South SFV Today

Kirstin Valdez Quade and amara tabor-smith have received 2024 Guggenheim Fellowships. The prestigious honor was bestowed upon them in recognition of their exceptional promise and outstanding work in their respective fields. Valdez Quade and tabor-smith, both scholars from Stanford University, have been chosen as this year's recipients of the Guggenheim Fellowship.

Valdez Quade, an author and associate professor of English at Stanford, was awarded the fellowship for fiction. Her literary work, deeply rooted in her New Mexico heritage, explores themes of religious ritual, faith, and redemption. Valdez Quade's publications have received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the National Book Foundation's "5 Under 35" award.

Expressing her gratitude, Valdez Quade said, "I am incredibly grateful to the Guggenheim Foundation for this support and especially for the faith in my work."

On the other hand, amara tabor-smith, an artist-in-residence at Stanford, received the fellowship for choreography. Known for her Afro Futurist Conjure Art, tabor-smith uses Yoruba spiritual rituals in her dance-making practice to address social and environmental justice issues, race, gender identity, and belonging. She plans to utilize the fellowship to support her research on origin stories and myths from various cultural traditions in the United States, West Africa, the Caribbean, and Brazil.

Expressing her gratitude for the recognition, tabor-smith stated, "I am so deeply humbled and grateful to have my creative research and practice supported through this fellowship alongside such an incredible group of artists, writers, scientists, and scholars."

Both Valdez Quade and tabor-smith are looking forward to the opportunities that the Guggenheim Fellowship will provide, enabling them to further their research, creativity, and contributions to their respective fields.