Sarah Coleman, by NYLA Portraits Novelist and journalist Sarah Coleman, a VCCA Fellow in 1999 and 2000, died of ALK lung cancer December 3, 2017 in New York City .  Sarah and Fellows Jenny Krasner, Rachel Cantor, Kylie Heidenheimer, and Allison Jeffrey all met at VCCA in 1999 and remain friends. Sadly, Sarah missed the launch of her first published novel The Realist, A Novel of Berenice Abbott . More about Sarah’s life and her book can be found on her blog the literate lens . Sarah leaves behind her husband Dan Ellis and two children.

Ramiro Hinojosa is the recipient of a VCCA fellowship funded by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the “Collateral Reparations: Military Veterans and the Redemptive Power of Artists Residencies” program. A native Texan, Ramiro Hinojosa earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. Can you tell us a bit about your journey? You’ve been a journalist, a political analyst and researcher, a lecturer and, of course, an infantryman in the U.S. Army.  What turned your focus to writing? It’s funny, I dreaded reading and writing growing up. With some luck and a lot of support, I kind of fell into writing and fiction. In college, I wanted to be a photojournalist, but due to a mediocre portfolio, was put in the multimedia track, which was basically the print track at the time. I was about to graduate, but had no thoughts of really pursuing a newspaper career. One of my professors encouraged me

In 2017, VCCA lost some longtime and dear Fellows…among them, Ann Birstein, Shirley Nisbet , and Mel Rosenthal . Together they were with us for almost 50 residencies…months and months over the years, they spent time focusing on their creative work…Ann on her novels and memoir, Shirley on her paintings, Mel on his photography.  They shared their work and their lives with us, and they became part of our lives at VCCA. Their work lives on and the memory of their vibrant personalities stay with us. Ann always exhibited a dry wit and a sharp comeback that belied her kindness.  She told wonderful stories of growing up in Hells Kitchen.  She worked hard in the studio, but loved to spend the late afternoon at the VCCA pool and reveled in the rural landscape outside of her native New York. Shirley with her exuberant paintings and amazing stamina despite her physical challenges, encouraged us all with a kind word, a smile and a lilting accent. Her large paintin