January 27, 2026 San Diego — Write Out Loud is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for Celebrating America250: Arts Projects Honoring the National Garden of American Heroes. A grant of $25,000 will support Write Out Loud’s American Literary Heroes project.
NEA Senior Advisor Mary Anne Carter said, “As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the National Endowment for the Arts is honored to support communities across the country in recognizing the individuals whose contributions have defined our history. Write Out Loud’s project in San Diego plays a significant role in commemorating these heroes’ legacies while affirming the enduring role of the arts in shaping America’s future.”
American Literary Heroes, presented by Write Out Loud from mid-March through September 2026, is a unique program highlighting four iconic American writers who have left a lasting impact on America, our people, and others across the globe. Re-enactors will bring these authors to life in libraries, schools, museums and other community venues across San Diego County, using selections of their works, their lives and their perspectives on America.
American Literary Heroes Features:
Rhianna Basore as Emily Dickinson, whose innovative use of form and syntax made her a pioneer in modernist literature.
Steven Smith as Henry David Thoreau, philosopher, naturalist, abolitionist and promoter of human rights.
Paul Maley as Mark Twain, a prolific writer and humorist, who has been called “the father of American literature.”
Todd Blakesley as Walt Whitman, whose focus on the common man, and his break from poetic structures, caused him to be known as “the father of free verse.”
Write Out Loud Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy shared “We are so grateful to the NEA for funding our American Literary Heroes program. Dickinson, Twain, Whitman and Thoreau each made an enormous impact on the American literary canon. Sharing these literary giants with people across our community is an opportunity we treasure .”
To schedule a performance of one or more of these authors, please email writeoutloudsd@gmail.com or call 619-297-8953.
American Literary Heroes is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and sponsored by Fiesta de Reyes. Emily Dickinson is co-produced by Miz Understood Media.
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.Write Out Loud serves over 30,000 people annually with their core programs: In their six show season of Story Concerts, Poefest – a celebration of Edgar Allan Poe and writers of the macabre, Kamishibai StoryBox – 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.
Susan
Susan Clausen
619-933-0038
CLAUSEN COMMUNICATIONS
Public Relations
– Connecting the Community –
Current Clients Include:
Leave a Reply