Last week, the Creative Capital Foundation presented six writers, including poet/novelist Paul Beatty (left), with grants of $10,00 that could, over the next few years, grow to as much as $50,000. They will also have the opportunity to receive guidance in fundraising, networking, marketing, and strategic planning through the foundation to further advance their careers. Beatty’s grant will be applied towards the completion of a fiction work tentatively titled Depresso, while the other writers—Kenny Fries, Ben Marcus, Bernadette Mayer, Rebecca Solnit, and Deb Olin Unferth—work on various fiction, nonfiction, and poetry projects.
(Joining Beatty for this photo at the awards reception are spoken word artist Robert Farid Karimi and Erin LaVelle.)