Yale University today announced the slate of recipients for the 2020 Windham-Campbell Prizes. The eight writers, including seven women, (And six are AOC) were honored for their literary achievement or promise and will receive $165,000 each to support their work.
This year’s prize recipients are: in fiction, Yiyun Lee (United States/China) and Namwali Serpell (Zambia); in nonfiction, Maria Tumarkin (Australia) and Anne Boyer (United States); in poetry, Bhanu Kapil (United Kingdom/India) and Jonah Mixon-Webster (United States); and in drama, Julia Cho (United States) and Aleshea Harris (United States).
Together, the recipients form a rich collection of writers whose work explores pressing political and social themes across identity, culture, and power.
“This is such an exciting group of prize recipients — so many utterly original voices from so many different places,” Kelleher said. “Their work digs deeply into everything from the poisoned water crisis in present-day Flint, Michigan to the vicissitudes of the surveillance state in an Afro-futurist Zambia. To read the work of these eight writers — seven of them women — is simply overwhelming.”
The prizes are among the world’s richest literary awards, with $1.32 million given every year to eight authors writing in English. They honor writers at every stage of their careers.
Prize recipients are nominated confidentially and judged anonymously. They don’t know they are being considered for the prize until they receive a phone call from Kelleher.
The eight writers, including seven women, (And six are AOC) were honored for their literary achievement or promise and will receive $165,000 each to support their work.
This year’s prize recipients are:
in fiction, Yiyun Lee (United States/China) and Namwali Serpell (Zambia);
in nonfiction, Maria Tumarkin (Australia) and Anne Boyer (United States);
in poetry, Bhanu Kapil (United Kingdom/India) and Jonah Mixon-Webster (United States);
and in drama, Julia Cho (United States) and Aleshea Harris (United States).
Together, the recipients form a rich collection of writers whose work explores pressing political and social themes across identity, culture, and power.
“This is such an exciting group of prize recipients — so many utterly original voices from so many different places,” Kelleher said. “Their work digs deeply into everything from the poisoned water crisis in present-day Flint, Michigan to the vicissitudes of the surveillance state in an Afro-futurist Zambia. To read the work of these eight writers — seven of them women — is simply overwhelming.”
The prizes are among the world’s richest literary awards, with $1.32 million given every year to eight authors writing in English. They honor writers at every stage of their careers.
Prize recipients are nominated confidentially and judged anonymously. They don’t know they are being considered for the prize until they receive a phone call from Kelleher.
Here is a link to the website for info on the recipients:
https://windhamcampbell.org/