Arkansas poets Patricia Spears Jones and Kai Coggin receive $50,000 fellowships

Arkansas poets Patricia Spears Jones and Kai Coggin have each been awarded $50,000 fellowships from the Academy of American Poets. The funding will support their creative work as well as innovative projects that enrich their communities through poetry activities. Jones plans to develop workshops focusing on social justice and environmental issues, while Coggin will create a writing space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ teens in partnership with Hot Springs National Park. The teens will read their poems at a public event and have an anthology published. Jones recently received the Porter Fund’s Lifetime Achievement Award, while Coggin was honored with the Don Munro Leadership in the Arts Award. Both poets have also been recognized in Arkansas for their contributions to the arts and their latest poetry collections. Their fellowships highlight the importance of poetry in fostering connections and addressing social issues in communities across the country.

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