South Arts Announces Inaugural Literary Arts Grant Recipients and Winter Jazz Road Tours Artists
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Atlanta, GA — March 24, 2025 — South Arts is pleased to announce the inaugural class of awardees for the new Literary Arts Grant Program, as well as the latest cohort of grantees for Jazz Road Tours. Comprising writers, independent publishers, and small presses in the Southern region, twelve recipients make up this Literary Arts Grant cohort, each awarded project-based grants of up to $5,000. Additionally, eleven jazz artists and ensembles are being awarded in the winter cycle of Jazz Road Tours, each receiving grants up to $15,000 to support national touring and expand their audiences.
“From the inaugural cohort of our new Literary Arts Grant program to a strong cohort of Jazz Roads touring artists, South Arts remains unwavering in our efforts to support artistic communities across the region,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts President and CEO. “We look forward to seeing how these artists continue their practices and bolster the South with their artistry.”
Launched in October 2024, the Literary Arts Grant initiative provides project-based funding of up to $5,000 to writers, independent publishers, and small presses. The inaugural grantees represent a dynamic range of literary voices and publishing projects that reflect the South’s rich cultural landscape. This new initiative underscores South Arts’ dedication to uplifting the literary arts by supporting the creation, publication, and dissemination of new works.
South Arts is also thrilled to announce the latest grantee cohort of its Jazz Road Tours program, which awards approximately 50 jazz artists annually with grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to support touring across the country. Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, the Jazz Road Tours program helps to cover expenses such as venue and travel fees, equitable pay, childcare, and promotional costs, ensuring jazz musicians have greater access to performance opportunities and sustainable careers.
This season of Jazz Road Tours grantees represent a dynamic spectrum of musical innovation, spanning flugelhorn, modern electric jazz, spoken-word collaborations, trombone, and world jazz. Selected based on artistic excellence and touring impact, these artists and ensembles will bring their work to stages across the country, further cementing the South’s legacy as a thriving hub for jazz.
The Inaugural Literary Grant Awardees are:
| Danica Novgorodoff Louisville, KY | Hub City Press Spartanburg, SC | InToto Creative Arts Birmingham, AL |
| Jennifer Bartell Boykin Columbia, SC | Katherine Webb Birmingham, AL | Kira Henehan New Orleans, LA |
| Kimberly S. Love Huntsville, AL | Tamara J. Madison Orlando, FL | Nicole Zaleski Nashville, TN |
| Thandiwe Shiprah Nashville, TN | Sundress Publications Knoxville, TN | Lexington Book Festival Lexington, NC |
| Appalachia Book Company Lowmansville, KY | Valerie Nieman Reidsville, NC | Carnegie Literacy Center, Inc. Lexington, KY |
| Southeast Review Tallahassee, FL | Laura Dennis Williamsburg, KY | Jené Watson Atlanta, GA |
Hush Harbor Lab | ||
The Winter 2025 Jazz Road Artists are:
| Abstract Citizen Florida | Jun Iida Quintet Washington | Jonathan Powell and Mambo Jazz Party Colorado |
| City of Four Massachusetts | Tom Gershwin Quintet Vermont | Svetlana & The New York Collective New York |
| Affinity Trio Illinois | Wave Cage featuring Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey Illinois | Dan Loomis and Job’s Trials New York |
| Duende Libre Washington | Naomi Moon Siegel Ensemble Montana |
Jazz Road Tours is funded by the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
For more information on eligibility and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.
About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.
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