In response to the current budget proposal to completely defund the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, PEN America asked Members to share their experiences with the NEA or NEH. Some Members cite the NEA as vital to their work—like Norman Rush, whose 1986 NEA fellowship was “instrumental” to the completion of his first novel. Other Members, like the writer Amy Bernstein, tell of Endowment-supported conferences, productions, and programs that have impacted their lives. Professor Emerita Linda Hamalian received two NEH grants that led to two books, while Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project was supported by the NEA.
From editors to historians to teachers to novelists, our Members have benefited from the NEA and NEH in a variety of meaningful ways, citing experiences, as Bernstein wrote, that are “more than I can count.” We present here a handful of their stories.
Learn more about what the NEA and NEH do and then visit our guide to find out what you can do to help save these Endowments.
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Clare Beams: “The NEA Lit Everything Up for Me”
The NEA directly changed my life—or the writer part of it, anyway. My book would not exist without it. More…
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Robert Pinsky: The NEA Funded “The Most Significant Public Art Project, Ever”
The FPP has been called the most significant public art project, ever. It was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. More…
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Dorothy Gilbert: “The Life of a Great Nation is Sustained By Its Cultural Activities”
I have over the years attended two NEH seminars. They were invaluable, too, for the opportunities to work and learn and share, for the collegiality and camaraderie. More…
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Belle Boggs: “The Loss to Communities Would Be Devastating”
It is devastating to think of the loss of this support for the arts and humanities to any of the communities where I have lived, written, and taught. More…
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Francoise Massardier-Kenney: “You Want to Keep America Great, Grow the NEH”
It would be unpatriotic to weaken American programs like the NEH. The NEH programs are why we continue to be a thriving democracy. More…
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Amanda Vaill: The NEH “Insists on Accountability and Excellence”
Calls to abolish the Endowments don’t even seem like penny-wise-pound-foolishness. They’re more like shooting America in the foot. More…
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Angela Davis-Gardner: “The Loss of the NEA or the NEH Would Impoverish Us All”
This country’s artists, historians, and citizens badly need the NEA and the NEH … The loss of the NEA and/or the NEH would impoverish us all. More…
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James Atlas: “The Award Enabled Me to Just Write”
As for my NEH award, I list it on my CV and consider it a major achievement in my literary career. More…
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Lenore Myka: “Art May Not Change the World But It Changes the People Who Can”
People say we live in a culture that doesn’t value the arts. But I know this isn’t true. More…
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Norman Rush: “NEA Support Came at Just the Right Time”
The NEA Literary Fellowship in 1986 was instrumental in providing support for the completion of my first novel. More…