The Department of English is excited to announce that the Greater Columbus Arts Council has awarded Senior Lecturer Zoë Brigley a $10,000 Artist Projects Grant in a new program that supports artists in all disciplines and brings original, artist-led projects to life. In this inaugural round, GCAC received 334 applications, which were scored via a community-based grantmaking process involving 152 community reviewers who met in small groups to assess applications. Brigley is one of 49 artists selected in the process, which awarded a total of $562,005. 

Department Chair Susan Williams adds her congratulations: "I am thrilled to see Zoë supported by GCAC and the community in this way, as members of our department continue to contribute to a vibrant arts community in central Ohio through writing, filmmaking, photography, dance, and music."

Brigley, who is the author of three poetry collections, will use her grant to create a poetic tribute to Ohio women. She describes the project's genesis in a moment of discovery: "I was actually inspired for this project when watching my youngest kid acting in a school play about the Wright Brothers — there I learned about Katharine Wright Haskell, who is often thought of simply as the Wright Brothers’ sister, but who was a teacher, suffragist and much more. I started thinking about all the brilliant women from Ohio like Toni Morrison, Maya Lin Ying, Doris Day, Aminah Robinson, and with this project I thought how lovely it would be to bring the writing community together to honor them. I am also very interested in the biographical poem where you are writing about the lives of real people, and I’m excited to explore this more." 

Congratulation to Zoë and to all the grantees!