South Carolina Voices: Poetry and Prose, a collaboration between the South Carolina Arts Commission and The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University, is an anthology of writings by winners of the Arts Commission’s literary arts fellowship competition, celebrating the Arts Commission’s 50th anniversary and the many poets and writers who participated in the fellowship program since it was established in 1978. The literary arts fellowships recognize new and established poets and writers. This fine collection, which will exist in both print and digital formats, demonstrates the range and excellence of the Fellows’ work and richness of South Carolina’s artists, whose work finds audiences across the state and beyond.

    In 1987 I began working at the South Carolina Arts Commission and observed firsthand the remarkable benefits of the Commission’s support of South Carolina writers and literary organizations and the extent to which fellowships have contributed to the awareness and appreciation of South Carolina writers.

    The Commission’s support of writers and literary organizations throughout the state through fellowships, programs, partnerships, and grants is one of its most rewarding and satisfying initiatives, all made possible by the generosity and excellence of the poets and writers who participate.

    The Arts Commission’s literary arts programs have included Carolina Connections: A National Literary Festival for Writers and Readers, a world-class three-day literary festival in Charleston in September 1988 that included more than 80 writers. Other early programs were the Readers Circuit, the Writers Forum, and the long-running South Carolina Fiction Project. For a decade, the Arts Commission has supported the SC Novel Prize. All of our literary programs rely on strategic partnerships: The Athenaeum Press, Hub City Press, South Carolina Humanities, the SC State Library, College of Charleston, The State newspaper, the Post and Courier newspaper, and others.

    South Carolina has a lively literary arts community, and the Arts Commission deeply appreciates the many literary organizations across the state that support writers and readers with great generosity and results that matter to literary artists and audiences. These include the Columbia Writers Alliance, Deckle Edge Literary Festival, EMRYS, Hub City Writers Project, The Jasper Project, the Pat Conroy Literary Center, The Poetry Society of South Carolina, the South Carolina Academy of Authors, the South Carolina Writers Association, The Watering Hole, and many more.

The Commission’s Arts Fellowships (www.southcarolinaartSCom/grants/artists/fellowships.shtml) recognize and reward the artistic achievements of South Carolina’s exceptional individual artists in a variety of arts disciplines. Judges for the literary arts fellowships include Jericho Brown, Jayne Cortez, Inez Collette, Robert Creeley, Toi Derricotte, Anton DiSclafani, Percival Everett, Ruth Forman, Margo Livesay, Alan Shapiro, Gary Soto, A. J. Verdelle, and Mako Yoshikawa – all distinguished poets and writers who generously contributed to the excellence of the entire literary arts fellowship program.

Thanks also to the many, many poets and writers who participated in the fellowship program over the years, and especially to those published here. These South Carolina artists are the true makers of the literary arts fellowship competition and of South Carolina Voices: Poetry and Prose.  Thanks also to our superb new partner, The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University (CCU).  This exciting new partnership with CCU demonstrates the South Carolina Arts Commission’s commitment to highlight the presence and excellence of the state’s writers, to amplify their voices, and to expand and enrich South Carolina and other audiences. A creative and committed team of CCU staff are chiefly responsible for South Carolina Voices: Poetry and Prose, including Sara Sobota, Alisa Alice, Abby Sink, Alli Crandell, and Amy Hardison Tully; their enthusiasm and expertise made this collaborative publication possible. Deepest thanks to Joe Oestreich, professor and chair of the English Department at Coastal Carolina University, whose introduction to South Carolina Voices provides a perspective and insights that invite a wide and appreciative readership.

Special thanks to Elizabeth Keller, retired CCU faculty and current South Carolina Arts Commission Craft Fellow, whose work inspired CCU student Thomas Mesiarik in designing the stunning South Carolina Voices cover.

It’s been my privilege and pleasure to be part of the creative and collaborative process that led to the publication of South Carolina Voices: Poetry and Prose, which is sure to find appreciative readers in South Carolina and beyond.

Sara June Goldstein

Director of Literary Arts

South Carolina Arts Commission