The Portland Press Herald reported that Jessica Anthony ’96, senior lecturer in English, was one of three Mainers to win the Guggenheim Fellowship for 2026. Fellowships were awarded to 223 people working across 55 fields, according to a release from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Nearly 5,000 people had applied.

Jess Anthony is the author of four novels, including The Most, which was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 2024.  Her 2020 novel “Enter the Aardvark” was a finalist for the New England Book Award in fiction. Anthony teaches introductory and advanced fiction and nonfiction workshops and advises students writing creative theses.

You can read more about Bates’ two faculty winners here.

Faculty Featured

Jessica L. Anthony

Associate Professor of English