February 3, 2021, 10:00am
Here’s some wonderful literary news to start your morning (drumroll, please): today, United States Artists (USA) announced its 2021 USA Fellows, which includes eight writers. The award honors the creative accomplishments of its selected fellows by supporting their ongoing artistic and professional development with an unrestricted $50,000 fellowship.
According to the press release, the sixty 2021 USA Fellows comprise the largest class in the organization’s 15-year history. USA Fellowships are awarded to artists at all stages of their careers and from ten fields—Architecture & Design, Craft, Dance, Film, Media, Music, Theater & Performance, Traditional Arts, Visual Art, and Writing.
This year, the USA Writing Fellows are Alexander Chee, Eve L. Ewing, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Dunya Mikhail, Elizabeth McCracken, Natalie Y. Moore, Danez Smith, and Ocean Vuong.
The 2021 Writing Fellows span every career stage and hail from 22 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
“We are grateful for every artist whose artmaking, music, writing, and more is helping us to navigate and cope through this harrowing time in our country,” said United States Artists President & CEO Deana Haggag. “The 2021 USA Fellows are a testament to the power of art in shaping the world around us and navigating its complexities. Artists do so much for our communities, and we are grateful to be able to support these sixty incredible practitioners and welcome them into the United States Artists fellowship.”
Edwidge Danticat, a 2020 Writing Fellow, also said the following: “From the beginning of my career, I have always benefited from the generous support of others, be it the use of a family member’s house, or advice from older and more experienced writers, or grants and prizes that have gifted me the time to concentrate on my work. Now more than ever, artists need this kind of support, not just for continuity, but for safety and survival.”
You can find the entire list of winners here.
A hearty congrats to all!