Northampton Arts Council Announces BJ Goodwin Fund Award to Writer Richie Wills
Northampton Arts Inc. and the Northampton Arts Council are pleased to announce that Richie Wills has been selected as a recipient of the BJ Goodwin Fund. The grant will support Wills’ attendance at the upcoming Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing (MVICW) Summer Writers’ Conference.
The BJ Goodwin Fund was established to provide direct financial assistance to individual artists residing in Northampton, Florence, and Leeds, helping them further their professional development and creative practice.
Richie Wills, an MFA candidate in prose at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was recently awarded an MVICW Poet & Author Fellowship. The BJ Goodwin Fund award of $750 will go toward his remaining tuition, allowing him to engage in intensive workshops and manuscript development alongside a national community of writers and faculty.
"We are thrilled to support Richie's development as a writer through this grant," said Brian Foote, Director of Arts and Culture for the City of Northampton. "His impressive track record as a scholar, editor, and international resident reflects the high caliber of artistic talent in our community. Investing in the professional growth of our local artists is essential to maintaining the long-term cultural vitality of Northampton."
Wills is a Nigerian-American writer, teaching artist, and graduate instructor whose work focuses on storytelling, pedagogy, and queer migrant narratives. In addition to his studies, he serves as the Reviews Editor at The Massachusetts Review and is a Point Foundation Scholar.
For more information about the BJ Goodwin Fund and other grant opportunities through Northampton Arts Inc., please visit northamptonartscouncil.org.
About Richie Wills
Richie Wills is a Nigerian-American writer, teaching artist, and graduate instructor in the MFA Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A Point Foundation Scholar and Reviews Editor at The Massachusetts Review, his work is grounded in storytelling, pedagogy, and community engagement, with a focus on literature, performance, and queer migrant narratives.
About Northampton Arts Inc.
Northampton Arts Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in conjunction with the Northampton Arts Council to support and enrich the arts in the City of Northampton, Massachusetts.
