Write Out Loud Receives A $20,000 National Endowment For The Arts Big Read Grant

Write Out Loud will receive a grant of $20,000 to host the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read in San Diego.

Write Out Loud is one of 62 nonprofit organizations in the US selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant to support a community reading program. Programming for the 2024-2025 grant cycle is centered around the theme WHERE WE LIVE. Using a book selection as inspiration, organizations chose one or more aspects of this theme as it relates to their own communities. With the theme of WHERE WE LIVE, the NEA Big Read has gone back to its roots. The NEA Big Read library includes a selection of 50 titles culled from years past that showcase a wide range of genres, perspectives, and geographic regions.  Write Out Loud has chosen to focus  on The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir by Thi Bui and, for younger readers, MexiKid by Pedro Martín. Both selections are graphic novel memoirs.

The NEA Big Read will impact 3,000+ San Diegans. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience. Activities will begin in the fall and culminate with a host of community wide events in April 2025, including writing and graphic novel workshops, book discussions, film screenings, writing contests, visual art displays and student awards presentation of THE NEA BIG READ - Read Imagine Create,. www.writeoutloudsd.com

Write Out Loud Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy shared “Nearly 30% of San Diego County's residents are immigrants, so this year - with the general theme, WHERE WE LIVE, we chose two stories of immigrant families with ties to San Diego. Both stories are memoirs exploring what an immigrant experience looks like in America - and how we define home.  The Best We Could Do shares the lasting effects of one family's escape from war-torn Vietnam in the 1970s to a new life in America. Mexikid examines a Mexican American boy's family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico. The NEA Big Read grant, along with other funders, allows us to put these books into the hands of young people and then challenge them to create a personal expression, inspired by the story.”  

“The NEA Big Read brings the transformative experience of reading to an entire community,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This year's grantees, including Write Out Loud, are taking themes off the page and using creative programming to navigate difficult topics, explore new perspectives, and strengthen bonds between neighbors.”

“Using the captivating power of literature, NEA Big Read events unleash the creative spirit that resides within all of us," said Torrie Allen, President and CEO of Arts Midwest. "We're thrilled to support the work of grantees across the nation, including Write Out Loud, as they inspire conversations and artistic expressions through shared reading experiences.”

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,800 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $25 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, NEA Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 15+ years, grantees have leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 6 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, over 100,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and over 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit arts.gov/neabigread.

Write Out Loud serves over 30,000 people annually with their core programs: In their six show season of Story Concerts, Twainfest - an annual free family celebration of 19th Century Literature; Poefest - a celebration of Edgar Allan Poe and other writers of the macabre, Kamishibi StoryBox Theatre for elementary students; Poetry Out Loud for high school students; Read Imagine Create for teens; Let Your Voice Be Heard - Student Poetry Initiative, Ripples From Walden Pond - a one-man play about Henry David Thoreau; and Stories for Seniors.

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit arts.gov to learn more.

Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates Midwestern creativity. We build community and opportunity across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest works to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Learn more at artsmidwest.org. 

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