I got an Individual Excellence Award for poetry from the Ohio Arts Council

I’ve been challenging myself to be bolder and apply for grants and awards because the answer is always no if you don’t try. So, I’m happy to report that I applied for an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council (the state’s art agency), and I got one!

I’m so grateful, it’s unreal. That money makes it more feasible for me to turn down freelance gigs to focus on writing poetry, which notoriously doesn’t pay well, if at all. But it’s work that feeds my soul, and I’m grateful that readers tell me it moves them, so I’m going to keep at it. I get a little closer to completing my manuscript every day.

So thank you, readers, and thank you, Ohio Arts Council! I love this heart-shaped state!