Award will assist the author with travel costs and his upcoming tour

By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times

Novelist Victor Lodato will receive a financial boost to continue touring and participating in author talks for his latest book, “Honey,” after being one of 29 artists to receive Career Opportunity Program grant awards from the Oregon Arts Commission.

Out of the $98,798 handed out by the Oregon Arts Commission, the Ashland-based author was awarded $2,000 to assist with travel costs to participate in various literary events associated with “Honey.”

Lodato was “out presenting ‘Honey’ to as many people as possible, but without this grant it wouldn’t be possible to make that happen,” he said. “A lot of those kinds of grants are no longer available; it’s cool that Oregon thinks artists still matter.”

Other artists the Career Opportunity Program grant awards will support include Portland’s Emilia Hiltner, receiving $3,000 for her artist residency in Hungary to learn from renowned ceramists; Kerry Skarbakka of Corvallis to support the artist’s solo exhibition “White Noise” in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, among other creatives.

The grant program is offered twice per year to aid Oregon artists of all disciplines in any stage of their careers.

“It is designed to support opportunities that an artist has been invited to, selected for or was reviewed by peers or industry professionals to receive,” said Ryan Burghard, public art and artist programs coordinator with the Oregon Arts Commission.

The arts commission collaborates with funding partner The Ford Family Foundation and reviews each artist’s application with a panel of arts professionals and community representatives across the state.

“Navigating a career in the arts demands a delicate balance between honing one’s craft and tending to the financial demands of everyday life,” Burghard said, adding, “It’s not just about gradual development of your practice, but also about fostering connections and seizing crucial opportunities for advancement as they arise.”

Lodato’s grant funding will support expenses for author events in Bend and Hood River, in Oregon, Santa Monica, California, and other programs across the United States.

“It has put a dent in the debt for plane tickets and car rentals, and it’s been an enormous help in supporting the new novel and tour,” Lodato said.

The author’s third novel, “Honey,” was published by HarperCollins Publishers and released April 16. The fictional book follows aging art collector Honey Fasinga — the daughter of a notorious New Jersey mobster — and the reckoning of her past and familial relationships after falling in love and returning to her home state.

“Honey appeared as a minor character in my last novel, ‘Edgar and Lucy,’ and (Honey) was a particular voice and character that wouldn’t leave me alone,” Lodato said. “She was so persistent that I finally had to give her her own book.”

Born and raised in New Jersey, Lodato draws on life experiences and the atmosphere of the Garden State he experienced while growing up.

Considering his main character’s octogenarian status, the theme of mortality often arises in Fasinga’s tale, a topic Lodato explored himself during the pandemic.

“I thought about mortality like we all did, and had to consider my fears about it,” he said.

Fasinga’s escape from her home life and pursuit of artistic expression shows up in “Honey” as well, a theme that hits home with the author as well.

“She is a person who escapes a sort of violent past and trauma and reinvents herself through art, which is similar to my own story,” Lodato said. “I wanted to explore that idea and how art — in Honey’s case painting, and in my case writing — how it can save your life.”

Of course the large presence of Italian-Americans in New Jersey and Lodato’s own formative experiences meld into the novel as well.

“When I was at a reading in New Jersey where a lot of my Italian family was present, someone asked a similar question,” Lodato said after being asked about the mafia setting’s influence on the book.

“My uncle Frank in the audience said, ‘Victor, take the fifth,’” Lodato added, laughing.

Starting his writer’s journey as a playwright, Lodato has written three novels and follows a slow-churning, perfectionistic approach to his art.

“I’m a perfectionist and I just keep crafting and crafting,” he said of his process. “It sometimes feels like the task is impossible, then you start and just do it.”

To learn more about Lodato and his work, see victorlodato.com.

Copies of “Honey” are available at local bookstores and through online booksellers.

Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.