Miami poet Adrian Castro is one of 54 artists to receive a $50,000 USA Fellowship from United States Artists, a national grant-making and advocacy organization.

“It is obviously a privilege and an honor to be among a select group of writers and poets,” says Castro, author of Cantos to Blood & Honey, Wise Fish: Tales in 6/8 Time and Handling Destiny. “It is a great opportunity to allow me to focus more on my work and different projects I have in mind.”

USA Fellows range from 31 to 81 years of age and represent the most innovative and influential artists in their fields. Among other winners: novelist Annie Proulx, jazz musician Jack DeJohnette, dance legend Trisha Brown, artist Theater Gates and playwright/librettist David Henry Hwang.

Critic honored

Journalist and book critic Oline H. Cogdill will receive a 2013 Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America for outstanding support of the genre.

“I am thrilled because this honor represents the respect the MWA has for my reviews,” Cogdill says.

Cogdill, whose work appears in The Miami Herald, is a columnist for The Sun Sentinel. She also writes for Mystery Scene magazine and Publisher’s Weekly.

The MWA also chose Margaret Maron and Ken Follett as this year’s Grand Masters, a tribute that represents the height of achievement in the genre. They’ll be presented with their awards at the Edgars Awards Banquet in May.

Connie Ogle