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Don Ball

Don Ball is retired from the National Endowment for the Arts, where he worked for nearly 24 years, focusing on programs such as the NEA Jazz Masters.

About Me

I have been a writer/editor for more than 30 years, most recently with the National Endowment for the Arts (from which I retired in December 2024), in charge of the website, social media, and publications, including as executive editor of the agency’s magazine, American Artscape. In addition, I worked on the NEA Jazz Masters program, writing and editing all the Jazz Master bios and acting as executive producer of all the tribute videos for the musicians since 2015, overseeing the interviews and the production of the videos. I have an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and currently am working on my fictional work.

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My Jazz Story

I first heard Kind of Blue and Mingus Ah Um the summer before I went to college and it blew up my idea of music and its transcendent qualities; I never looked back.

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