A Wilmington poet was one of 19 artists living and working in the state, who are recipients of the 2017-18 N.C. Arts Council Artist Fellowship Awards.

Poet Mark Cox has a 30-year publication history in prominent magazines and has received a Whiting Award and a Pushcart Prize, among others.

His work includes "Smoulder, Thirty-Seven Years from the Stone, Natural Causes" and "Sorrow Bread: Poems 1984-2015". "Readiness", a new book of prose poems, is slated for release in 2018.

“It goes without saying that rhythm, syntax and sound should be inseparable from meaning,” Cox said. “One seeks that elusive treasure—the poem that exists as a beautifully made object, but which seen, and heard, from the right angle becomes transparent—an emotional and psychological experience transcending its construction.”

The 2017 Artist Fellowship awards are in the categories of literature, musical composition and songwriting.

Artists receive a $10,000 fellowship to support creative development and the creation of new work. Recipients were selected by panels of artists and arts professionals with expertise in each discipline.

This recognition to artists in the state is one of the ways the N.C. Arts Council supports diverse and innovative arts to enhance the state’s brand and drive economic impact, officials said in the release. 

The Artist Fellowship Program operates on a two-year rotating cycle by discipline. Visual, film, video and craft artists, along with choreographers, will be eligible to apply for the next deadline on Nov. 1.