9 picked by Academy of Arts and Letters

NEW YORK, March 3 (UPI) -- The American Academy of Arts and Letters has named nine new members, bestowing on them the highest recognition of cultural merit in the nation.

The academy, established by an Act of Congress in 1898 "to foster, assist, and sustain an interest in literature, music, and the fine arts," is limited to a membership of 250, and new members are added only to replace deceased members. Those nominated for membership are voted on by the entire membership. They will be inducted May 19.

The new members include Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson, novelist and children's book writer Paula Fox, Chilean novelist Isabel Allende who has held several teaching positions in U.S. universities, Antigua-born novelist Jamaica Kincaid, and poet James Tate.

Others are painters Lee Bontecou and Lester Johnson and English-born composer Bernard Rands and composer Robert Beaser.

The academy also honors 50 writers, architects, and composers each year by giving them cash prizes ranging from $2,500 to $75,000.