The Common will receive its fifth grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2021. The Art Works grant of $15,000 will be awarded to The Common to help it publish diverse writers, expand its readership, and support The Common’s international portfolios.
In previous years, The Common has published portfolios featuring writers from China to Puerto Rico to Sudan, and, most recently, a collection of writing from the Lusosphere. In Issue 21 (spring 2021), Arabic stories from Morocco will be featured as part of magazine’s annual series in Arabic literature, co-edited by acclaimed Jordanian writer Hisham Bustani. This series bring the best literary fiction from the Arab world to English-language readers. In the fall, The Common will publish a portfolio from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in the Middle East, exploring migration, disorientation, and complicated relationships to “place,” co-edited with award-winning author Noor Naga. All these initiatives are part of The Common’s ongoing commitment to make international literature available to American readers, which has made the journal an essential destination for readers and students of all backgrounds to access vibrant voices and perspectives.
“We are thrilled to receive another generous NEA grant in our tenth anniversary year. With the endowment’s support, we will continue our work broadening readers’ perspectives, promoting cultural exchange, and encouraging mutual respect within the global literary community,” says The Common founder and editor in chief Jennifer Acker.
The Common‘s project is among 1,073 projects across America totaling nearly $25 million that were selected during this first round of fiscal year 2021 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects funding category.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from The Common,” said Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “The Common is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year.”
For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
