Wray gets fellowship

Tobias Wray, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English at the University of Central Oklahoma, recently received the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 2023 Creative Writing Fellowship — a prestigious and highly competitive program for published creative writers.

“I am delighted by Dr. Wray’s selection for this fellowship,” said Amanda Putnam, Ph.D., chairperson for the Department of English at Central.

“Dr. Wray has established himself as an emerging voice in poetics, and we are thrilled to be a part of his artistic journey. This national recognition exemplifies the excellence of our faculty and programs at UCO.”

Recipients were selected through an anonymous review process and judged based on artistic excellence on the poetry samples provided. Nearly 2,000 applications were received, with Wray being one of 36 applicants selected.

“I am deeply grateful to see more of the path ahead because of this fellowship,” Wray said.

“This will allow me to significantly shorten the time and personal resources it would have taken to finish current projects, giving me hope that more of these poems and essays will be out in the world soon, showing me what to write next.”

In addition to teaching various courses in creative writing at Central, Wray advises the English department’s graduate and undergraduate creative writing programs. His work, “No Doubt I Will Return a Different Man,” won the Cleveland State University (CSU) Lighthouse Poetry Series competition. Other works have appeared in acclaimed literary journals and magazines including Adroit,

Blackbird, Verse Daily, The Georgia Review, Meridian, Bellingham Review and Hunger Mountain, as well as in Queer Nature: A Poetry Anthology, published by Autumn House Press.

The NEA has awarded more than 3,600 Creative Writing Fellowships totaling more than $57 million. Recipients receive $25,000 to encourage artists to set aside time for writing, research, travel and career development.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this group of poets and provide them with a means to focus on their writing,” said Amy Stolls, director of literary arts for the NEA.

“Their poetry explodes originality in form and content, offering powerful reflection on the pain and joy of our modern times.”

For the full list of NEA 2023 Creative Writing Fellows, visit www.arts.gov/grants/recentgrants/literature-fellowships.

For more information about Central’s creative writing programs, visit www.uco.edu/cla/departments/english/programs-degrees.