Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden has been selected as the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. This annual commendation recognizes a lifetime of devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers.
“Dr. Hayden is a literary legend,” said Executive Director Gwydion Suilebhan. “Throughout her impressive career, she has worked tirelessly in service to the belief that American culture thrives when stories from diverse perspectives enrich our lives, ensuring that more and more of us have access to the joys, comforts, and wisdom of fiction. We are thrilled to be able to honor her for her work.
PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion Carla Hayden will accept her award, along with our 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award winner and finalists, in a celebration to be held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC on May 15, 2025.
“I’m very grateful to PEN/Faulkner for their longtime work in awarding meaningful, affecting fiction and elevating that art on a pedestal,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “Throughout my career, I have tried to make it easy, accessible, and fun for Americans to access all kinds of information. I’m honored to be named a Literary Champion by a nonprofit that so thoughtfully highlights the best in American fiction and hosts writers in schools to help inspire students to create. Thank you, PEN/Faulkner.”