Today, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced awards totaling more than $27.6 million in its first funding round of fiscal year 2016, including an Art Works award of $20,000 to the Oxford American to support the publication and promotion of the magazine in 2016.

The Art Works category supports the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing work, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts through thirteen arts disciplines or fields. The award granted to the Oxford American—a national magazine dedicated to featuring the best in Southern writing—will fund the publication of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by both emerging and established authors.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “The arts are part of our everyday lives—no matter who you are or where you live—they have the power to transform individuals, spark economic vibrancy in communities, and transcend the boundaries across diverse sectors of society. Supporting projects like the one from the Oxford American offers more opportunities to engage in the arts every day.”

“We are honored and delighted that the National Endowment for the Arts has recognized the literary excellence of the Oxford American,” said editor Eliza Borné. “In the magazine, we aim to publish transformative stories and poetry that enrich our readers’ lives. This grant will help us continue doing so in 2016.”

To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEAFall15. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov.