1996 grantee Patricia Spears Jones is a poet, playwright, creative writing instructor and cultural commentator. Jones’ FCA grant came when she was 45 and once again seeking full-time teaching positions, despite having left such a job to devote more time to writing. The funds from FCA made it possible for Jones to keep only a part-time position and develop her second full-length collection, Femme du Monde. The grant also allowed her to upgrade to a computer from a typewriter and travel to Paris.
Shortly after receiving her FCA grant, Jones’ poem “Sapphire” was published in the literary magazine Agni and received much critical acclaim. In 2007 she was elected as a fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and the Black Earth Institute. Her book of poetry, Femme du Monde, was listed on the Poets and Writers’ 2009 Summer Reading List. Over the past few years, she has read at venues including BAMcafé, Bowery Poetry Club, Center for Book Arts, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, Poets House and St. Marks Poetry Project. Her book Painkiller was recently published and listed on Bowery Poetry Club founder Bob Holman’s 2010 Best Poetry List.
