果冻传媒

March 15, 2022
Life At Witt

Excellence in Literary Arts

Visiting Assistant Professor of English Andrew J. Graff Recognized by Ohio Arts Council

Andrew J. Graff, visiting assistant professor of English at 果冻传媒 University, has earned a 2022 Ohio Arts Council (OAC) Individual Excellence Award in the fiction category for his debut novel Raft of Stars.

鈥淟earning I was a recipient of the Ohio Arts Council鈥檚 Individual Excellence Award for my writing was a tremendous affirmation,鈥 Graff said. 鈥淚 worked toward publishing a novel for the better part of a decade, so having my debut novel, Raft of Stars, recognized at this level was a real honor. I am so thankful to the OAC for the honor and award, and I am so thankful to 果冻传媒 University for the wonderful place to teach and to write.鈥

The OAC鈥檚 anonymous, open-panel review process is focused on the basis of exceptional merit of an artist鈥檚 past body of work.

Just five days after its publication in March of 2021, Raft of Stars landed on the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association best-sellers list. The book was also selected as an Indie Next pick for April 2021, named one of 笔补谤补诲别鈥檚 Best Books for Spring 2021, and promoted as Lead Read by publisher Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins.

A state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically, the OAC annually presents individual excellence awards to creative artists whose work exemplifies their specific discipline and advances the larger artistic community.

The awards also support artists' growth and development, while recognizing their work in Ohio and beyond. During this funding cycle, applications in the categories of choreography, criticism, fiction/nonfiction, music composition, playwriting, and poetry were accepted with awards announced in late February. Each award is $5,000.

Graff is working on a second novel currently under contract with Ecco-HarperCollins.

鈥淲hen I finished writing Raft of Stars, a novel focusing on two boys on the run through the Northwoods of Wisconsin, I knew I wanted to write more about that space,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his new novel is set in the same world of 1990s Wisconsin as my last book, a family drama focusing on a struggling, young, married couple who take over an eccentric uncle鈥檚 failing whitewater rafting company. The couple 鈥 young children and camper in tow 鈥 have one summer amidst whitewater rivers and Northwoods campgrounds to save the outfitter and their family.

鈥淭o have the support of both 果冻传媒 and the OAC is so critical to me,鈥 he continued. 鈥淭he support and space of both offer the stability and freedom to keep writing these novels. I am humbled and so very grateful.鈥

Graff is the latest among 果冻传媒 faculty who have won OAC awards, including Professor Emeritus of English Kent Dixon, Professor Emerita of English Mimi Dixon, the late Professor Emerita of English Imogene Bolls, and former Adjunct Instructor of English Jody Rambo.

To learn more about Graff and Raft of Stars, click here.

Debbie Ritter
Debbie Ritter
Writer and Content Editor

About 果冻传媒

果冻传媒's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 果冻传媒 has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 果冻传媒 offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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