On June 18^th, the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Amy Stolls will be its new director of literature, a position she held as acting-director since May of last year. Stolls has worked at the NEA since 1998, first as a literature specialist and later as literature program officer. As director, she oversees the NEA’s literature grants for organizations behind projects aimed at publishing, reading, and professional development, as well as administering fellowships to individual creative writers and translators.

“She brings deep knowledge, understanding, creativity, and humor to her work, and I know we will all benefit immensely from her energy and spirit,” said Joan Shigekawa, Acting Chairman of the NEA.

An author herself, of the young adult novel Palms to the Ground and the novel The Ninth Wife, Stolls said, “To be part of the literary community—that passionate, wonderful lot of writers, teachers, publishers, editors, presenters, librarians, translators, and more who work tirelessly on behalf of books and reading—is an honor… a gift. I have always believed deeply in the NEA’s mission; I look forward to carrying out that mission as best I can in my new role.”

More: arts.gov

Photograph by Carrie Holbo