Creative Writing professor becomes United States Artists Fellow


English and Creative Writing professor Campbell McGrath was recently named a United States Artists (USA) Fellow.

McGrath was one of 52 recipients across the nation to receive the unrestricted $50,000 grant Dec. 5. The fellowships support artists in the fields of architecture and design, crafts and traditional arts, dance, literature, media, music, theater arts and visual arts.

“There’s a small audience for poetry in this country. There’s no best-selling book of poetry out there,” McGrath said. “When you think no one is listening, an organization such as United States Artists recognizes me for doing what I love to do.”

With the funds, McGrath will publish a book of poetry that documents the cultural and artistic history of the 20th century. The book will contain 100 poems, one for each year of the century. The poems will be written in different historical voices, including Pablo Picasso, Orson Welles and Mao Zedong.

“It’s hard enough to write one poem, it’s harder to write 100 poems that will ultimately come together to tell one story,” McGrath said. “This is such a complex project, involving research and travel, that the time and support from the USA grant will prove invaluable.”

McGrath’s award is funded by the Knight Foundation. The foundation is providing him with an additional $5,000 for a community engagement project of his choice around his craft.

“I’ve got many ideas, mostly revolving around poetry in local public schools and in the local arts community, but no concrete plans for the community engagement portion of the grant just yet,” he said.

McGrath has published nine collections of poetry, including free-verse, long-form and documentary poems about American history and culture. He has been awarded various honors throughout his career, including The Pushcart Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship.

“I am thrilled about Professor McGrath’s fellowship award from the United States Artists,” said James Sutton, chairman of the Department of English. “This recognition further validates his status as one of the most important poets living and writing today in the United States.”

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