The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards (AWBA), the only national juried prize for literature that addresses racism and diversity, proudly marks its 90th anniversary with a citywide celebration September 19–20, 2025. The anniversary weekend will bring award-winning authors to Cleveland for a series of thought-provoking conversations and readings that honor nine decades of Anisfield-Wolf awardees—writers who shaped our understanding of race, culture, and identity. Please join us for the annual ceremony taking place on September 19th at 6:30 pm at the Maltz Performing Arts Center. Tickets go live on September 2. To learn more about the books, hear directly why the jury selected the AWBA Class of 2025.
AWBA 2025 – Fiction: Colored Television, Danzy Senna
“…a master class in satire and the constant wrangling our humanity requires of us. Senna delivers incisive commentary on race, artmaking, parenting, marriage, and Hollywood through the lens of her middle-aged novelist protagonist, Jane. We cringe, we laugh, and we relate, but most of all, we marvel at Senna’s imagination and brilliance.” – Deesha Philyaw, Juror
Join Danzy Senna and Deesha Philyaw on September 20th at Bopstop from 1:00 to 1:45 pm for a lively conversation about how narrative driven fiction infused with humor can challenge the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
AWBA 2025 – Memoir: Feeding Ghosts, Tessa Hulls
“…a compendious multi-generational epic combining a sweeping history of twentieth century China with an intimate, extraordinary family story. Feeding Ghosts crosses oceans, continents and decades to make whole a family, restore a home and as readers we are privileged to join a journey told in such richly expressive images and vivid prose.” –Peter Ho Davies, Juror
Join us at 2:00pm on September 20th at Transformer Station for an afternoon of storytelling, art, and conversation with groundbreaking creators: Maxine Hong Kingston, a foundational voice in American literature, and Tessa Hulls, artist and author of Feeding Ghosts, the first-ever graphic memoir to win an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award—and the inaugural winner in the memoir category.
AWBA 2025 – Nonfiction: The United States Governed By Six Hundred Thousand Despots: A True Story of Slavery; A Rediscovered Narrative, with a Full Biography by John Swanson Jacobs, edited by Jonathan D. S. Schroeder
“…a stunning achievement of autobiographical writing, political commentary, historical sleuthing, and critical interpretation. The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots brilliantly speaks to pressing themes in our own time – tyranny, despotism, the abuse of political power, migration, statelessness, race, and radicalism.” -Tiya Miles and Charles King, Jurors
Join Jonathan D. S. Schroeder and the Karamu House Ensemble on September 20th at St. John’s Episcopal Church from 3:00 to 3:45 pm where actors will perform dramatic readings from the 1855 slave narrative of John Swanson Jacobs.
AWBA 2025 – Poetry: Yard Show, Janice N. Harrington
“At the heart of Janice N. Harrington’s monumental collection is the yard show: an African American vernacular aesthetic practice of cultivating and decorating outdoor space, making use of reclaimed and repurposed objects. In the precise language and meticulous details of Harrington’s Yard Show, the aesthetics of a black woman are centered, creating a particular Eden—her wild, original, unfettered making—another way of seeing, another kind of beauty.” –Natasha Trethewey, Jury Chair
Join Janice N. Harrington at Ohio City Farm from 4:00 to 4:45 pm for a live poetry reading exploring themes of belonging, nature, and placemaking.
AWBA 2025 – Lifetime Achievement: Yusef Komunyakaa
“Yusef Komunyakaa’s contributions over half a century have not only shaped the literary landscape but have altered how we view the world. On the page, Komunyakaa holds ‘confrontation and celebration’ with open palms, staring resolutely at American history with adept precision, restraint, and stunning tonal variation. The result is a rich career of insistent inquiry.” –Natasha Trethewey, Jury Chair
Known for his lyrical explorations of war, memory, and race, Komunyakaa has shaped contemporary poetry with a voice that is both unflinching and deeply evocative. While Yusef Komunyakaa is unable to join us in-person, we will be honoring his poetic legacy during the evening’s program. John Murillo and Nicole Sealey, critically acclaimed poets and co-editors of Dear Yusef, will travel to Cleveland to accept the award on Yusef Komunyakaa’s behalf.
The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards are a proud part of Cleveland Book Fest. To learn more about Cleveland Book Fest, visit ClevelandBookFest.com.
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