Gulf Breeze, FL

Quintin Peterson (77)

Green Bay, WI

Robert Peterson (67)

No city listed, CA

Catherine Petroski (78, 83)

Durham, NC

Anthony Petrosky (85)

Pittsburgh, PA

Ann Petry (78)

Old Saybrook, CT

Michael Pettit (85)

Austin, TX

John F. Pfeil (82)

Corvallis, OR

Roger Pfingston (77)

Bloomington, IN

Arthur Pfister (70)

New Orleans, LA

Robert D. Pharr (82)

Richmond, VA

Mari E. Phemster (82)

Indianapolis, IN

Leila Philip (94)

Brooklyn, NY

Jayne Anne Phillips (78, 85)

Jamaica Plain, MA

Matthew Phillips (91)

Iowa City, IA

Constance Pierce (83, 90)

Brookville, IN

James F. Pierce (73)

Bryan, TX

Marge Piercy (78)

Wellfleet, MA

Drury Pifer (80)

Wilmington, DE

John Pijewski (84)

Brookline, MA

Bonnie L. Pike (96)

Tempe, AZ

Joyce Pinchbeck (92)

New York, NY

Wang Ping (95)

New York, NY

Robert Pinsky (84)

Berkeley, CA

Nancy K. Piore (82)

Brookline, MA

Lawrence Pitkethly (81)

New York, NY

Allen Planz (77, 92)

East Hampton, NY

Donald Platt (96)

Carrollton, GA

Richard Plattz (76)

East Haven, CT

Stanley Plumly (77, 84)

Houston, TX

Carlene Hatcher Polite (68)

Detroit, MI

Eileen Pollack (93)

Belmont, MA

Katha Pollitt (84)

New York, NY

Marie Ponsot (79)

Jamaica, NY

The NEA grant, coming 

closely after one from the 

New York State Council on 

the Arts, gave me confidence that I might truly be 

able to devise a viable literary life. We lived modestly, 

and the material contribution the grant made was 

significant. It also encouraged me to apply for other 

grants while I worked on 

my first novel, Mating, whose 

positive reception changed 

everything for me.

Norman Rush (86) was raised 

in Oakland, California, and 

graduated from Swarthmore

College in 1956. He has been 

an antiquarian book dealer, a 

college instructor, and, with his 

wife Elsa, he lived and worked 

in Africa from 1978 to 1983. 

They now reside in Rockland 

County, New York. He received 

the National Book Award for 

his novel Mating and has published a book of short stories 

and a second novel.
NEA Literature Fellowships 35

Robert Pope, Jr. (89)

Akron, OH

Melinda Popham (66)

Shawnee Mission, KS

Bernard H. Porter (80)

Belfast, ME

Joe Ashby Porter (80, 85)

Durham, NC

Andrew Potok (83)

Plainfield, VT

Nancy Potter (78)

West Kingston, RI

Alfred Poulin, Jr. (75)

Brockport, NY

Charles E. Poverman 

 (80, 88)

Tucson, AZ

D. A. Powell (03)

Somerville, MA

Dannye G. Powell (93)

Charlotte, NC

J. Mark Powell (04)

Mountain Rest, SC

Minnie Bruce Pratt (90)

Washington, DC

John Price (04)

Fort Dodge, IA

Reynolds Price (66)

Durham, NC

Richard Price (82)

New York, NY

Robert Earl Price (91)

Atlanta, GA

William Price (74)

Brooklyn, NY

Robin J. Prising (80)

New York, NY

Melissa Pritchard (83)

Evanston, IL

Samuel Pritchard (91)

Ames, IA

Frederic Prokosch (78)

Cambridge, MA

Francine Prose (80, 86)

Krumville, NY

Susan Prospere (97)

Houston, TX

Annie Proulx (91)

Vershire, VT

Eric Puchner (06)

San Francisco, CA

Lia Purpura (04)

Baltimore, MD 

q

George Quasha (75)

New York, NY

Sister M. Bernadetta Quinn 

 (67)

No city listed, MN

Leroy Quintana (78)

El Paso, TX 

r

Lawrence Raab (72, 84)

Williamstown, MA

Thomas Rabbitt (97)

Tuscaloosa, AL

Arnold M. Rabin (80)

Maplewood, NJ

Anna Rabinowitz (01)

New York, NY

Emily Raboteau (06)

New York, NY

Nahid Rachlin (80)

New York, NY

Louise Rafkin (95)

San Clemente, CA

Carl Rakosi (72, 79)

San Francisco, CA

Jerold Ramsey (76)

Rochester, NY

Belle Randall (05)

Seattle, WA

Dudley Randall (82, 86)

Detroit, MI

Julia V.N. Randall (82)

Glen Arm, MD

John Crowe Ransom (68)

Gambier, OH

William Ransom (76)

Port Townsend, WA

Katherine Rao (80)

New York, NY

Ron Rash (94, 06)

Cullowhee, NC

Barbara Raskin (82)

Washington, DC

Michael Rattee (84)

Tucson, AZ

David E. Ray (83)

Kansas City, MO

Shreela Ray (76)

Rochester, NY

John Rechy (76)

Los Angeles, CA

Ronald Rector (79)

Washington, DC

Victoria Redel (88)

New York, NY

Eugene Redmond (78)

Madison, WI

Spencer Reece (05)

Lantana, FL

Ishmael Reed (75)

Berkeley, CA

Arthur Reel (80)

New York, NY

Marshall Reese (79)

Baltimore, MD

Patricia Reeves (88)

St. Joseph, MO

Tova Reich (85)

Chevy Chase, MD

Jan Reid (83)

Austin, TX

Louis Reile (78)

San Antonio, TX

Nancy Reisman (98)

Providence, RI

James Alan Reiss (74)

Oxford, OH

Thomas Reiter (03)

Neptune, NJ

Paisley Rekdal (03)

Laramie, WY

Ettore Rella (68)

New York, NY

John Repp (87)

Pittsburgh, PA

Lisa Ress (84)

Ithaca, NY

Donald Revell (88, 95)

Salt Lake City, UT

Kenneth Rexroth (77)

Santa Barbara, CA

David S. Reynolds (96)

Washington, DC

Richard Reynolds (94)

Denton, TX

John Rezmerski (73)

St. Peter, MN

Jewell Parker Rhodes (82)

College Park, MD

Richard Rhodes (78)

Kansas City, MO

Joseph P. Ribar (73)

Claverack, NY

My fellowship made me 

less intolerant. No longer could I automatically 

disregard anyone who had 

enjoyed a smidgeon of success. Here I was, with my 

own smidgeon. As time has 

passed since my award, I 

have found myself becoming disturbingly openminded about the possible 

relationship between talent 

and recognition.

Kay Ryan (01), a lifetime 

Californian, was born in 1945 

and grew up in small towns 

of the San Joaquin Valley and 

the Mojave Desert. Known 

for her compressed poems 

and use of rhyme, Ryan has 

published five books. She has 

received an Ingram Merrill 

Foundation award, and her 

poems have been published in 

The New Yorker, Paris Review, 

and numerous anthologies. In 

2004, she received the Ruth 

Lilly Poetry Prize from the 

Poetry Foundation. 
36 National Endowment for the Arts 

Ronald Ribman (73)

New York, NY

Stanley Rice (66, 72)

San Francisco, CA

Mark Richard (90)

New York, NY

Caroline A. Richards (80)

Richmond, IN

Susan Richards (83)

Sadieville, KY

Robert Riche (74)

Wilton, CT

Elliot Richman (93)

Plattsburgh, NY

Janine Richman (95)

San Francisco, CA

Boyer Rickel (01)

Tucson, AZ

Noel Rico (77)

New York, NY

David Rigsbee (84)

Baton Rouge, LA

James A. Riley (91)

Pikeville, KY

Sherry Rind (86)

Redmond, WA

Steven Rinehart (95)

Fayetteville, GA

Alberto Ríos (79)

Tucson, AZ

David Rivard (86, 91)

Somerville, MA

Edward Rivera (72)

New York, NY

Andrés Rivero (80)

Miami, FL

Anthony Robbins (92)

Monroe, LA

Richard Robbins (92)

Mankato, MN

John Roberts (87)

Boulder, CO

Leonard Roberts (84, 89)

Bethlehem, PA

Jill Robinson (75)

New York, NY

John Robinson (77)

San Francisco, CA

Kit Robinson (79)

San Francisco, CA

Ronald Robinson (93)

Tahlequah, OK

Roxana Robinson (87)

Katonah, NY

Doris Rochlin (90)

Chevy Chase, MD

Peter Rock (00)

Philadelphia, PA

Carolyn M. Rodgers (70)

Chicago, IL

Aleida Rodríguez (82)

Los Angeles, CA

William A. Roecker (73)

Missoula, MT

Pattiann Rogers (82, 88)

Stafford, TX

Thomas N.R. Rogers 

 (82, 92)

Iowa City, IA

Edwin Romand (94)

Pen Argyl, PA

Leo Romero (82)

Las Cruces, NM

Orlando Romero (80)

Santa Fe, NM

David Romtvedt (87)

Buffalo, NY

John J. Ronan (99)

Gloucester, MA

Leon Rooke (78)

London, England

Bill Roorbach (02)

Farmington, ME

William Pitt Root (73)

Mendocino, CA

Robert Roper (86)

Berkeley, CA

Ned Rorem (77)

New York, NY

Daniel Asa Rose (06)

Rehoboth, MA

Jennifer Rose (93)

Waltham, MA

Joel Rose (86)

New York, NY

Louise B. Rose (80)

New York, NY

Wendy Rose (82)

Richmond, VA

Michael Rosen (84)

Columbus, OH

Jessie Rosenberg (68)

New Orleans, LA

Joseph Ross (97)

Washington, DC

Robert Ross (88)

Long Pine, NE

Jill Allyn Rosser (99)

Athens, OH

Charles Rossiter (97)

Oak Park, IL

Michael Rossman (76)

Berkeley, CA

Jerome Rothenberg (76)

Salamanca, NY

Michael Rothschild (74)

Strong, ME

David Rounds (78)

Angwin, CA

Jess Row (04)

Bronx, NY

Ann Rower (82)

New York, NY

Gibbons Ruark (79, 86, 93)

Newark, DE

Mark Rubin (95)

Burlington, VT

Michael Rubin (78)

San Francisco, CA

Rick Rubin (70)

Portland, OR

Mark Rudman (95)

New York, NY

Mary Ruefle (84)

North Bennington, VT

Matthew Ruff (06)

Seattle, WA

Eugene Ruggles (70)

Bodega Bay, CA

Muriel Rukeyser (66)

New York, NY

Jim Ruland (04)

Playa del Rey, CA

Norman Rush (86)

New City, NY

Joshua Thomas Russell (06)

Newnan, GA

Paul Russell (93)

Rosendale, NY

Thomas Russell (86)

Memphis, TN

Vern Rutsala (75, 79)

Portland, OR

Kay Ryan (01)

Fairfax, CA

Michael Ryan (76, 85)

North Garden, VA

Patrick Ryan (06)

New York, NY

Did my fellowship make 

a difference? You bet! It 

allowed me to take time 

off my work and write and 

gave me confidence that 

my peers value what I’m 

doing. I was a poor man, 

overworked, with a family 

and children to support. 

Where else would I find 

money? I don’t know about 

the others, but we poets are 

grateful for the miracle of 

the Endowment.

Charles Simic (75, 79) was 

born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, and came to the United 

States as a teenager. Simic has 

published more than 60 books 

of poetry, prose, memoirs, and 

essays, and has twice won the 

PEN International Translation 

Award for his translations. He 

received the Pulitzer Prize in 

poetry in 1990 for The World 

Doesn’t End (1989). Since 

1973, he has taught at the 

University of New Hampshire. 
NEA Literature Fellowships 37

s

Ira Sadoff (82)

Waterville, ME

Nubia Kai Salaam (86, 92)

Washington, DC

J. R. Salamanca (78)

Potomac, MD

Floyd Salas (78)

Berkeley, CA

I. L. Salomon (67)

No city listed, NY

Mary Jo Salter (84)

Kyoto, Japan

Benjamin Saltman (69, 87)

Northridge, CA

Nicholas Samaras (97)

New Port Richey, FL

Rosaura Sánchez (82)

Leucadia, CA

Saul O. Sanchez (80)

Laredo, TX

Sonia Sanchez (77)

Philadelphia, PA

Thomas Sanchez (78)

Santa Barbara, CA

Ed Sanders (87)

Woodstock, NY

Scott Sanders (83, 04)

Bloomington, IN

Lisa Sandlin (94)

Santa Fe, NM

Stephen Sandy (88)

North Bennington, VT

Reginald Saner (76)

Boulder, CO

Annette Sanford (74, 87)

Ganado, TX

Christy S. Sanford (92)

Gainesville, FL

Bienvenido Santos (82)

Wichita, KS

Sherod Santos (87)

Columbia, MO

Yvonne Sapia (86)

Lake City, FL

Aram Saroyan (69)

New York, NY

May Sarton (67)

No city listed, NH

Catherine Sasanov (97)

Cambridge, MA

Roger Sauls (70)

Chapel Hill, NC

Cheryl Savageau (93)

Worcester, MA

Teo Savory (78)

Greensboro, NC

Julia Randall Sawyer (66)

Hollins College, VA

Valerie Sayers (92)

Brooklyn, NY

Nora Sayre (77)

New York, NY

Leslie Scalapino (76, 86)

Oakland, CA

Harris Schiff (79)

New York, NY

Richard Schmitt (02)

Sparr, FL

Dennis Schmitz (76, 85, 92) 

Sacramento, CA

Gjertrud Schnackenberg (86)

Tacoma, WA

Philip Schneider (86)

Wichita, KS

Nancy Schoenberger (84)

New York, NY

Michael Scholnick (79)

New York, NY

Peter Schrag (76)

Oakland, CA

Ronald Schreiber (93)

Cambridge, MA

Philip Schultz (82)

New York, NY

Robert Schultz (98)

Decorah, IA

Michael P. Schulze (82)

Kalamazoo, MI

James Schuyler (72)

Southampton, NY

Jane Schwartz (89)

Brooklyn, NY

Leonard Schwartz (97)

New York, NY

Lloyd Schwartz (90)

Somerville, MA

Lynne Sharon Schwartz (85)

New York, NY

Ruth L. Schwartz (93)

Gladwyne, PA

Sheila M. Schwartz (93)

Cleveland Heights, OH

Steven Schwartz (93)

Fort Collins, CO

Armand Schwerner 

 (73, 79, 87)

Staten Island, NY

Sandra Scofield (89)

Ashland, OR

Carolynne Scott (78)

Springville, AL

Herbert Scott (84)

Kalamazoo, MI

James Scully (76, 90)

Willimantic, CT

Brenda Seabrooke (94)

Hedgesville, WV

Allan Seager (67)

No city listed, MI

Jan L. Seale (82)

McAllen, TX

David Searcy (02)

Dallas, TX

Maureen Seaton (94)

Chicago, IL

Peter Seaton (79)

Portland, ME

Roberta E. Sebenthall (70)

Mount Horeb, WI

Carolyn See (74)

Topango, CA

Lore Segal (68, 82, 87)

New York, NY

Timothy Seibles (90)

Dallas, TX

Michael Seide (67)

No city listed, NY

Fredrick Seidel (69)

New York, NY

Hugh Seidman (70, 72, 85) 

New York, NY

Barbara Selfridge (91)

Oakland, CA

Heather Sellers (00)

Holland, MI

Richard Selzer (88)

New Haven, CT

Ramon Sender (83)

San Francisco, CA

Vijay Seshadri (99)

Brooklyn, NY

Robbie Clipper Sethi (95)

Skillman, NJ

Fred Setterburg (83)

Oakland, CA

Lisa Sewell (99)

Fort Worth, TX

Bob Shacochis (82)

Lone Tree, IA

Anders Shafer (66)

St. Paul, MN

When I received a Fellowship from the NEA, I 

had a wife and two small 

children. I had made the 

decision to quit my longterm job in business, and 

to use our limited savings 

to finance two years of 

searching for a teaching 

position. In our second 

year, as our money ran out, 

we were given the blessing 

of the NEA, which kept my 

family afloat for another 

year, until I secured a 

university job. I know this 

sounds dramatic, but what 

can I do—it’s the truth. 

The NEA, for me, was life 

altering, if not life saving. 

Jeffrey Skinner (87) has 

published five collections 

of verse and with his wife 

Sarah Gorham, he edited an 

anthology, Last Call: Poems 

on Alcoholism, Addiction, & 

Deliverance. His poems have 

appeared in The New Yorker, 

The Nation, and other publications. He is a professor in the 

creative writing program at 

the University of Louisville, 

and is co-founder of Sarabande Books. 
38 National Endowment for the Arts 

Rosa Shand (00)

Spartanburg, SC

Ntozake Shange (82)

New York, NY

Robert Shapard (87)

Salt Lake City, UT

Alan Shapiro (84, 92)

Chapel Hill, NC

David Shapiro (79)

New York, NY

Gerald Shapiro (95)

Lincoln, NE

Loretta M. Sharp (93)

Boulder, MT

Paula Sharp (95)

Mount Kisco, NY

Angela Shaw (03)

Arlington, MA

Richard Shaw (78)

Minneapolis, MN

Robert Shaw (87)

South Hadley, MA

Cynthia Shearer (00)

Oxford, MS

Laurie Sheck (82, 96)

Princeton, NJ

Marc Sheehan (84)

Grand Rapids, MI

Evelyn Shefner (80)

New York, NY

Marsha Sheiness (80)

Waterford, CT

Richard Shelton (76, 91)

Tucson, AZ

Reginald Shepherd (95)

Chicago, IL

Michael Sheridan (84)

Geneseo, IL

Martin Sherman (80)

New York, NY

Steven Sherrill (02)

Altoona, PA

Judith Johnson Sherwin (82)

New York, NY

Frances Sherwood (90)

South Bend, IN

Susan Shetterly (93)

Surry, ME

David Shevin (94)

Tiffin, OH

David Shields (82, 91)

Seattle, WA

Peter Shippy (03)

Jamaica Plain, MA

Aleda Shirley (88)

Louisville, KY

Louise Shivers (86)

Augusta, GA

Lynn Shoemaker (90)

Whitewater, WI

Elizabeth Sholl (94)

Portland, ME

Enid Shomer (89, 96)

Brooklyn, NY

Jane Shore (77, 87)

Cambridge, MA

Susan Shreve (83)

Washington, DC

Alix Kates Shulman (83)

New York, NY

Peggy Shumaker (89)

Fairbanks, AK

Aaron Shurin (95)

San Francisco, CA

Bapsy Sidhwa (87)

Houston, TX

Robert Siegel (79)

Whitefish, WI

Eleni Sikelianos (95)

San Francisco, CA

Richard Siken (05)

Tucson, AZ

Joan Silber (86)

New York, NY

Edgar Gabriel Silex (95)

College Park, MD

Leslie Marmon Silko (74)

Ketchikan, AK

Ron Silliman (79, 03)

Paoli, PA

Roberta Silman (83)

Ardsley, NY

Jeff Silva (87)

La Honda, CA

Randall Silvis (83, 88)

Rimersburg, PA

Lazarre Seymour Simckes 

 (66, 80)

New Haven, CT

Charles Simic (75, 79)

Strafford, NH

James Simmerman (84)

Flagstaff, AZ

Lydia Simmons (80)

New York, NY

Maurya Simon (99)

Mt. Baldy, CA

Mina Lewiton Simon (68)

Stanfordville, NY

Louis Simpson (66)

Berkeley, CA

Mona Simpson (86)

New York, NY

Patsy Sims (80)

Washington, DC

Isaac Bashevis Singer (67)

New York, NY

Margot Singer (06)

Granville, OH

Sean Singer (05)

New York, NY

Donald Singleton (81)

Benton, AR

Appachana Anjana Sinha 

 (95)

Phoenix, AZ

Hal Sirowitz (94)

Flushing, NY

Joseph Skibell (02)

Atlanta, GA

Robert Skillings (78)

Provincetown, MA

Jeffrey Skinner (87)

Easton, CT

Knute Skinner (75)

Bellingham, WA

Myra Sklarew (82)

Bethesda, MD

John Skoyles (76, 87)

Black Mountain, NC

Dashka Slater (04)

Oakland, CA

Lauren Slater (04)

Somerville, MA

Robert A. Slater (73)

Kansas City, MO

Tom Sleigh (87, 94)

Cambridge, MA

Mark Slouka (00)

New York, NY

Kate Small (02)

Kirkland, WA

Jane Smiley (78, 87)

Ames, IA

Arthur E. Smith (84)

Houston, TX

Bruce Smith (84, 89)

Andover, MA

C. W. Smith (76, 90)

Dallas, TX

Charlie Smith (01)

New York, NY

I received my first NEA 

fellowship in 1978. I got 

$7,500, which was a tremendous amount at the 

time and enabled me to 

write my first novel, Barn 

Blind. The pat on the back 

was worth as much as the 

money. For the first time 

I felt rewarded rather than 

just allowed to proceed.

I received my second fellowship in 1987, after I 

had established myself as 

a promising young writer. 

In both instances, money 

from the NEA smoothed 

my passage through difficult transitional moments 

in my career, and helped 

me move forward.

Jane Smiley (78, 87) has 

published 11 books of fiction, including A Thousand 

Acres (1991), which won the 

Pulitzer Prize and the National 

Book Critics Circle Award. The 

settings of her stories follow 

her own migration from the 

rural Midwest to California. 

She writes regularly for 

magazines, including The New 

Yorker, The Nation, and Vogue.
NEA Literature Fellowships 39

Christina Smith (90)

Bainbridge Island, WA

David Smith (76)

Nevada, MO

David J. Smith (82, 99)

Fresno, CA

Dinitia Smith (83)

New York, NY

Ebbe Smith (77)

San Francisco, CA

Gregory Smith (88)

Northfield, MN

Jordan Smith (84)

Schenectady, NY

Mark Smith (78)

Durham, NH

Mason Smith (74)

Nicholville, NY

Rodney Smith (91)

Opelika, AL

Tima Smith (89)

Pomfret Center, CT

William Jay Smith (72)

Washington, DC

Young Smith (05)

Richmond, KY

Mark Smith-Soto (05)

Greensboro, NC

Priscilla Sneff (93)

State College, PA

Susan Snively (84)

Shutesbury, MA

W. D. Snodgrass (66)

Detroit, MI

Carol Snow (97)

San Francisco, CA

Peter Snow (76)

Berkeley, CA

Anthony Sobin (74)

Salt Lake City, UT

Roland Sodowsky (89)

Alpine, TX

Rebecca Solnit (93)

San Francisco, CA

Barbara Probst Solomon (74)

New York, NY

Ted Solotaroff (80)

New York, NY

Scott R. Sommer (80)

South Orange, NJ

Cathy Song (97)

Honolulu, HI

Frank Soos, Jr. (89)

Fairbanks, AK

Helen Sorrells (73)

Pacific Palisades, CA

Robert Sorrells (78)

Clemson, SC

Gilbert Sorrentino (74, 83)

New York, NY

Gary Soto (82, 91)

Albany, CA

David Southern (68)

Chapel Hill, NC

Marcia Southwick (84)

Iowa City, IA

Debra Spark (90)

Cambridge, MA

Ronald Spatz (82)

Anchorage, AK

Roberta Spear (82, 93)

Fresno, CA

Michael Spence (90)

Seattle, WA

Elizabeth Spencer (83, 88)

Chapel Hill, NC

Peter Spielberg (80)

New York, NY

Maureen Spike (83)

El Paso, TX

Paul Spike (74)

Cambridge, MA

Richard Spilman (87)

Provincetown, MA

Elizabeth Spires (82, 92)

Baltimore, MD

Kathleen Spivack (78)

Watertown, MA

Madelon Sprengnether (87)

Oakland, CA

Philip St. Clair (94)

Ashland, KY

Sheryl St. Germain (91, 96)

Galesburg, IL

David St. John (76, 84, 94) 

Los Angeles, CA

Primus St. John (70, 75, 82) 

West Linn, OR

Mark St. Pierre (90)

Steamboat Springs, CO

David Stacton (68)

Walnut Creek, CA

Kim Stafford (76, 84)

Portland, OR

William Stafford (91)

Lake Oswego, OR

Les Standiford (89)

Miami, FL

Sue Standing (84)

Allston, MA

Ann Stanford (75, 82)

Northridge, CA

George Stanley (69)

San Francisco, CA

Maura Stanton (82)

Tucson, AZ

Maureen Stanton (06)

Georgetown, ME

Claude Stanush (78)

San Antonio, TX

Donald Stap (86)

Casselberry, FL

Laurence Stapleton (72)

Bryn Mawr, PA

Bradford Stark (77)

Binghamton, NY

Sharon Stark (86)

Lenhartsville, PA

Stephen Stark (93)

Houston, TX

Pat Staten (76)

New York, NY

Mark Steadman (80)

Central, SC

Arjyra J. Stedman (82)

Shreveport, LA

Jack Steele (78)

Englewood, CO

Lynn Stegner (00)

Santa Cruz, CA

Page Stegner (80)

Santa Cruz, CA

Wallace Stegner (90)

Los Altos Hills, CA

Charles Stein (79)

New Paltz, NY

Kevin Stein (91)

Dunlap, IL

Meredith Steinbach (78)

New York, NY

Hugh Steinberg (01)

San Francisco, CA

Robert Steiner (78, 83)

Boulder, CO

David Steingass (72)

Haverhill, NH

Lisa Steinman (84)

Portland, OR

Stephen Stepanchov (69)

Flushing, NY

Phillip Sterling (90)

Big Rapids, MI

A Literature Fellowship 

from the National Endowment for the Arts means a 

great deal to me. It means 

I live in a country that 

refuses to be shut down, 

numbed, silenced, and 

party-lined by the ranting and raving of the truly 

timid—those who in their 

fear of life and living seek 

to make it their mission to 

obstruct the voices of its 

artists. It means I live in 

a country that chooses to 

hear the vital singing—the 

pulsations, the life blood, 

the pathways that connect us profoundly to each 

other, profoundly to the 

intelligent compassionate 

cosmos. 

Cathy Song (97) was born 

in Honolulu, Hawaii, and 

maintains a permanent home 

there. She is the author of 

four books of poetry and 

her work has been widely 

anthologized in many publications, including The Norton 

Anthology of Modern Poetry

and The Best American Poetry 

2000.
Gerald Stern (76, 82, 87)

Iowa City, IA

Richard Stern (66)

Chicago, IL

Alex Stevens (82)

Queen Anne, MD

Amy Stewart (06)

Eureka, CA

John Stewart (78)

Urbana, IL

Susan Stewart (82, 89)

Philadelphia, PA

Gloria Still (84)

Ft. Wayne, IN

Milan Stitt (77)

New York, NY

Michael Leon Stokesbury (99)

Doraville, GA

Robert Stone (68, 83)

Westport, CT

Mark Strand (68, 78, 86)

Salt Lake City, UT

George Strange (88)

Douglas, GA

Mary Peterson Strater (82)

York, ME

Stephanie Strickland (88)

Scarsdale, NY

Dao Strom (04)

Austin, TX

Jonathan Strong (86)

Somerville, MA

Lynn Strongin (72)

Albuquerque, NM

Dorothy Stroup (89)

Berkeley, CA

Jean Strouse (77)

New York, NY

Dan Stryk (82)

Salt Lake City, UT

Lucien Stryk (75)

DeKalb, IL

Dabney Stuart (75, 82)

Charlottesville, VA

Floyd Stuart (76)

Northfield, VT

Harold Stuart (76)

Dorchester, MA

Virgil Suárez (01)

Tallahassee, FL

Cheryl Pearl Sucher (95)

New York, NY

Ronald Sukenick (80, 89)

Boulder, CO

Nancy Sullivan (76)

West Kingston, RI

Robert Sullivan (02)

Brooklyn, NY

Hollis Summers (75)

Athens, OH

Linda Svendsen (85, 91)

Vancouver, Canada

Harvey Swados (66)

New York, NY

Laurell Swails (80)

Lake Oswego, OR

Mary Swander (87)

Ames, IA

David Swanger (89)

Santa Cruz, CA

Brian Swann (78)

New York, NY

Eleanor Swanson (96)

Lakewood, CO

Jeffrey Sweet (80)

New York, NY

May Swenson (74)

Long Island, NY

Marly Swick (88)

Iowa City, IA

Joan Swift (82, 90, 95)

Edmonds, WA

Thomas Swiss (84)

Des Moines, IA

Arthur Sze (82, 93)

Santa Fe, NM

Barbara Szerlip (76, 82)

North Miami Beach, FL

Larissa Szporluk (03)

Bowling Green, OH 

t

John Taggart (76, 86)

Shippensburg, PA

Marilynn Talal (91)

San Antonio, TX

Elizabeth Tallent (83, 88)

Eaton, CO

Stephen Tapscott (77)

New Haven, CT

Barry Targan (76, 83)

Schuylerville, NY

Natasha Tarpley (94)

Washington, DC

James Tate (69, 79)

Amherst, MA

Ronald Tavel (75)

Brooklyn, NY

Harry Taylor (76)

Muncie, IN

Henry Taylor (77, 86)

Lincoln, NE

Keith Taylor (91)

Ann Arbor, MI

Michael Taylor (66)

Hanover, NH

Patricia Taylor (78)

Salt Lake City, UT

Peter Taylor (84)

Charlottesville, VA

Richard Taylor (76, 86)

Frankfort, KY

Mary Ann Taylor-Hall 

 (79, 06)

Sadieville, KY

Brian Teare (03)

East Palo Alto, CA

Michael Teig (05)

Northampton, MA

Marina Temkina (94)

New York, NY

Fiona Templeton (95)

New York, NY

Lysley Tenorio (06)

San Francisco, CA

Elaine Terranova (97)

Philadelphia, PA

Richard Terrill (89)

Green Bay, WI

Megan Terry (72)

Omaha, NE

Nadja Tesich (90)

New York, NY

Steve Tesich (80)

Conifer, CO

William Tester (91)

New York, NY

George Teter (66)

Milwaukee, WI

Catherine Texier (88)

New York, NY

Julia Thacker (83)

Cambridge, MA

Michael Thelwell (82)

Pelham, MA

Alexander Theroux (68, 73)

Farmville, VA

James Thomas (78, 83)

Salt Lake City, UT

The NEA grant reaffirmed 

the value of my work in my 

own life and mind. The 

money of course always 

helps, and it too came at 

an important time in my 

life. It allowed me to take a 

little time off and continue 

to work on my poetry. The 

important thing is also 

that my work was being 

judged by a committee of 

my peers, other professional writers and poets. 

The NEA grant not only 

saved me literally from the 

gutter, but from anonymity as well. I will forever be 

grateful.

Virgil Suárez (01) was born 

in 1962 in Havana, Cuba, and 

emigrated to the U.S. in 1974. 

Suárez is the author of seven 

poetry collections, four novels, 

a collection of short stories, 

and two memoirs. He teaches 

at Florida State University. 

40 National Endowment for the Arts 
NEA Literature Fellowships 41

Lorenzo Thomas (83)

Houston, TX

Robert Thomas (03)

San Francisco, CA

Tom Thomas (78)

Pittsburgh, PA

Charles W. Thompson (82)

Cabin John, MD

Gary Thompson (78)

Chico, CA

Jean Louise Thompson (78)

Urbana, IL

Marilyn Thompson (75)

Boulder, CO

Nancy Thompson (78)

Cedar Falls, IA

Robert Thompson (78)

Columbia, MO

Jeffrey James Thomson (05)

Pittsburgh, PA

Melanie Rae Thon (92)

Cambridge, MA

Russell Thorburn (99)

Marquette, MI

Lawrence Thornton (89)

Claremont, CA

Daniel Thrapp (86)

Tucson, AZ

Susan Tichy (88)

Westcliffe, CO

Michael Tidwell (94)

Takoma Park, MD

Molly Tinsley (88, 94)

Silver Spring, MD

Sallie Tisdale (89)

Portland, OR

Daniel Tobin (96)

Racine, WI

Ruthven Todd (74)

Buffalo, NY

Joan Tollifson (00)

Oakland, CA

Tatyana Tolstaya (95)

Princeton, NJ

Joan E. Torres (81)

Santa Monica, CA

Anthony Towle (79)

New York, NY

Ann Townsend (03)

Granville, OH

Willard Trask (80)

Savannah, GA

Jessica Treadway (98)

Arlington, MA

Bernard Treister (83)

New York, NY

William Tremblay (85)

Ft. Collins, CO

Natasha Trethewey (99)

Auburn, AL

Dawn Turner Trice (06)

Monee, IL

Eve Triem (68)

Seattle, WA

Dennis Trudell (69, 76)

Oregon, WI

Stephen Tudor (87)

Detroit, MI

Peter Turchi (90)

Warrenville, IL

Frederick Turner (77)

Shutesbury, MA

Chase Twichell (87, 93)

Princeton, NJ

Kathleen Tyau (98)

Gaston, OR

Chris Tysh (03)

Ferndale, MI

George Tysh (79)

Denver, CO

u

Brady Udall (00)

Lancaster, PA

Laura Ulewicz (68)

San Francisco, CA

Robert Ullian (70)

Merrick, NY

Leslie Ullman (76, 89)

El Paso, TX

Constance Urdang (76)

St. Louis, MO

John Unterecker (79)

Honolulu, HI 

v

Nanos Valaoritis (82)

Oakland, CA

Jean Valentine (72)

New York, NY

Mona Van Duyn (67, 85)

St. Louis, MO

Michael Van Walleghen 

 (79, 87)

Urbana, IL

Charles Van Wey (90)

Seattle, WA

Nance Van Winckel (88, 01)

Cheney, WA

Robert VanderMolen (95)

Grand Rapids, MI

Paul Vangelisti (88)

Los Angeles, CA

Anthony Varallo (02)

Yorklyn, DE

Pedro O. Vasquez (82)

Escondido, CA

Marc Vassallo (98)

New Haven, CT

Edward Vasta (80)

South Bend, IN

Stephanie Vaughn (80, 86)

Ithaca, NY

Katherine Vaz (93)

Castro Valley, CA

Edgardo Vega (89)

New York, NY

Jon Veinberg (84, 93)

Fresno, CA

Thomas M. Veitch (80)

Grafton, VT

John Vernon (90, 96)

Vestal, NY

Martha M. Vertreace (93)

Chicago, IL

Evangelina Vigil (79)

San Antonio, TX

David Vigoda (81)

Middleburgh, NY

Mark Vinz (75)

Moorhead, MN

Paul Violi (79, 86)

Putham, NY

Helena Viramontes (89)

Irvine, CA

Arturo Vivante (80)

Wellfleet, MA

Sara Vogan (78, 88)

San Francisco, CA

Paula Vogel (80)

New York, NY

Sharon Vogel (76)

Brooklyn, NY

Arthur Vogelsang (76, 85, 95) 

Los Angeles, CA

Ellen Bryant Voigt (76)

Marshfield, VT

Karen Volkman (93)

Houston, TX

The National Endowment for the Arts grant was 

crucial for the development 

of my fourth manuscript, 

Embryos and Idiots. The collection was conceived as a 

novel-in-verse and relied 

on close examination of an 

“enchanted” mountain in 

Sabaudia, Italy. As the story 

developed, it also changed: 

the narrative impulse exploded into a series of lyric 

rants, many of which were 

informed by the extensive 

travel the grant enabled 

me to do. Had I not been 

awarded the grant (and 

the dynamic experience 

abroad), it is most likely that 

the poems would have stayed 

faithful to their stagnant 

narrative program. I owe 

the NEA whatever vitality 

resides in those poems. 

Larissa Szporluk (03) is an 

Associate Professor of Creative 

Writing and English Literature 

at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio. She 

is the author of three awardwinning volumes of poetry, 

and her fourth book will be 

published in 2006. 
Judith Vollmer (93)

Pittsburgh, PA

John Von Hartix (77)

New York, NY

Lane von Herzen (94)

Redondo Beach, CA

Diane Vreuls (78)

Claremont, CA 

w

June G. Wagner (92)

New York, NY

Dan Wakenfield (69)

Venice, CA

Diane Wakoski (69, 73)

New York, NY

Kate Walbert (98)

Stony Creek, CT

D. J. Waldie (94)

Lakewood, CA

Anne Waldman (79)

Nederland, CO

Rosmarie Waldrop (79)

Providence, RI

Alice Walker (70, 73, 78) 

Brooklyn, NY

Evan Walker (75)

New York, NY

Granville Walker, Jr. (78)

Detroit, MI

Jeanne Murr Walker (94)

Philadelphia, PA

Lou Ann Walker (88)

Sag Harbor, NY

Martha Wall (91)

New Orleans, LA

David Foster Wallace (89)

Urbana, IL

David Rains Wallace (80)

Oakland, CA

Gerald Wallace (77)

Milwaukee, WI

Naomi French Wallace 

 (97)

Prospect, KY

Robert Wallace (84)

Cleveland, OH

Margaret B. Walsh (73)

Minot, ND

Thomas N. Walters (73)

Raleigh, NC

David A. Walton (90)

Pittsburgh, PA

Martin M. Wampler (78)

Seattle, WA

Irene Wanner (82, 88)

Seattle, WA

Jeffrey M. Wanshel (81)

Larchmont, NY

Diane Ward (79)

Washington, DC

Robert Ward (72)

Geneva, NY

Belle Waring (92)

Washington, DC

Ashley Warlick (06)

Greenville, SC

Irving Warner (89)

Kodiak, AK

Michael Warr (94)

Chicago, IL

Larkin Warren (84)

Barrington, NH

Robert Penn Warren (69)

Fairfield, CT

Lewis Warsh (79)

Lenox, MA

Sylvia Watanabe (89)

Heyward, CA

Jonathan Waterman (04)

Carbondale, CO

Frank Waters (82)

Tucson, AZ

Mary Yukari Waters (02)

Long Beach, CA

Michael Waters (84)

Salisbury, MD

Brad Watson (04)

Foley, AL

Larry Watson (87, 04)

Milwaukee, WI

Robert Watson (74)

Greensboro, NC

Barrett Watten (79)

San Francisco, CA

Gordon Weaver (74, 89)

Stillwater, OK

Judith Weaver (89, 96)

Berkeley, CA

Michael Weaver (85)

Baltimore, MD

Igor Webb (77)

Cambridge, MA

Ramona Weeks (69, 74)

Phoenix, AZ

Theodore Weesner (74)

Durham, NH

Bruce Weigl (88)

State College, PA

Thomas Weil (88)

Clayton, MO

Hannah Weiner (86)

Providence, RI

Roger Weingarten (73)

Kalona, IA

Debra Weinstein (94)

New York, NY

John Weir (91)

New York, NY

David Weiss (85)

Penn Yan, NY

Theodore Weiss (66)

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Sarah Brown Weitzman 

 (84)

New York, NY

James Welch (70)

Missoula, MT

Bernard Welt (79)

Washington, DC

Elinor Welt (83)

Fort Thomas, KY

Eudora Welty (89)

Jackson, MS

William Wenthe (95)

Lubbock, TX

Marlys West (03)

Austin, TX

Paul West (80, 85)

Tucson, AZ

Nancy Westerfield (75)

Kearny, NE

W. D. Wetherell (82, 87)

Lyme, NH

Elizabeth Wetmore (06)

Chicago, IL

Doug N. Wheeler (81)

Los Angeles, CA

Katherine Wheeler (94)

Somerville, MA

Curtis White (00)

Normal, IL

Edgar White (76)

New York, NY

John E. White (80)

Charles City, VT

Lezli White (90)

Corning, NY

42 National Endowment for the Arts

What the NEA fellowship 

gave me, twice, was what 

every writer longs for: a 

period of uninterrupted 

time, which allowed me 

to work on a novel, Sister 

Water, and a collection of 

poems, Household Tales of 

Moon and Water. Those of us 

who both teach and write 

know the art of carrying 

ideas around in your head 

and hoping they’ll still be 

there when you’re ready 

to write them down. The 

fellowship allowed me to 

take time off from teaching 

(which I love) and dwell in 

the work itself, and to focus 

on shaping it and revising 

it without the usual intrusions and interruptions. 

Nancy Willard (76, 87) is 

the author of 12 books of 

poetry, two novels, numerous 

children’s books, and a collection of essays on writing. Her 

collection, A Visit to William 

Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, was the first poetry book 

to win the Newbery Medal. 

She teaches in the English 

Department at Vassar College.
NEA Literature Fellowships 43

Mary White (79)

Charlotte, NC

Michael D. White (93)

Salt Lake City, UT

Sharon A. White (80)

Brownville, VT

Ruth Whitman (75)

Brookline, MA

J. D. Whitney (94)

Wausau, WI

Reed Whittemore (69)

College Park, MD

George A. Wickes (73)

Eugene, OR

Liza Wieland (00)

Fresno, CA

John Wieners (69, 86)

Boston, MA

Allen Wier (74)

Bowling Green, OH

Dara Wier (79)

Salt Lake City, UT

Marianne Wiggins (89)

London, England

Silvia J. Wilkinson (73)

Chapel Hill, NC

Nancy Willard (76, 87)

Poughkeepsie, NY

C. K. Williams (85, 93)

Fairfax, VA

Edward Williams (78)

New York, NY

John A. Williams (78)

Teaneck, NJ

Jonathan Williams (77)

Highlands, NC

Joy Williams (73, 88)

Siesta Key, FL

Alan Williamson (72)

Charlottesville, VA

Anne Williamson (87)

Berkeley, CA

Eric M. Williamson (96)

New York, NY

Lex Williford (93)

Carbondale, IL

Constance E. Willis (82)

Woodland Park, CO

Meredith Sue Willis (78)

Brooklyn, NY

Eleanor Wilner (76)

Philadelphia, PA

Edward Wilson (77)

Gainesville, FL

Eliot Wilson (03)

Tuscaloosa, AL

Keith Wilson (75)

Las Cruces, NM

Miles Wilson (91)

San Marcos, TX

Robert Wilson (74)

Chicago, IL

Steven Wilson (89)

Laguna Hills, CA

Terence Winch (92)

Silver Spring, MD

Andrew Winer (04)

Laguna Beach, CA

Marion Winik (93)

Austin, TX

Joyce Winslow (78)

New York, NY

Peter Winslow (68)

San Francisco, CA

Yvor Winters (68)

Palo Alto, CA

William Wiser (78, 85, 90) 

Denver, CO

William Witherup (76)

Monterey, CA

John Witte (82, 88)

Eugene, OR

Warren Woessner (75)

Madison, WI

David Wojahn (82, 94)

Bloomington, IN

Jack Wolf (78)

Rochester, NY

Geoffrey Wolff (80, 87)

Jamestown, RI

Tobias Wolff (78, 85)

Syracuse, NY

Hilma Wolitzer (78, 87)

Syosset, NY

Meg Wolitzer (94)

New York, NY

Roy Wolper (75)

Philadelphia, PA

Shawn Wong (82)

Seattle, WA

Jane Roberts Wood (92)

Houston, TX

Nancy Wood (87)

Taos, NM

Susan Wood (84)

Houston, TX

John W. Woods (82)

Portage, MI

William Woods (74)

Washington, DC

Jeff Worley (91)

Lexington, KY

Martin Worman (66)

Paterson, NJ

Baron Wormser (87)

Norridgewock, ME

Theodore Worozbyt (93)

Atlanta, GA

C. D. Worsley (86)

New York, NY

C. D. Wright (82, 89)

San Francisco, CA

Charles David Wright (76)

Boise, ID

Charles P. Wright (75, 84)

Laguna Beach, CA

Franz Wright (85, 92)

Everett, MA

Jay Wright (68)

New York, NY

Lawrence Wright (92)

Austin, TX

Robert Wrigley (77, 84)

Lewistown, ID

Mark Wunderlich (05)

Provincetown, MA

Brennen Wysong (02)

Geneva, NY 

y

Susan Yankowitz (72, 80)

New York, NY

John Yarbrough (95)

Fresno, CA

Dwight Yates (93)

Redlands, CA

Richard Yates (67, 83, 84) 

Boston, MA

John Yau (76)

New York, NY

Laurence Yep (90)

San Francisco, CA

Jose Yglesias (74)

North Brookline, ME

Al Young (75)

Palo Alto, CA

Brian Young (95)

Scottsdale, AZ

David P. Young (82, 90)

Madison, WI

Dean Young (88, 96)

Bloomington, IN

It’s a remarkable thing to 

be rewarded by one’s own 

government for being an 

artist, for pursuing a unique 

vision. The recognition and 

money were enormously 

helpful to me at the time, 

and since then I’ve been a 

judge for the NEA and know 

that the criterion is excellence, always only excellence 

and promise. It’s a great fellowship to receive, a sustaining and emboldening award.

Joy Williams (73, 88) is the 

author of four novels, two 

collections of short stories, and 

a collection of essays, often 

depicting life in Florida. Many 

of Williams’ short stories and 

essays have appeared in the 

Best American collections and 

anthologies, and a short story 

published in Antaeus won a 

National Magazine Award. She 

lives in Key West, Florida, and 

Tucson, Arizona. 
44 National Endowment for the Arts

Gary Young (82, 03)

Santa Cruz, CA

Geoffrey M. Young 

 (70, 78)

Berkeley, CA

Kevin Young (05)

Bloomington, IN

Ray Young Bear (76)

Tama, IA

John Yount (76)

Durham, NC

z

Lee Zacharias (80)

Greensboro, NC

Saul Zachary (80)

New York, NY

Wayne Zade (76)

Columbia, MO

Nancy Zafris (93, 06)

Columbus, OH

Marc A. Zagoren (80)

Montclair, NJ

Cynthia Zarin (97)

New York, NY

Bill Zavatsky (79)

New York, NY

Christine Zawadiwsky (76)

Milwaukee, WI

Eileen M. Zeitz (80)

Duluth, MN

Rafael Zepeda (93)

Long Beach, CA

John Zeugner (70)

Tallahassee, FL

Edra Ziesk (96)

New York, NY

Richard Zimler (94)

Roslyn Heights, NY

Paul Zimmer (75, 82)

Athens, GA

Lloyd Zimpel (80)

San Francisco, CA

Bonnie ZoBell (95)

Oceanside, CA

Joel R. Zoss (82)

Chilmark, MA

Ahmos Zu-Bolton, II (78)

Houston, TX

Louis Zukofsky (69)

New York, NY

Paul Zweig (80)

New York, NY

During the period of my 

first fellowship I completed 

a collection of short stories, 

In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, and during the 

second I made a substantial 

beginning on a memoir, 

This Boy’s Life. The grant allowed me to write without 

one eye on the wallet and 

the other on the clock, and 

to experiment and develop 

in ways that would otherwise 

have been very difficult. I 

will always be profoundly 

grateful to the NEA for the 

difference it has made in 

my life and work.

Tobias Wolff (78, 85) is the 

author of two memoirs, This 

Boy’s Life (1989), about his 

childhood, and In Pharaoh’s 

Army (1994), about his service during the Vietnam War, 

as well as three volumes of 

short stories, a novella, and a 

novel. Wolff received the PEN/

Faulkner Award for his novella 

The Barracks Thief.
Translation Fellows
a

Aron Aji (06)

Indianapolis, IN 

Turkish 

Ammiel Alcalay (97)

Brooklyn, NY 

Serbo-Croatian (Bosnia)

Beverly Allen (94)

Syracuse, NY 

Italian 

Esther Allen (95)

New York, NY 

Spanish (Mexico)

Alison Anderson (04)

Mill Valley, CA 

French 

Sarah Arvio (92)

New York, NY 

Spanish (Argentina)

Margaret Aung-Thwin (93)

New York, NY 

Burmese 

b

John Balaban (85)

State College, PA 

Vietnamese 

John Balcom (05)

Monterey, CA 

Chinese 

Carol Barko (82)

New York, NY 

French 

Willis Barnstone (83)

Bloomington, IN 

Spanish 

Frances Horning 

 Barraclough (81)

Ithaca, NY 

Spanish (Peru)

Patrick Barron (06)

San Francisco, CA 

Italian 

John Batki (02)

Syracuse, NY 

Hungarian 

Herbert Batt (02)

Buffalo, NY 

Chinese 

Steven Becker (84)

Tortola, VI 

French (Zaire)

Susan Bernofsky (92)

Princeton, NJ 

German 

Gabriel Berns (81)

San Francisco, CA 

Spanish 

John Bierhorst (86)

West Shokan, NY 

Aztec (Mexico)

Phyllis Birnbaum (83)

Watertown, MA 

Japanese 

Randolph Blasing (81)

Providence, RI 

Turkish 

George Blecher (82)

New York, NY 

Swedish (Finland)

Chana Bloch (99)

Berkeley, CA 

Hebrew (Germany)

Wanda Boeke (00)

Iowa City, IA 

Dutch 

Magda Bogin (81, 85) 

New York, NY 

Catalan, Spanish 

(Spain, Mexico)

Robert Bononno (02)

New York, NY 

French (Switzerland)

Danuta Borchardt (04)

Gloucester, MA 

Polish 

Rhonda Buchanan (06)

Louisville, KY 

Spanish (Mexico)

C

Ivana Carlsen (93)

Berkeley, CA 

Portuguese 

John Carpenter (81, 88) 

Ann Arbor, MI 

Polish 

Anne M. Cattaneo (81)

New York, NY 

German 

Myrtha Chabran (83)

Brooklyn, NY 

Spanish (Puerto Rico)

Anthony Chambers (92)

La Ca~nada, CA 

Japanese 

Leland Chambers (91)

Denver, CO 

Spanish (Cuba/Mexico)

John Chioles (95)

New York, NY 

Greek 

Ronald Christ (86)

New York, NY 

Spanish (Chile)

Joseph P. Clancy (82, 89) 

New York, NY 

Welsh 

Jonathan Cohen (81)

Setauket, NY 

Spanish (Nicaragua)

Peter Cole (92)

San Francisco, CA 

Hebrew (Spain)

Peter Constantine (04)

New York, NY 

Greek 

Jane E. Cottrell (83)

Columbus, OH 

Romanian 

Wayne Cox (05)

Greenville, SC 

Catalan (Spain)

Aaron Crippen (05)

Houston, TX 

Chinese 

James Cryer (89)

Chapel Hill, NC

Chinese

d

Rae Dalven (83)

New York, NY 

Greek 

Lydia Davis (81)

Brooklyn, NY 

French 

Marjolijn de Jager (05)

Stamford, CT 

Dutch 

Diana P. Decker (96)

Fairfax, VA 

Spanish (Uruguay)

Diana Der-Hovanessian (93)

Cambridge, MA 

Armenian 

The fiscal year(s) NEA Literature Fellows received the award is in parentheses following the name. Residence listed 

is that of the Fellow at the time of award (for multiple awards, residence of most recent award is used).

In cases where the country of translation is not obvious, the country is listed in parentheses next to the language. 

The NEA translation grant 

allowed me to overcome 

significant challenges to 

the Tanpinar project. It 

was a factor in finalizing 

copyright and a publishing 

contract, in researching 

aspects of the novel during 

translation, and in giving 

me the time and space to 

do the work. In addition to 

recognizing the importance 

of literatures that are under-represented in English 

(such as that of Turkey), 

the NEA grant enabled me 

to focus on the intricacies of literary translation 

away from the demands of 

university teaching. 

Erdag Göknar (04) is Assistant Professor of Turkish 

Studies at Duke University. 

He is the award-winning 

translator of Orhan Pamuk’s 

historical novel My Name is 

Red. Currently, he is completing the translation of Ahmet 

Hamdi Tanpinar’s modernist 

classic, A Mind at Peace. 

46 National Endowment for the Arts
NEA Literature Fellowships 47

Dominic Di Bernardi (91)

Philadelphia, PA 

French 

C. Christopher Drake (90)

Essex, MA 

Japanese 

Charles Dunlop (88, 94)

New York, NY 

Japanese 

John DuVal (99)

Fayetteville, AR 

Old French

e

Clayton Eshleman (88)

Ypsilanti, MI 

French (Martinique)

f

Lee Fahnestock (93)

New York, NY 

French 

Rebecca Fanany (06)

Vermont South, Australia

Indonesian 

Robert Fedorchek (92)

Fairfield, CT 

Spanish 

Ruth Feldman (89)

Cambridge, MA 

Italian 

John Felstiner (84, 02)

Stanford, CA 

German, French (Romania)

Thomas Fitzsimmons (82)

Union Lake, MN 

Japanese 

Frederick Fornoff (85, 93) 

Johnstown, PA 

Spanish (Spain, Costa Rica)

Eleni Fourtouni (81)

New Haven, CT 

Greek 

Leonard Fox (05)

Charleston, SC 

Malagasy, French 

(Madagascar)

Donald Frame (84)

New York, NY 

French 

Kimon Friar (82)

Oak Brook, IL 

Greek (Cypress)

Anne Frydman (86)

Baltimore, MD 

Russian 

David Frye (02)

Ann Arbor, MI 

Spanish (Mexico)

Bruce Fulton (95)

Seattle, WA 

Korean 

g

Jamey Gambrell (94)

New York, NY 

Russian 

Geoffrey Gardner (86)

Cambridge, MA 

French (Uruguay/France)

Donald Gecewicz (01)

Evanston, IL 

Italian 

Estelle Gilson (95)

Bronx, NY 

Italian 

Erdag Göknar (04)

Durham, NC 

Turkish 

Howard Goldblatt (92, 04)

South Bend, IN 

Chinese 

Sanford Goldstein (83)

West Lafayette, IN 

Japanese 

Roger Greenwald (88, 03)

Toronto, Canada 

Swedish, Danish 

Jerzy Gregorek (03)

Santa Monica, CA 

Polish 

Regina Grol-Prokopczyk (93)

Buffalo, NY 

Polish 

Agnes Moncy Gullon (86)

Merion, PA 

Spanish 

Prasenjit Gupta (04)

Iowa City, IA 

Bengali (India)

David M. Guss (82)

Venice, CA 

Carib (Venezuela)

h

Kathryn Hansen (84)

Albany, CA 

Hindi (India)

Paul Hansen (91)

LaConner, WA 

Chinese 

Larry Hartsell (95)

Seattle, WA 

Nepali 

Paula Haydar (96)

Fayetteville, AR 

Arabic (Lebanon)

Lyn Hejinian (89)

Berkeley, CA 

Russian 

Kathryn Hellerstein (85)

Watertown, MA 

Yiddish (Poland)

John High (91)

San Rafael, CA 

Russian 

David Hinton (91, 01) 

East Calais, VT 

Chinese 

George Hochfield (06)

Berkeley, CA 

Italian 

Thomas Hoeksema (85)

Las Cruces, NM

Spanish (Mexico)

Thomas Hoisington (95)

River Forest, IL 

Russian 

J. Martin Holman (90)

Orem, UT 

Japanese 

Marion P. Holt (81)

New York, NY 

Spanish 

Edwin Honig (82)

Middletown, RI 

Portuguese 

William Hutchins (06)

Todd, NC 

Arabic (Libya)

i

Henry Israeli (03)

New York, NY 

Albanian

I am an independent scholar 

devoting my time solely to 

translation and writing, 

so NEA support has been 

extremely important in 

making my work possible. 

Without it, the books simply 

would not have happened. 

My first NEA grant came 

early in my career, allowing 

me to translate my second 

book: The Selected Poems of T’ao 

Ch’ien. My second grant came 

much later, allowing me to 

translate a large anthology: 

Mountain Home: The Wilderness 

Poetry of Ancient China.

David Hinton (91, 01) has 

translated 18 books, which 

have earned him numerous 

honors and awards, including 

the Landon Translation Award 

from the Academy of American Poets. His translations of 

ancient Chinese poetry and 

philosophy have earned wide 

acclaim for creating compelling 

contemporary English texts 

that convey the actual texture 

and density of the originals. 

Hinton lives in East Calais, 

Vermont.
j

Lois Baker Janzer (99)

Portland, OR 

Chinese 

Katherine D. Jason (85)

New York, NY 

Italian 

Kent Johnson (05)

Freeport, IL 

Spanish (Bolivia)

Bill Johnston (99)

St. Paul, MN 

Polish 

Margaret E. W. Jones (00)

Lexington, KY 

Spanish 

Pierre Joris (99)

Albany, NY 

German (Romania)

k

James Kates (06)

Fitzwilliam, NH 

Russian 

Shirley Kaufman (03)

Jerusalem, Israel 

Hebrew (Israel)

Edmund Keeley (88)

Princeton, NJ 

Greek 

Tsipi Keller (97)

New York, NY 

Hebrew (Israel)

Anthony Kerrigan (82)

Notre Dame, IN 

Spanish 

Stephen Kessler (01)

Gualala, CA 

Spanish 

Kerry Keys (05)

Boiling Springs, PA 

Lithuanian 

Nina Kossman (99)

Long Island City, NY 

Russian 

Chana Kronfeld (06)

Berkeley, CA 

Hebrew (Israel)

William Kulik (94)

Philadelphia, PA 

French 

l

Wayne P. Lammers (98)

Tigard, OR 

Japanese 

Clifford E. Landers (04)

Naples, FL 

Portuguese (Brazil)

Linda Lappin (88, 96)

Kingsport, TN 

Italian 

Jeanne Larsen (95)

Roanoke, VA 

Chinese 

Naomi Lazard (86)

Geenwich, CT 

Urdu (Pakistan)

Janet Lembke (05)

Staunton, VA 

Latin (Italy)

Rika Lesser (01)

Brooklyn, NY 

Swedish 

Curt Leviant (84)

Edison, NJ 

Yiddish (Russia)

Suzanne Jill Levine 

 (81, 85, 93) 

Santa Barbara, CA 

Spanish (Spain, Argentina)

Alexis Levitin (93, 03) 

Morrisonville, NY 

Portuguese

Cecilia Liang (83)

Woodland Hills, CA 

Chinese 

Frances M. Lopez-Morillas 

 (85)

Austin, TX 

Spanish 

Leza Lowitz (97)

Oakland, CA 

Japanese 

Josef Lustig (86)

Washington, DC 

Czech 

Sverre Lyngstad (83)

New York, NY 

Norwegian

m

Sandy MacDonald (89)

Cambridge, MA 

Italian 

Carol Maier (89, 95) 

Atwater, OH 

Spanish (Spain, Cuba)

Michael H. March (90)

London, England 

Serbo-Croatian (Yugoslavia)

Maria M. Markof-Belaeff 

 (82)

San Francisco, CA 

Russian 

Henry A. Martin, Jr. (89)

Bolzano, Italy 

Italian 

Khaled Mattawa (99)

Chapel Hill, NC 

Arabic (Iraq)

Margaret Mauldon (89)

Amherst, MA 

French (Vietnam)

Ralph McCarthy (94)

Fallbrook, CA 

Japanese 

Christi Ann Merrill (02)

Charlottesville, VA 

Hindi, Rajasthani (India)

Philip Metres, III (01)

Bloomington, IN 

Russian 

Mona Mikhail (81)

New York, NY 

Arabic 

Breon Mitchell (89)

Ellettsville, IN 

German 

Stephen Mitchell (88)

Berkeley, CA 

German, Hebrew (Germany)

Steven Murray (90)

Seattle, WA 

Danish (Sweden)

n

Joachim Neugroschel (94)

Belle Harbor, NY 

German 

Mary Ann Newman (90)

New York, NY 

Catalan (Spain)

Howard Norman (81, 85) 

Cambridge, MA 

Cree, Swampy Cree (Canada)

Tiina Nunnally (04)

Albuquerque, NM 

Norwegian 

It’s not unusual for fiction 

writers to feel, in low moments, that their work is of 

no tangible use. Despite all 

we tell ourselves about the 

necessity of art as a chronicle of private and public 

life, or art as a means of 

nourishing the living language, we do occasionally 

imagine our time might be 

better spent, say, building 

furniture or bridges, work 

that fills a clear need. The 

NEA fellowship assured me 

what I did was indeed useful, enough so to warrant 

its encouragement. I was 

able to complete a collection of short stories, and 

some years later, a translation that took seven years to 

find a publisher. 

Lynne Sharon Schwartz 

(85,02) has written numerous 

novels and short story, essay, 

and poetry collections in 

addition to translations from 

Italian by noted writers Natalia Ginzburg and Liana Millu. 

Her novel Leaving Brooklyn

(1989) was a finalist for the 

PEN/Faulkner Award.

48 National Endowment for the Arts
NEA Literature Fellowships 49

o

Ranjini Obeyesekere (82)

Princeton, NJ 

Sinhala (Sri Lanka)

Mike O’Connor (03)

Port Townsend, WA 

Chinese 

William O’Daly (06)

Auburn, CA 

Spanish (Chile)

Brian Thomas Oles (98)

Seattle, WA 

Russian 

p

Ron Padgett (83)

New York, NY 

French 

Gregory Pardlo, Jr. (06)

Brooklyn, NY 

Danish 

Margaret Sayers Peden 

 (81, 89) 

Columbia, MO 

Spanish (Chile, Argentina)

Richard Pevear (81)

New York, NY 

Italian 

Richard Philcox (00)

New York, NY 

French (West Indies)

Mark Polizzotti (95)

Newton, MA 

French 

Ritva Poom (90)

New York, NY 

Finnish 

Bill (Red Pine) Porter 

 (86, 05)

Port Townsend, WA 

Chinese 

Alfred Poulin, Jr. (82)

Brockport, NY 

French (Czech Republic)

Caterina F. Provost (84)

Pittsburgh, PA 

Italian

r

Ralph R. Read (81)

Austin, TX 

German 

Moss Roberts (83)

New York, NY 

Chinese 

David Rosenthal (91)

New York, NY 

Catalan (Spain)

Carol Rubenstein (84)

Taos, NM 

Malay 

David Rubin (83, 90, 96) 

New York, NY 

Hindi (India)

Robert Rudder (04)

Claremont, CA

Spanish

s

Ivan Sanders (84, 93) 

Stony Brook, NY 

Hungarian 

Stephen Sartarelli (90, 96)

Hudson, NY 

Italian 

Teo Savory (82)

Greensboro, NC 

French 

Christopher 

 Sawyer-Laucanno (92)

Somerville, MA 

Spanish 

Mark Schafer (94, 06)

Cambridge, MA 

Spanish (Mexico)

Paul Schmidt (86, 96)

New York, NY 

Russian 

Karine Schomer (83)

Berkeley, CA 

Rajasthani (India)

Lynne Sharon Schwartz (02)

New York, NY 

Italian 

Marion Schwartz (88)

New York, NY 

Russian 

Martha Ann Selby (05)

Austin, TX 

Tamil (India)

Sagaree Sengupta (02)

Madison, WI 

Hindi (India)

Timothy Sergay (06)

Worthington, OH 

Russian 

Frankie Shackelford (91)

Verona, WI 

Norwegian 

Daniel Shapiro (03)

New York, NY 

Spanish (Chile)

Andrew Shields (05)

Basel, Switzerland 

French 

Katherine Silver (90)

Oakland, CA 

Spanish (Peru)

John Oliver Simon (01)

Berkeley, CA 

Spanish (Chile)

David Slavitt (88)

Philadelphia, PA 

Latin (Italy)

William Jay Smith (95)

Cummington, MA 

French 

Adam Sorkin (05)

Haverstown, PA 

Romanian 

Laima Sruoginis (04)

Peaks Island, ME 

Lithuanian 

Steven Stewart (05)

Reno, NV 

Spanish

t

Alexander Taylor (82)

Willimantic, CT 

Danish 

Peter Theroux (91, 96)

Long Beach, CA 

Arabic (Jordan)

Virlana Tkacz (05)

New York, NY 

Ukrainian 

Anne Twitty (06)

Brooklyn, NY 

Spanish (Argentina)

William J. Tyler (92)

Philadelphia, PA 

Japanese

u

Carol Ueland (03)

New York, NY 

Russian

As a young poet and translator, I followed Eliot and 

Pound in their admiration 

of the French poet Jules 

Laforgue, and after years 

of work produced the first 

comprehensive English 

selection of his writing. The 

NEA grant enabled me to 

undertake new versions of 

the fairytales of Madame 

d’Aulnoy, who had long 

been an inspiration in my 

work for children. With 

that grant I joined the host 

of translators indebted to 

the NEA for allowing us to 

seek treasures beyond our 

borders and to present them 

with a new transparency to 

American readers. 

William Jay Smith (72, 95) 

was Consultant in Poetry to 

the Library of Congress (Poet 

Laureate) from 1968 to 1970, 

and in that capacity traveled widely in Russia, Eastern 

Europe, and the Middle East. 

His books include Army Brat, a 

memoir, The World below the 

Window: Poems 1937-1997,

and Laughing Time, a children’s classic. His translations 

have won awards from the 

French Academy, the Swedish 

Academy, and the Hungarian 

government.
v

Russell Valentino (02)

Iowa City, IA 

Serbo-Croatian (Bosnia)

Victor Valle (81)

Evanston, IL 

Spanish (Brazil/Peru)

Karen Van Dyck (96)

New York, NY 

Greek 

Jan van Huerck (81)

East Haven, CT 

German 

Paul Vangelisti (81)

Los Angeles, CA 

Italian 

Lawrence Venuti (82, 99)

New York, NY 

Italian 

Mai Vo-Dinh (83)

Burkittsville, MD 

Vietnamese

w

Sergio Gabriel Waisman (00)

San Francisco, CA 

Spanish (Argentina)

Bernard Waldrop (91, 03)

Providence, RI 

French 

Rosmarie Waldrop (94)

Providence, RI 

German 

Katherine Washburn (88)

Brooklyn, NY 

German (Romania)

Alyson Waters (04)

Brooklyn, NY 

French 

Ellen Watson (84)

Conway, MA 

Portuguese (Brazil)

Daniel Weissbort (81)

Iowa City, IA 

Russian 

Mary White (85)

Decorah, IA 

Russian 

Steven White (88)

Eugene, OR 

Spanish (Nicaragua)

Elizabeth Wing (93)

Baton Rouge, LA 

French (Martinique)

Willard Wood (00)

Norfolk, CT 

French 

Carolyne Wright (96)

Arlington, MA 

Bengali (Bangladesh)

Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright 

 (03)

Waltham, MA 

German 

Harold Wright (85)

Yellow Springs, OH 

Japanese 

y

Donald A. Yates (00)

St. Helena, CA 

Spanish (Argentina)

Shiao-ling Yu (94)

Lawrence, KS 

Chinese

z

Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnson 

 (94)

Bloomington, IN 

Romanian 

Richard Zenith (89)

Alexandria, VA 

Portuguese 

Linda Zisquit (96)

Jerusalem, Israel 

Hebrew (Israel)

I did my first translations 

from Spanish nearly 50 

years ago. In 1962, with 

James E. Irby, I co-edited 

and co-translated Labyrinths, 

the first collection of the 

writings of Jorge Luis Borges 

to appear in English. The 

NEA translation grant is 

allowing me to bring into 

English the complete writings of the Argentine author 

Edgar Brau, who to date has 

published two novels and 

thirteen short stories. I see 

Brau as a truly gifted writer, 

who draws inspiration not 

only from Borges, but also 

from his compatriot, Marco 

Denevi, whose literary and 

ethical standards he clearly 

admires.

Donald A. Yates (00) has 

translated numerous works 

from Spanish into English. 

Outside of his translations of 

Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy 

Casares, Marco Denevi, Manuel 

Peyrou, and many other short 

story writers and novelists, 

Yates is a creative writer in his 

own right as well as a noted 

critic and anthologist. 

50 National Endowment for the Arts
National Awards and Honors 

Won by NEA Literature Fellows
Poets Laureate

2004–05 Ted Kooser (76, 84)

2003–04 Louise Glück (70, 79, 88)

2001–03 Billy Collins (88)

2000–01 Stanley Kunitz (84)

1997–00 Robert Pinsky (84)

1993–95 Rita Dove (77, 89)

1992–93 Mona Van Duyn (67, 85)

1990–91 Mark Strand (68, 78, 86)

1986–87 Robert Penn Warren (69)

Consultants in Poetry 

1985–86 Gwendolyn Brooks (89)

1984–85 Reed Whittemore (69)

1982–84 Anthony Hecht (89)

1981–82 Maxine Kumin (67)

1978–80 William Meredith (72, 84)

1974–76 Stanley Kunitz (84)

1970–71 William Stafford (91)

1968–70 William Jay Smith (72, 95)

1964–65 Reed Whittemore (69)

1948–49 Léonie Adams (66)

1945–46 Louise Bogan (68)

1944–45 Robert Penn Warren (69)

The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library 

of Congress serves to raise the national consciousness 

about the reading and writing of poetry. The Poet 

Laureate is appointed annually by the Librarian of 

Congress. 

The position has existed under two separate titles: 

from 1937 to 1986 as “Consultant in Poetry to the 

Library of Congress” and from 1986 forward as “Poet 

Laureate.” 

The following NEA Literature Fellows were named U.S. Poet 

Laureate (the fiscal year they received the fellowship is in 

Mark Strand parentheses).

Mona Van Duyn

Robert Pinsky

Rita Dove

Stanley Kunitz

Billy Collins

Louise Glück

Eight of the last 10 Poets Laureate have been 

NEA Literature Fellows.

Poets Laureate of the United States

Ted Kooser 

52 National Endowment for the Arts 
NEA Literature Fellowships 53

2005 Jay Wright (68)

2001 Louise Glück (70, 79, 88)

1999 Robert Creeley (80)

1993 Mark Strand (68, 78, 86)

1991 Laura Riding Jackson (80)

 Donald Justice (66, 79, 89)

1987 Stanley Kunitz (84)

1985 John Ashbery (69)

1983 Anthony Hecht (89)

1981 May Swenson (74)

1979 W. S. Merwin (69, 77)

1971 Mona Van Duyn (67, 85)

1969 John Berryman (68)

1967 Robert Penn Warren (69)

The Bollingen 

Prize for Poetry

The Bollingen Prize for 

Poetry, established in 1949, 

is awarded biennially by 

the Yale University Library 

to an American poet for the 

best book published during 

the previous two years and 

for lifetime achievement in 

poetry. The prize includes an 

award of $75,000. 

The following NEA Literature 

Fellows received the award (the 

fiscal year they received the 

fellowship is in parentheses). 

2004 Anthony Hecht (89)

2001 Rudolfo Anaya (79)

1995 Gwendolyn Brooks (89)

1993 Stanley Kunitz (84)

1987 Robert Penn Warren (69)

1986 Eudora Welty (89)

National Medal of Arts 

The National Medal of Arts, established in 1985, is the 

highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the 

United States government. It is awarded annually by 

the President of the United States to individuals and 

groups who have made outstanding contributions to 

the excellence, growth, support, and availability of the 

arts in the United States. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the 

fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses).

2000 Ernest J. Gaines (68)

1997 Maxine Hong Kingston (80)

1996 Rita Dove (77, 89)

1994 William Kittredge (74, 81)

1992 Eudora Welty (89)

National Humanities Medal 

The National Humanities Medal, established in 1988 

originally as the Charles Frankel Prize, honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s 

understanding of the humanities, broadened our 

citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped 

preserve and expand Americans’ access to important 

resources in the humanities. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the 

fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses).
2005 Jerome Charyn (80, 85)

 The Green Lantern (finalist)

2004 Frederick Busch (76)

 Elroy Nights (finalist)

Tobias Wolff (78, 85) 

 Old School (finalist)

2003 Peter Cameron (87)

 The City of Your Final Destination (finalist)

 William Kennedy (81)

 Roscoe (finalist)

 Gilbert Sorrentino (74, 83) 

 Little Casino (finalist)

2002 Karen Joy Fowler (88)

 Sister Noon (finalist)

 Jonathan Franzen (02)

 The Corrections (finalist)

2001 Denis Johnson (75, 81) 

 The Name of the World (finalist)

 Mona Simpson (86)

 Off Keck Road (finalist)

2000 Frederick Busch (76)

 The Night Inspector (finalist)

PEN/Faulkner Award

Named for William Faulkner, who used his Nobel Prize 

funds to create an award for young writers, and affiliated with PEN, the international writers’ organization, 

the PEN/Faulkner Award was founded by writers in 1980 

to honor their peers. The award winner receives $15,000; 

each of the other four finalists receives $5,000, making 

PEN/Faulkner the largest juried award for fiction in the 

United States. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the 

fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses).

1999 Michael Cunningham (88) 

 The Hours (winner)

 Russell Banks (78, 83) 

 Cloudsplitter (finalist)

 Richard Selzer (88)

The Doctor Stories (finalist)

1998 Donald Antrim (02)

 The Hundred Brothers (finalist)

1997 Gina Berriault (86) 

 Women in their Beds (winner)

 Ron Hansen (80, 87) 

 Atticus (finalist)

 Jamaica Kincaid (86)

 The Autobiography of My Mother (finalist)

1996 Richard Ford (80, 86) 

 Independence Day (winner)

 Madison Smartt Bell (92) 

 All Souls’ Rising (finalist)

1995 Frederick Busch (76)

 The Children in the Woods (finalist)

 Ursula Hegi (90)

 Stones from the River (finalist)

 Joyce Carol Oates (69)

 What I Lived For (finalist)

1994 Stanley Elkin (72)

 Van Gogh’s Room at Arles (finalist)

 Dagoberto Gilb (92) 

 The Magic of Blood (finalist)

 Fae Myenne Ng (90)

 Bone (finalist)

1993 Annie Proulx (91)

 Postcards (winner)

Robert Olen Butler (94) 

 A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (finalist)

Maureen Howard (88)

 Natural History (finalist)

Sylvia Watanabe (89)

 Talking to the Dead (finalist)

1992 Stephen Dixon (74, 90)

 Frog (finalist)

 Allan Gurganus (76, 85) 

 White People (finalist)

54 National Endowment for the Arts 
1991 Paul Auster (79, 85) 

 The Music of Chance (finalist)

Joanne Meschery (80, 85)

 A Gentleman’s Guide to the Frontier (finalist)

 Steven Millhauser (86)

 The Barnum Museum (finalist)

1990 Russell Banks (78, 83) 

 Affliction (finalist)

 Lynne Sharon Schwartz (85, 02)

 Leaving Brooklyn (finalist)

1989 Isaac Bashevis Singer (67)

 The Death of Methuselah and Other Stories 

 (finalist)

1988 T. C. Boyle (78, 83)

 World’s End (winner)

 Richard Bausch (83) 

 Spirits (finalist)

 Cynthia Ozick (68) 

 The Messiah of Stockholm (finalist)

 Lawrence Thornton (87)

 Imagining Argentina (finalist)

1987 Richard Ford (80, 86) 

 The Sportswriter (finalist)

 Maureen Howard (88)

 Expensive Habits (finalist)

 Charles Johnson (80) 

 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (finalist)

 Janet Kauffman (84)

 Collaborators (finalist)

1986 Peter Taylor (84)

 The Old Forest (winner)

 William Gaddis (67, 74)

 Carpenter’s Gothic (finalist)

 Hugh Nissenson (78) 

 The Tree of Life (finalist)

 Grace Paley (67, 87) 

 Later the Same Day (finalist)

NEA Literature Fellowships 55

1985 Tobias Wolff (78, 85)

 The Barracks Thief (winner)

 Harriet Doerr (83)

 Stones for Ibarra (finalist)

 David Leavitt (88) 

 Family Dancing (finalist)

1984 Ron Hansen (80,87)

 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward 

 Robert Ford (finalist)

 William Kennedy (81)

 Ironweed (finalist)

Jamaica Kincaid (86)

 At the Bottom of the River (finalist)

Cynthia Ozick (68)

 The Cannibal Galaxy (finalist)

1983 Maureen Howard (88) 

 Grace Abounding (finalist)

 Bobbie Ann Mason (83) 

 Shiloh and Other Stories (finalist)

1982 David Bradley (91) 

 The Chaneysville Incident (winner)

 Richard Bausch (83) 

 Take Me Back (finalist)

 Robert Stone (68, 83)

 A Flag for Sunrise (finalist)

1981 Walter Abish (79, 85) 

 How German Is It (winner)

 Gilbert Sorrentino (74, 83)

 Aberration of Starlight (finalist)
2004 Diana Abu-Jaber (94) 

 Crescent

2003 Jewell Parker Rhodes (82)

 Douglass’ Women

2002 Alex Kuo (90)

 Lipstick and Other Stories

Al Young (75)

 The Sound of Dreams 

 Remembered: Poems 1990–2000 

2001 Tillie Olsen (67) 

 Lifetime Achievement Award

2000 Michael Lally (78, 81)

 It’s Not Nostalgia: Poetry 

 and Prose

Frank Chin (74, 80) 

 Lifetime Achievement Award

Robert Creeley (81)

 Lifetime Achievement Award

1999 James D. Houston (76)

 The Last Paradise 

Spear Morgan (78) 

 The Freshour Cylinders

Gloria Naylor (85) 

 The Men of Brewster Place

Josip Novakovich (91, 02)

 Salvation and Other Disasters

1998 Jim Barnes (78) 

 On Native Ground: Memoirs and 

 Impressions

Nora Okja Keller (00) 

 Comfort Woman

Thomas Lynch (88) 

 The Undertaking: Life Studies

 from the Dismal Trade

Brenda Osbey (90) 

 All Saints

John A. Williams (78)

 Safari West 

1997 Dorothy Barresi (97)

 The Post-Rapture Diner

Tom DeHaven (80, 86) 

 Derby Dugan’s Depression Funnies

Martin Espada (86, 92) 

 Imagine the Angels of Bread

Louis Owens (89) 

 Nightland

1996 Sherman Alexie (92)

 Reservation Blues

Kimiko Hahn (86, 92)

 The Unbearable Heart

Arthur Sze (82, 93) 

 Archipelago

1995 Li-Young Lee (87, 95)

 The Winged Seed: A Remembrance

1994 Janet Campbell Hale (95) 

 Bloodlines: Odyssey of a Native 

 Daughter

Lawson Fusao Inada (72, 79)

 Legends from Camp

1993 Denise Giardina (88, 96)

 The Unquiet Earth

Diane Glancy (90, 03)

 Claiming Breath

Leroy Quintana (78) 

 The History of Home

Eugene Redmond (78) 

 The Eye in the Ceiling: Selected 

 Poems

1992 Verlyn Klinkenborg (88) 

 The Last Fine Time

Sandra Scofield (89) 

 Beyond Deserving

1991 Lucia Berlin (87) 

 Homesick: New and Selected 

 Stories

Jessica Hagedorn (95)

 Dogeaters

Joy Harjo (77, 92)

 In Mad Love and War

Meridel Le Sueur (80)

 Harvest Song

1990 Paula Gunn Allen (77)

 Contemporary Writing by Native 

 American Women

Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (81)

 Italian Days

Adrienne Kennedy (72) 

 People Who Led to My Plays

1989 Isabel Allende, translated by

Margaret Sayers Peden (81, 89) 

 Eva Luna

Frank Chin (74, 80)

 Chinaman Pacific & Frisco 

 R.R. Co.

Audre Lorde (81, 90)

 A Burst of Light

 Leslie Scalapino (76, 86)

 Way

1988 Jimmy Santiago Baca (87) 

 Martin and Meditations on the 

 South Valley

Charles Olson (69)

 The Collected Poems of Charles 

 Olson

 Ed Sanders (87)

 Poems 1961-1985

 Ronald Sukenick (80, 89)

 Down and In

1987 Ai (79, 85) 

 Sin

Ana Castillo (90, 95) 

 The Mixquiahuala Letters

Juan Felipe Herrera (79, 85) 

 Face Games

Etheridge Knight (72, 81)

 The Essential Etheridge Knight

 Terry McMillan (88) 

 Mama

James Welch (70) 

 Fools Crow

 John Wieners (69, 86)

 Selected Poems, 1958–1984

American Book Award

The American Book Awards, established in 1978 by the Before 

Columbus Foundation, recognize 

outstanding literary achievement 

by contemporary American authors, 

without restriction to race, sex, 

ethnic background, or genre. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows 

received the award (the fiscal year 

they received the fellowship is in 

parentheses).

56 National Endowment for the Arts 
NEA Literature Fellowships 57

1986 Raymond Federman (85)

 Smiles on Washington Square

Linda Hogan (86)

 Seeing Through the Sun

Terence Winch (92)

 Irish Musicians/American 

 Friends

1985 Sandra Cisneros (81, 88)

 The House on Mango Street

Robert Duncan (67, 80) 

 Ground Work: Before the War

Louise Erdrich (83) 

 Love Medicine

Angela Jackson (80)

 Solo in the Box Car, Third Floor E 

Colleen McElroy (77, 91) 

 Queen of the Ebony Aisles

Maureen Owen (79) 

 Amelia Earhart (AE)

Sonia Sanchez (77) 

 Homegirls and Handgrenades

May Sarton (67) 

 At Seventy: A Journal

Gary Soto (82, 91)

 Living Up the Street

1984 Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge (76, 81) 

 The Heat Bird

William Kennedy (81)

 O Albany! 

Paule Marshall (68, 78)

 Praisesong for the Widow

Thomas McGrath (74, 82, 87) 

 Echoes Inside the Labyrinth

1983 Judy Grahn (79) 

 Queen of Wands 

Jessica Hagedorn (95)

 Pet Food & Tropical Apparitions

James D. Houston (76) 

 Californians

Cecilia Liang (83) trans.

 Chinese Folk Poetry

John A. Williams (78)

 !Click Song

Evangelina Vigil (79) 

 Thirty An’ Seen a Lot

1982 Russell Banks (78, 83) 

 The Book of Jamaica

Lorna Dee Cervantes (77, 93) 

 Emplumada

Frank Chin (74, 80)

 The Chickencoop Chinaman and 

 The Year of the Dragon

Leroy Quintana (78)

 Sangre

Jerome Rothenberg (76)

 Pre-Faces & Other Writings

Al Young (75)

 Bodies & Soul

1981 Toni Cade Bambara (83)

 The Salt Eaters

Robert Kelly (76)

 In Time

Ben Santos (82)

 A Scent of Apples

1980 Rudolfo Anaya (79)

 Tortuga

Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge (76, 81) 

 Random Possession

Jayne Cortez (79, 86)

 Mouth on Paper

Ed Dorn (69)

 Hello, La Jolla 

Leslie Marmon Silko (74)

 Ceremony

 
National Book Award

Since 1950, the National Book Awards have been given to recognize achievements in four genres: 

fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. The winners, selected by five-member, 

independent judging panels for each genre, receive a $10,000 award. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses). 

2005 W. S. Merwin (69, 77) 

 Migration: New and Selected 

 Poems (Poetry)

2004 Jean Valentine (72)

 Door in the Mountain: New and 

 Collected Poems (Poetry)

2003 C. K. Williams (85, 93)

 The Singing (Poetry)

2002 Julia Glass (04)

 Three Junes (Fiction)

2001 Jonathan Franzen (02)

 The Corrections (Fiction)

2000 Lucille Clifton (70, 73)

 Blessing the Boats (Poetry)

1999 Ai (79)

 Vice: New & Selected Poems

 (Poetry)

1998 Gerald Stern (76, 82, 87)

 This Time: New & Selected Poems

 (Poetry)

1997 William Meredith (72, 84)

 Effort at Speech: New & Selected 

 Poems (Poetry)

1996 Andrea Barrett (92) 

 Ship Fever (Fiction)

 Hayden Carruth (67, 75, 88)

 Scrambled Eggs and Whiskey

 (Poetry)

1995 Stanley Kunitz (84)

 Passing Through: The Later Poems 

 (Poetry)

1994 William Gaddis (67, 74)

 A Frolic of His Own (Fiction)

 James Tate (79)

 Worshipful Company of Fletchers 

 (Poetry)

1993 Annie Proulx (91)

 The Shipping News (Fiction)

1992 Mary Oliver (72)

 New & Selected Poems (Poetry)

1991 Norman Rush (86)

 Mating (Fiction) 

 Philip Levine (76, 81, 87)

 What Work Is (Poetry)

1990 Charles Johnson (80)

 Middle Passage (Fiction)

1988 Pete Dexter (70)

 Paris Trout (Fiction)

1987 Larry Heinemann (81, 87)

 Paco’s Story (Fiction)

1984 Harriet Doerr (83)

 Stones for Ibarra (Fiction)

1983 Gloria Naylor (85)

 The Women of Brewster Place

 (First Novel)

 Alice Walker (78)

 The Color Purple (Fiction, 

 hardcover)

 Eudora Welty (89)

 Collected Stories of Eudora Welty

 (Fiction, paperback)

 Galway Kinnell (77, 84)

 Selected Poems (Poetry)

 Charles Wright (75, 84)

 Country Music: Selected Early 

 Poems (Poetry)

1982 Tracy Kidder (74)

 The Soul of a New Machine

 (Nonfiction)

1981 Wright Morris (86)

 Plains Song (Fiction)

 Maxine Hong Kingston (80)

 China Men (General Fiction)

 Lisel Mueller (90)

 The Need to Hold Still (Poetry)

1980 John Irving (74)

 The World According to Garp

 (Fiction)

 Philip Levine (76, 81, 87)

 Ashes (Poetry)

1977 Wallace Stegner (90)

 The Spectator Bird (Fiction)

1976 William Gaddis (67, 74)

 JR (Fiction)

 John Ashbery (69)

 Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror

 (Poetry)

1975 Robert Stone (68, 83)

 Dog Soldiers (Fiction)

 Marilyn Hacker (74, 85)

 Presentation Piece (Poetry)

1974 Isaac Bashevis Singer (67)

 A Crown of Feathers (Fiction)

 Allen Ginsberg (79, 87)

 The Fall of America (Poetry)

1972 Howard Moss (84)

 Selected Poems (Poetry)

1971 Mona Van Duyn (67)

 To See, To Take (Poetry)

1970 Isaac Bashevis Singer (67)

 A Day of Pleasure (Children’s)

 Joyce Carol Oates (69)

 Them (Fiction)

1969 John Berryman (68)

 His Toy, His Dream, His Rest

 (Poetry)

58 National Endowment for the Arts 
2003 Edward P. Jones (86)

 The Known World (Fiction)

 Susan Stewart (82, 89)

 Columbarium (Poetry)

 

2002 B. H. Fairchild (88)

 Early Occult Memory Systems

 of the Lower Midwest (Poetry)

2001 Albert Goldbarth (74, 79, 86)

 Saving Lives: Poems (Poetry)

1998 Marie Ponsot (79)

 The Bird Catcher (Poetry)

1997 Charles Wright (75, 84)

 Black Zodiac (Poetry)

1996 Gina Berriault (86)

 Women in Their Beds (Fiction)

1995 Stanley Elkin (72)

 Mrs. Ted Bliss (Fiction)

 William Matthews (75, 84)

 Time and Money (Poetry)

1994 Mark Rudman (95)

 Rider (Poetry)

1993 Ernest J. Gaines (68)

 A Lesson Before Dying (Fiction)

 Mark Doty (87)

 My Alexandria (Poetry)

1992 Hayden Carruth (67, 75, 88)

 Collected Shorter Poems (Poetry)

1991 Jane Smiley (78, 87)

 A Thousand Acres (Fiction)

 Albert Goldbarth (74, 79, 86) 

 Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology 

 (Poetry)

1989 Rodney Jones (84)

 Transparent Gestures (Poetry)

1988 Bharati Mukherjee (86)

 The Middleman and Other Stories

 (Fiction)

1987 C. K. Williams (85, 93)

 Flesh and Blood (Poetry)

1986 Reynolds Price (66)

 Kate Vaiden (Fiction)

 Edward Hirsch (81)

 Wild Gratitude (Poetry)

1985 Louise Glück (70, 79, 88)

 The Triumph of Achilles (Poetry)

1984 Louise Erdrich (83)

 Love Medicine (Fiction)

 Sharon Olds (82)

 The Dead and the Living (Poetry)

1983 William Kennedy (81)

 Ironweed (Fiction)

1982 Stanley Elkin (72)

 George Mills (Fiction)

 Katha Pollitt (84)

 Antarctic Traveler (Poetry)

1980 Frederick Seidel (69)

 Sunrise (Poetry)

1979 Philip Levine (76, 81, 87)

 Ashes and Seven Years from 

 Nowhere (Poetry)

1976 John Gardner (72)

 October Light (Fiction)

1975 John Ashbery (69)

 Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror

 (Poetry)

National Book Critics Circle Award

The National Book Critics Circle, founded in 1974, consists of nearly 700 active book reviewers devoted 

to honoring quality writing and communicating with one another about common concerns. Every year, 

the NBCC presents awards for the best book in five categories: fiction, general nonfiction, biography/

autobiography, poetry, criticism. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses).

NEA Literature Fellowships 59
2005 Ted Kooser (76, 84)

 Delights and Shadows (Poetry)

2004 Edward P. Jones (86)

 The Known World (Fiction)

Franz Wright (85, 92)

 Walking to Martha’s Vineyard

 (Poetry)

 

2003 Jeffrey Eugenides (95)

 Middlesex (Fiction)

 

2002 Carl Dennis (88)

 Practical Gods (Poetry)

2001 Stephen Dunn (73, 81, 89)

 Different Hours (Poetry)

2000 C. K. Williams (85, 93)

 Repair (Poetry)

1999 Michael Cunningham (88)

 The Hours (Fiction)

 Mark Strand (68, 78, 86)

 Blizzard of One (Poetry)

1998 Charles Wright (75, 84)

 Black Zodiac (Poetry)

1997 Steven Millhauser (86)

 Martin Dressler: The Tale of an 

 American Dreamer (Fiction)

 Lisel Mueller (90)

 Alive Together: New & Selected 

 Poems (Poetry)

1996 Richard Ford (80, 86)

 Independence Day (Fiction)

 Jorie Graham (84)

 The Dream of the Unified Field

 (Poetry)

1995 Philip Levine (76, 81, 87)

 The Simple Truth (Poetry)

1994 Annie Proulx (91)

 The Shipping News (Fiction)

 Yusef Komunyakaa (81, 88)

 Neon Vernacular (Poetry)

1993 Robert Olen Butler (94)

 A Good Scent from a Strange 

 Mountain (Fiction) 

 Louise Glück (70, 79, 88)

 The Wild Iris (Poetry)

1992 Jane Smiley (78, 87)

 A Thousand Acres (Fiction)

 James Tate (79)

 Selected Poems (Poetry)

1991 Mona Van Duyn (67)

 Near Changes (Poetry)

1990 Oscar Hijuelos (85)

 The Mambo Kings Play Songs of 

 Love (Fiction)

 Charles Simic (75, 79)

 The World Doesn’t End (Poetry) 

1987 Peter Taylor (84)

 A Summons to Memphis (Fiction)

 Rita Dove (77, 89)

 Thomas and Beulah (Poetry)

1986 Henry Taylor (77, 86)

 The Flying Change (Poetry)

1984 William Kennedy (81)

 Ironweed (Fiction)

 Mary Oliver (84)

 American Primitive (Poetry)

1983 Alice Walker (78)

 The Color Purple (Fiction)

1981 James Schuyler (72)

 The Morning of the Poem (Poetry)

1980 Donald Justice (79, 89)

 Selected Poems (Poetry) 

1978 James Alan McPherson (72)

 Elbow Room (Fiction)

1976 John Ashbery (69)

 Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror

 (Poetry)

1973 Eudora Welty (89)

 The Optimist’s Daughter (Fiction)

 Maxine Kumin (67)

 Up Country (Poetry)

1972 Wallace Stegner (90)

 Angle of Repose (Fiction)

1971 W. S. Merwin (69, 77)

 The Carrier of Ladders (Poetry)

1970 Richard Howard (87)

 Untitled Subjects (Poetry)

1969 George Oppen (80)

 Of Being Numerous (Poetry)

1968 Anthony Hecht (89)

 The Hard Hours (Poetry)

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded annually since 1917 in print journalism, literary achievements, and 

musical compositions. Recipients of the award are chosen by an independent board officially administered 

by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The prize was established by Joseph Pulitzer, 

a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher in the late 19th century. 

The following NEA Literature Fellows received the award (the fiscal year they received the fellowship is in parentheses). 

60 National Endowment for the Arts 
NEA Literature Fellowships 3

In memory of 

Literature Director 

Cliff Becker, a true 

champion of the 

NEA Literature 

Fellowship program. 

1964 – 2005
A Great Nation Deserves Great Art.

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20506-0001 (202) 682-5400

www.arts.gov