The PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration
Every year, we gather to celebrate our PEN/Faulkner Award winner and four finalists. Each celebration is an event to remember, a fabulous opportunity for contemporary fiction readers, writers, and enthusiasts to come together in recognition of distinguished people who make up the current literary landscape.
In 2020, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation created a new literary distinction: the PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. This commendation is presented in recognition of devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers. The distinction is presented annually in May as part of the PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration.
2025 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD CELEBRATION
We look forward to hosting an exciting evening at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in downtown Washington, DC on May 15, 2025. Master of Ceremonies Ron Charles will help us showcase the work of our award winner and four finalists, and we’ll enjoy presentations from our three distinguished judges. In addition, we will honor Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, our 2025 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. If you are interested in getting a jump start on your sponsorship, please contact Caroline Schreiber, our Development Director, at caroline@penfaulkner.org.
Our 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award Finalists
Ghostroots
Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction ’Pemi Aguda is an MFA graduate from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan. Her writing has been published in Granta, Ploughshares, Zoetrope, and other publications, and has been awarded the...
Behind You Is the Sea
Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionSusan Muaddi Darraj is the author of American Book Award–winner A Curious Land and was a finalist for a Palestine Book Award. A United States Artists’ Ford Fellow and past winner of the Maryland State Arts...
James
Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionPercival Everett is a Distinguished Professor of English at USC. His most recent books include Dr. No (finalist for the NBCC Award for Fiction and winner of the PEN/ Jean Stein Book Award), The Trees (finalist for...
Small Rain
Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionGarth Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You, Cleanness, and Small Rain. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker and The Paris Review, among other journals, and his nonfiction has appeared widely,...
Colored Television
Longlisted for the 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award for FictionDanzy Senna is the bestselling author of six previous books, including Caucasia, New People, and most recently Colored Television. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, she teaches writing at the University...
The 2024 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD CELEBRATION
On May 2, 2024, we hosted our annual celebration at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, DC. We honored winner Claire Jiménez, finalists Jamel Brinkley, Henry Hoke, Alice McDermott and Colin Winnette; as well as David Baldacci, our 2024 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.
Ron Charles, book critic for The Washington Post, joined us as the Master of Ceremonies and novelist Sarah Pekkanen was a featured speaker. The library, with its outdoor patio, was the perfect setting for cocktails before the ceremony, and a buffet dinner after.
2023 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD CELEBRATION
On May 11, 2023, we held an exquisite literary evening at the newly renovated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. We celebrated Yiyun Li, the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Award winner, along with the finalists Jonathan Escoffery, Kathryn Harlan, Dionne Irving, and Laura Warrell. We also recognized Terry Gross as the 2023 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.
The evening featured guest appearances from Ron Charles and Michel Martin, a cocktail hour, and a delicious dinner with a dessert bar.
2022 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD CELEBRATION
On May 2, 2022, we hosted a virtual celebration. It included presentations from by our judges; original readings by the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award winner, Rabih Alameddine, and four finalists, Nawaaz Ahmed, Carolina de Robertis, Carolyn Ferrell, and Imbolo Mbue; and an appearance by Oprah Winfrey, our 2022 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.
Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR’s Fresh Air, joined us as the Master of Ceremonies.
2021 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD CELEBRATION
The 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration was held on May 10, 2021, and honored that year’s distinguished books and authors. Among them were Deesha Philyaw, the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award winner, and four finalists, Matthew Salesses, Rufi Thorpe, Robin Wasserman, and Steve Wiegenstein. The evening also included a presentation by our inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, LeVar Burton.
Special guests Stephen King, Francine Prose, Luis Alberto Urrea, Angie Thomas, and Jason Reynolds, among others, joined the 2021 virtual celebration.
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