Features

diptych of Nathaniel Philbrick author shot and cover of In the Heart of the Sea
2019

NEA Big Read Author Nathaniel Philbrick on Historical Catastrophes, Learning to Love Moby-Dick, and Following in the Footsteps of George Washington

NEA Big Read author Nathaniel Philbrick hated Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick as a teenager because his father, an English professor specializing in maritime literature, talked at length about the book. Once he finally read it in high school, he was hooked by the first sentence, and to this day...
collage of photos from various NEA Big Read events
2019

National Endowment for the Arts Announces $1 Million in Grants to Support NEA Big Read Community Reading Programs Across the U.S.

“It is inspiring to see both large and small communities across the nation come together around a book. We always look forward to the unique ways cities, towns, and organizations explore these stories and encourage community participation in a wide variety of events.” — Mary Anne Carter, Acting...
photo of variously colored rooftops in an oceanside town
2019

#WisdomWednesday with Poet Mary Oliver

Poet Mary Oliver's profound wisdom came from a deep connection with nature, and with her boundless capacity for simply paying attention. The questions she asked were large, yet the answers she suggested were (deceptively) simple. Pay attention, she urged. Wisdom is all around us—if we're willing to...
author photo of Matt Reeck
2019

It's All About the Books with NEA Literature Translation Fellow Matt Reeck

Matt Reeck received a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Translation Fellowship in 2013. A widely published poet, he is also one of the editors of the literary magazine Staging Ground and has received fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the American Institute of Indian Studies, and...
quote by Julie Otsuka
2019

#TuesdayThought: Julie Otsuka

"I transitioned to writing after failing as a painter, and I do recommend failure. I think it's a very good experience for anyone to go through." — Julie Otsuka Learn more about author Julie Otsuka—author of the NEA Big Read title When the Emperor Was Divine —and the other writers who are part of...
quote by Porochista Khakpour
2019

#ThursdayThought: NEA Creative Writing Fellow Porochista Khakpour

"But literature, I discovered, can also save you. Truly. Over the cliché and through the truth, it can save." — Porochista Khakpour, NEA Creative Writing Fellow
Headshot of Chinese-American cartonnist Gene Luen Yang
2019

#FlashbackFriday: On Fear and the Superhero

"Let your fear drive you to do your homework. But no matter what, don’t ever let your fear stop you." — Gene Luen Yang I'm a comic book guy, so I'd like to talk about another comic book guy. Dwayne McDuffie was one of my favorite writers. When I was growing up, he was one of the few African...
diptych of photo of David Tomas Martinez and cover of his book Hustle
2019

NEA Big Read Author David Tomas Martinez on Basketball, Power, and the Joy of Meeting New Readers

Conversations with NEA Creative Writing Fellow and new NEA Big Read author David Tomas Martinez often find him in the midst of some joyous activity, like perusing the aisles of the Century 21 department store (where some of the cashiers know him by name), in his kitchen whipping up some delicious...
Isabella Callery holds her Poetry Out Loud National Champion glass trophy
2019

Art Talk with 2019 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Isabella Callery

At approximately 9:30 pm on Wednesday, May 1, Isabella Callery (Anishinaabe)—one of only nine students to make it to make the final round of competition from a field of more than 275,000 high schoolers—heard her name announced as the 2019 Poetry Out Loud National Champion. When we spoke with her...
author photo of Kao Kalia Yang
2019

#FlashbackFriday: A Conversation with NEA Big Read Author Kao Kalia Yang

Kao Kalia Yang’s The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir is the first published memoir by a Hmong-American writer. Hmongs are an ethnic Asian group with a rich culture and roots in China and Laos. The Hmong’s history is little known in the West, although it’s been deeply entwined with the United...

Pages