PEN America has revealed the shortlists for the 2016 PEN Literary Awards.
Writers Mia Alvar, Angela Flournoy, Julie Iromuanya, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Jennifer Tseng are among those shortlisted for the $25,000 prize. The winner will be revealed on April 11 at a ceremony in New York. Follow this link to see the complete list.
“This year’s shortlist demonstrates a vast trove of literary talent, including venerable greats who continue to reach new creative heights as well as brand new voices,” stated Suzanne Nossel, executive director of PEN America. “As the nation’s most comprehensive awards program, the prizes PEN confers play a unique role in highlighting undiscovered authors and works, probing important genres, and reflecting great cultural breadth.”
Author J.K. Rowling will receive the 2016 PEN/Allen Foundation Literary Service Award.
The award is given annually to authors whose work fights repression and censorship around the globe.
“Since her rise from single mother to literary superstar, J.K. Rowling has used her talents and stature as a writer to fight inequality on both a local and global level,” explains the PEN press release. “Her charitable trust, Volant, supports causes in the United Kingdom and abroad that alleviate social exclusion, with particular emphasis on women and children.”
The Harry Potter author will be presented with the award at PEN America’s annual Literary Gala on May 16 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
PEN will also honor Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch at the ceremony for his support against censorship. In 2015, Pietsch encouraged American publishers to resist censorship in China.
In the coming weeks, the organization will reveal its selections for the PEN Freedom to Write Award and the PEN/James and Toni C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award.
The US branch of the international literary organization PEN America is holding an auction of “Firest EDitions/Second Thoughts” tpo help support its mission of freedom of expression. The auction, to be held at Christies, includes first editions of various famed books annotated and signed by the origianl authors. Among the works p for bid on December 2nd, City of Glass: The Graphic Novel, in a special copy signed by original author Paul Auster and adapters Paul Karasik, David Mazzucchelli and Art Spiegelman.
The book is often considered a landmark of showing how the comics medium can transform even a celebrated literary work into a new and powerful mode of storytelling. A special panel spotlight on the book was held at CAB 2013.
And there’s video….
