April Freely, Influential Residency Program Director Who Prioritized Community Building, Has Died

April Freely, the recently appointed director of the Fire Island Artist Residency (FIAR) program, has died. The FIAR said that she had died “unexpectedly” in a Facebook post on July 9. The organization also set up a GoFundMe page in her honor.
In its statement, FIAR said that Freely was “a caring and thoughtful leader, a passionate community organizer, an enthusiastic mentor and a wonderful friend,” and that she was “committed to supporting LGBTQ poets and arti