At the end of 2003, the Fulton County Arts Council received a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to launch Dialog, an urban literary initiative. The agency's goal in launching the initiative is to capitalize on the momentum of our community's burgeoning urban poetry movement, giving literary and cultural roots to the popular phenomenon. Noted writer jessica care moore has agreed to work with the Arts Council in crafting a program that brings a diversity of national artists to Fulton County; places local writers in communities; and assists in developing the career of a local emerging poet.

In 2003, the Arts Council extended a call for writers to select the emerging poet for the first Fulton County Dialog Fellowship for Literary Artists and we were very pleased with the interest demonstrated by Fulton County writers in this creation of the fellowship. An expert panel of local and national writers and publishers convened in December 2003 to review and select three finalists whose work was presented in a poetry installation at Abernathy Arts Center in July of 2004, in conjunction with the National Black Arts Festival. Writers Cheryl Floyd-Miller, James Trotter and Edward Garnes were the finalists selected by this panel. Ms. Floyd-Miller was chosen as overall the Fellowship winner and will have the opportunity to publish a limited edition of literary chapbooks at Nexus Press through a one-month residency program this year.

The Arts Council looks forward to expanding the Dialog initiative and announcing further literary events. Please look to this website and ArtWord for any upcoming news.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Dialog Initiative, please call 404-612-5780.