PEN Oakland awards facts for kids
The PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award is a special prize given to writers in the United States. It celebrates excellent books by authors from all cultural and racial backgrounds. This award helps everyone learn more about the amazing work of multicultural writers. It was started in 1991 by an organization called PEN Oakland and is named after a famous writer, Josephine Miles. PEN Oakland itself began in 1989.
This award is one of many "PEN awards" given by groups connected to International PEN. There are over 145 PEN centers around the world that give out similar awards.
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PEN Oakland Awards: Celebrating Writers
PEN Oakland gives out several important awards to recognize different kinds of writing and contributions. They aim to support writers and promote understanding.
The Josephine Miles Literary Award
The Josephine Miles Literary Award is the main award given by PEN Oakland. It honors writers from diverse backgrounds in the U.S. for their outstanding books. Many talented authors have received this award since 1991.
Some of the writers who have won this award include Joy Harjo, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Toni Morrison, and Jesmyn Ward. These authors have written many different types of books, from poetry to novels and non-fiction.
The Gary Webb Anti-Censorship Award
In 1997, PEN Oakland started the PEN Oakland/Gary Webb Anti-Censorship Award. This award was created to speak out against censorship in the United States. Censorship is when someone tries to stop people from reading, seeing, or hearing certain information or ideas. This award celebrates people who fight for freedom of speech and expression.
Past winners include WikiLeaks and Roxane Gay, who have both stood up against censorship in different ways.
The Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award
The PEN Oakland/Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award was started in 2006. This award honors writers who have had a long and important career in literature. It celebrates their lasting contributions to writing and storytelling.
Some notable recipients include Diane di Prima and Marvin X, who have both influenced many writers over the years.
The Adelle Foley Award
The PEN Oakland/Adelle Foley Award began in 2016. This award is given to a work that is not fiction or poetry. It specifically recognizes books or projects that have done a lot to improve relationships between different people in American society. It celebrates efforts to bring people together and build understanding.
Winners of this award include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gavin Newsom, who have worked to improve society through their efforts.
What is PEN Oakland?
PEN Oakland is an organization that supports writers and promotes literature. Even though they tried to become a separate PEN center, they successfully became a full chapter of the PEN Center USA. This means they are part of a larger group that helps writers.
PEN Oakland has also worked to make sure that minority and ethnic groups get fair media coverage. They also helped organize the Oakland Literature Expo, which was part of the City of Oakland’s Art & Soul Festival from 2001 to 2004. This expo helped share literature with the community.
