2003 Signature Grant Recipient

Anne-Marie Cusac: $5000.00

Cusac is a local poet who has already published a highly acclaimed first work titled The Mean Days. With a Signature Grant from the Madison Arts Commission she was able to continue work on her second book
of poetry including the long poem “The Strange and Shocking Disappearance of Caspar Partridge.” Cusac has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, but continued to work as an investigative reporter at The Progressive to earn a living. Her time was typically divided between her full-time job as a reporter and taking on additional freelance work to supplement her income. This left very little time to focus on her poetry. In her application, Cusac states, “From past experience, I know that by giving a few months solely to my art, I can produce the kind of writing that requires reflection, exploration, and sustained attention. This would fulfill my long-term goals as an artist, which include producing excellent books of poetry that are aesthetically ambitious and refreshing, as well as engaged in the life of the human community.”