Congrats to 2 local recipients of Individual Excellence Awards
One of the many ways in which Ohio shows its support of the arts is through the Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Awards.
Per the OAC’s website, “Individual Excellence Awards are peer recognition of a creative artist’s body of work that exemplifies their specific discipline and advances the larger artistic community. These awards support artists’ growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond.”
For 2020, artists in the disciplines of choreography, criticism, fiction and non-fiction, music composition, playwriting/ screenplays, and poetry were eligible to apply for the awards, each in the amount of $5,000.
The grants were approved at the OAC board’s winter meeting on Jan. 29.
Dayton-area writers Erin Flanagan and Aimee Noel were each recipients.
Noel is a poet who works as an educator. Her poetry has been published in journals such as “Michigan Quarterly Review,” “Witness” and “Forklift, Ohio,” and has been featured on WYSO’s Conrad’s Corner. Learn more about her at www.aimeenoel.net.
Flanagan is a short fiction writer and creative writing professor at Wright State University. Her two short story collections are “The Usual Mistakes” and “It’s Not Going to Kill You and Other Stories,” both published by The University of Nebraska Press. Her stories have appeared in “Prairie Schooner,” “Colorado Review,” “The Missouri Review,” “The Connecticut Review,” and elsewhere. Learn more about her at erinflanagan. net.
The OAC website describes the awards as being “awarded through an open panel review process focused on the basis of exceptional merit of an artist’s past body of work, Individual Excellence Award funding gives artists the resources to experiment and explore their art forms, develop skills, and advance their careers.”
“The Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Awards give artists the opportunity to be recognized and rewarded for their exemplary artistic achievements,” said OAC Executive Director Donna S. Collins. “Through their art, the individuals selected for these grants have expressed visionary ideas, spoken in a diversity of voices, and explored thought-provoking topics and themes from a variety of viewpoints. We congratulate the Individual Excellence Award recipients and thank them for enriching Ohio’s creative community.”
For a complete list of this year’s recipients and more information, visit oac.ohio.gov.
Upcoming literary events
■ Tuesdays, Feb. 18, Feb. 25 and March 3, 6:308:30 p.m., Oakwood Starbucks (2424 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood) — Word’s Worth Writing Center presents “Revision Inspiration,” led by author and writing instructor Katrina Kittle. Go to www.wordsworthdayton.com for more information and to register.
■ Tuesday, Feb. 18, 7 p.m., Wright Memorial Library (1776 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood) — Wright Library Poets, a library sponsored writing group for adults, welcomes poets of all levels (beginners welcome) to share and discuss poetry.
■ Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m., Books & Co. at The Greene — Author David Slavin and illustrator Adam J. B. Lane will introduce their children’s book, “Odd Gods: The Oddyssey,” book two in their critically acclaimed series about the middle school gods you never hear about in myths.
■ Thursday, Feb. 27, 6:30 p.m., Dayton Metro Library, Huber Heights Branch — Poet Aimee Noel will lead a workshop, “Writing Poems: Getting Inspired.” Bring printed memorabilia to share — anything from postcards to parking tickets to takeout menus — and Noel will help participants find inspiration in them for creating poetry. under the pen name Jess Montgomery (www. jessmontgomeryauthor. com). Send her column ideas, book club news, or literary events at sharonshort1983@ gmail.com.