Grub Street Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant to Support the Whole Writer Program

Boston, MA, April 27, 2013 --(PR.com)-- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced this week that Grub Street (www.grubstreet.org) is one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. Grub Street received a $25,000 grant to support The Whole Writer Program, a series of marketing and industry courses and mentorships aimed at helping writers sustain their careers in a digital age. The Whole Writer Program runs for one year (through May 2014) and will include courses and mentoring for aspiring and established writers across genres.

Acting Chairman Shigekawa said, "The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support these exciting and diverse arts projects that will take place throughout the United States. Whether it is through a focus on education, engagement, or innovation, these projects all contribute to vibrant communities and memorable opportunities for the public to engage with the arts."

Grub Street founder and executive director Eve Bridburg said, “Innovations in technology and communication have made the written word more accessible and popular than ever. This generous grant from the NEA allows us to inspire Boston-area writers to think creatively and optimistically about their careers, and explore new opportunities made possible by the digital age.”

In August 2012, the NEA received 1,547 eligible applications for ArtWorks grants requesting more than $80 million in funding. Art Works grants support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. The 817 recommended NEA grants total $26.3 million and span 13 artistic disciplines and fields. Applications were reviewed by panels of outside experts convened by NEA staff and each project was judged on its artistic excellence and artistic merit.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov.

With the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Grub Street kicks off the 2013-2014 program with “Publish it Forward,” a lecture series dedicated to bringing some of the most innovative and forward thinking writers, publishers and agents to Boston. The latest installment of Grub Street’s “Publish It Forward” Series features one-of-a-kind musician and writer Amanda Palmer, who will discuss how the changes in the publishing industry are related to the changes in the music industry. Coming into public consciousness in 2002 with punk-cabaret troupe The Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer has made a name for herself as the quintessential social media artist, engaging in daily interactions with a half million Twitter followers and followers of her deeply personal blog. Free and open to the public on Saturday May 4th at 7 p.m., this event will be held in the Georgian Ballroom of the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

Grub Street, one of the largest independent centers for creative writing in the United States, has welcomed 13,000 writers of all genres and ambitions into an innovative community since 1997. Join the community through membership or by visiting online at www.grubstreet.org.