Less than a year ago, I was crowdfunding to help my family with living expenses, barely making ends meet. It’s difficult to prioritize art when drowning in worries about rent, where my next meal will come from, and how I will sustain myself in the long term. I know that I’m not alone in these problems, and I am immensely grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for providing me with the financial support that will allow me to write about money and survival in my next book, Alligator Tears, which is about growing up poor in early 2000s Florida. I don’t believe one book can magically solve poverty; for that to happen would take a daily commitment by individual people to look out for one another. Instead, my goal with the book the NEA is supporting is to help provide joy, community, and hope to anyone who has struggled with money, both by reflecting our struggles and illuminating one path towards freedom.