Pen Parentis Awarded $50,000 By The New York State Council On The Arts

Pen Parentis announced today a grant award totaling $50,000 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Following New York State's $105 million investment in the arts for FY2022, NYSCA has awarded more than $80 million since June 2021.

"The arts have long been a critical sector in our economy, and as we continue to rebuild a stronger New York, it's essential we do all we can help this industry thrive once again," Governor Kathy Hochul said. "These awardees represent the best of what New York's vibrant communities have to offer and with this funding in hand, they will be able to not only continue their creative and inspiring work, but help spur revitalization in their own backyard as well."

Pen Parentis founder and longtime executive director, Milda M. De Voe was thrilled to receive news of the substantial award. "We are so happy that our Downtown literary nonprofit is getting noticed! The pandemic caused our popular in-person programs to move online, but we discovered that this opens our doors to greatly increased access! Now everyone will be able to participate in these professional and inspiring literary events that used to be exclusive to Manhattan and Brooklyn literati. We will be able to feature an even more diverse cast of authors who are also parents, and bring these exciting voices before a vast audience. We are very grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature for this award and the attention that goes with such an honor."

Founded by De Voe in 2014, Pen Parentis is a Lower Manhattan literary nonprofit that helps writers stay on creative track after they have kids-a vital endeavor for both emerging and professional writers during a pandemic that frequently caused families to lockdown in tight quarters. The nonprofit will use the award to expand public access to its three major programs: an annual Writing Fellowship for New Parents, weekly online accountability groups for writers who struggle to complete projects because of domestic responsibilities, and a series of inspiring monthly literary salons that bring eminent writer-parents to a public setting to discuss craft, literary ideas, as well as to trade productivity tips. Pen Parentis Literary Salons are interactive and open to the general public. They are fully accessible to all who might wish to be inspired by readings and lively discussion in a Livecast setting. Events are on the second Tuesday of each month, and bring small curated groups of authors together where they do short readings and then engage with the audience in conversations moderated by longtime curator Christina Chiu and founder M. M. De Voe. The RSVP link is posted monthly on penparentis.org/calendar along with author names and bios. The nonprofit welcomes a $10 minimum donation but is swift to assure anyone with financial struggles they may attend for free.

"NYSCA applauds Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their responsive investment of $105 million for the nonprofit arts and culture sector. 2022 will continue to bring change and Pen Parentis will play a vital role in the renewal of our state's economy and creative ecosystem," said Mara Manus, Executive Director, NYSCA. "On behalf of the entire NYSCA Team, we wish to extend our sincere congratulations on your award."

Find out more about the small nonprofit known for helping writers who have kids via their website: penparentis.org.

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