Calvin Gimpelevich
Photo by Sequoia Day O'Connell 2021
Bio
Calvin Gimpelevich is a recipient of a Lambda Literary Award and the author of Invasions (Instar 2018). His work has been recognized by Artist Trust, Jack Straw Cultural Center, 4Culture, CODEX/Writer’s Block, and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts; it appears in Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, and other journals. A founding member of the Lion’s Main Art Collective for Queer and Trans Artists, he has organized events at cultural institutions around the Pacific Northwest. He was born in San Francisco.
The greatest barrier to my writing is having to stop and work a day job. My fantasies about the arts all involve government funding; I am stunned, grateful, and honored to be reaping the benefits of one of the few such programs in the United States. Being a Literature Fellow means time to work without pause, the ability to focus without worrying about rent and the fundraising that entails. I will repay this gift with a book and hope to have a new one finished by the time this fellowship ends.