The NEH has awarded Dr. Zeiner-Carmichael a grant to participate in the Summer Seminar Communication, Empire, and the City of Rome at the American Academy in Rome, Italy, from June 25 to July 27, 2012. She will spend this research time in Rome and at the American Academy’s library to explore both the logistics of letter-writing in the ancient world and the role of epistolary texts as literary works, including their role in forming social networks.