Grant-making activities in the Literary Program aim to increase public appreciation, understanding, and support for contemporary literature in the English language.
Since the grant making program was established in 1987, the foundation has supported more than 150 nonprofit organizations nationwide. Primarily, the program has supported publishers and distributors, literary journals, residency programs, educational programs, and literary centers. Over the years the focus of the program has expanded considerably and for a full understanding of the funding interests of the program at this time, we have listed current grants in the Literary program below:
Archipelago Books
www.archipelagobooks.org
Brooklyn, NY
This small Brooklyn-based press is devoted to literature in translation. Committed to bringing to American audiences the best of contemporary and classic literature from around the world, they have titles from France, Spain, China, Palestine, Germany, Japan, Eastern Europe and the Middle East amongst others. Grant funds were awarded to publish and promote new books in translation.
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BOA Editions
www.boaeditions.org
Rochester, NY
BOA Editions, along with Curbstone Press and Graywolf Press, received a grant in 2002 to participate in an initial three-year project to bring to publication books never before in English translation. In making the grant, Lannan Foundation was responding to the results of an NEA study that indicated there were only 300 books published in English translation each year, and the majority of those were previously translated works, especially the classics. BOA has produced two books per year in a Lannan Translation Selections series and the project has proved so successful it will continue at least through the end of 2010.
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Bookworm
www.kcrw.com/show/bw
Santa Monica, CA
For many years, Lannan has supported Michael Silverblatt’s nationally syndicated literary interview program, Bookworm. The program is carried over 150 public radio stations nationwide and our website has an ever-expanding archive of past programs available.
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Cave Canem
www.cavecanempoets.org
New York, NY
Cave Canem is committed to the discovery and cultivation of new voices in African American poetry. Programs include a summer retreat, regional workshops, a first book prize, annual anthologies, readings and other events. They are a national community of emerging and established poets, a family of writers who create, publish, perform, teach, study poetry, and support each others’ work. This grant is for operational support.
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City of Santa Fe Arts Commission
www.santafenm.gov/index.asp?nid=818
Santa Fe, NM
The city of Santa Fe instituted the position of Poet Laureate in 2006 with private funding and the first poet to hold the two-year position was Arthur Sze. This grant will support the next poet to fill the position.
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Copper Canyon Press
www.coppercanyonpress.org
Port Townsend, WA
Lannan has a long relationship with this noted small press devoted exclusively to the publication of poetry. Multi-year grants have been awarded for publications in the Lannan Selections series, operational and development support, and technical organizational assistance.
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Curbstone Press
www.curbstone.org
Willimantic, CT
Curbstone Press is one of three nonprofit presses – see also BOA Editions and Graywolf Press – awarded a grant in 2002 to publish two books in English translation per year for three years, and will continue with the project through 2010. Curbstone, which was founded in 1975 by the late and lamented Alexander (Sandy) Taylor, and his wife, Judith Doyle, focuses on literature that speaks to social issues and human rights.
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Folger Shakespeare Library
www.folger.edu
Washington, DC
This multi-year grant supports a poetry series from September through May of each year that brings noted poets to Washington, DC to read from and discuss their work and lead seminars and writing workshops.
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Georgetown University
www.georgetown.edu
Washington, DC
With grant support, students participate in the Folger Library poetry and seminar series; noted writers and poets are invited to campus for readings and seminars; courses have been developed to center on the work of the visiting writers; community outreach programs are offered to area schools, and an annual conference is held at the university.
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Graywolf Press
www.graywolfpress.org
Minneapolis, MN
Along with Curbstone Press and BOA Editions, this nationally recognized nonprofit press, based in Minneapolis, participated in a three-year project from 2002-2004 to produce new works in English translation. With support from the grant, the press published two books a year that otherwise would not have been translated and published. The success of that initial project has led to further three-year grants for each press so the project will continue through at least 2010.
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Institute of American Indian Arts
www.iaiancad.org
Santa Fe, NM
Serving Native students from across the country, the Institute is a noted college based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. An initial grant in 2005 supported the creation of a residence program for poets and writers, and the current grant offers ongoing support for the program.
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KSFR Radio
www.ksfr.org
Santa Fe, NM
This public radio station based in Santa Fe rebroadcasts all Lannan Readings & Conversations events and offers daily Democracy Now! and weekly Bookworm progamming with support from this grant.
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Marfa Public Library
Marfa, TX
This grant has enabled the Friends of the Marfa Library to purchase and maintain computers and software as well as increase their book and media acquisitions.
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National Poetry Series
www.nationalpoetryseries.org
Princeton, NJ
The National Poetry Series has, since 1978, sponsored the publication of five books of poetry each year. The manuscripts, solicited through an annual open competition, are selected by poets of national stature and published by a distingusihed group of trade, university, and small presses.
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PEN American Center
www.pen.org
New York, NY
This grant helps support the PEN Writers’ Fund and the Fund for Writers & Editors with AIDS. The Funds offer small grants to professional writers and editors facing unforseen and financially debilitating crises.
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Poetry Center of Chicago
www.poetrycenter.org
Chicago, IL
This is a multi-year operational grant to the innovative Poetry Center that creates and hosts a wide range of literary events and community outreach programs in the Chicago area.
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Poetry Daily
www.poems.com
The Poetry Daily website was launched in 1997 and features a new poem every day from a range of books and journals, along with news, reviews, critical prose pieces, an archive, and other editorial features. It has been funded primarily through online donations. This multi-year grant will assist with a complete redesign and updating of the site, adding staff, renting an office, and seeking further foundation and corporate support and sponsorships.
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The Threepenny Review
www.threepennyreview.com
Berkeley, CA
This three-year grant will allow the doubling of the current writers’ fees at the Review which recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. It will also support subscription-generating activities such as gift subscription campaigns, direct mail campaigns, improvements to their website, and other forms of publicity.
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United World College
United World College
Montezuma, NM is the site of one of the 12 United World Colleges now operating in five continents. The Colleges recruit staff and students from around the world to live and study together with the explicit aim of fostering peace and international understanding. Each college has its own distinctive character, but all share a common mission and values. This grant provides funds to help cover travels costs for students and staff to attend events in Lannan’s Readings & Conversations series in Santa Fe.
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University of Arizona
www.arizona.edu
A multi-year grant supports writing workshops in the Arizona Prison system, initiated 27 years ago and still led by poet and writer, Richard Shelton.
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Words without Borders
http://www.wordswithoutborders.org
This is a multi-year grant in support of this website’s new initiative, Project for Global Cultural Literacy. The project will provide educators with high quality literary content for classes that seek international perspectives through works translated into English.
www.wordswithoutborders.org is an innovative response to a serious lack of translated work in the U.S. and offers an ever-changing array of writers from around the world whose work otherwise would be unavailable to those who read in English.
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