Wyoming Author In The Running For National Literary Award

Last night, PEN American Center announced the longlists and judges for the 2014 PEN Literary Awards in the company of friends and supporters at the annual PEN Literary Gala. For more than 50 years, these awards have honored many of the most outstanding voices in literature across such diverse fields as fiction, poetry, science writing, essays, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, translation, and drama. With the help of its partners and supporters, PEN will confer 18 distinct awards, fellowships, grants, and prizes in 2014, awarding nearly $150,000 to writers and translators.

Wyoming author Nina McConigley made the list for the PEN Open Book Award for an exceptional book-length work of literature by an author of color published in 2013. Nina will be judged against 8 other authors for the $5000 prize.

This is the first year that PEN is releasing the preliminary results of the judging process for its book awards while also recognizing the judges who nominated them. With nearly 50 judges nominating over 80 longlisted titles in all, this year the PEN Literary Awards are recognizing more writers than ever while celebrating many deserving works that creative freedom makes possible.

Alice Quinn, Chair of PEN’s Literary Awards Committee said,

"This year, as always, we are profoundly grateful to the judges, themselves doubtless pressured for time for their own work on a daily basis, who have committed so much energy and discerning intelligence to the challenge of choosing finalists for these great prizes. Their labor and dedication is reflected in the marvelous range and quality of work held aloft by PEN in this announcement. The ceremony in the fall should be joyous."

The shortlists for all book nomination awards will be announced on June 17. The winners for all 2014 PEN Literary Awards will be announced on July 30 and will be honored at the 2014 PEN Literary Awards Ceremony on Monday, September 29, 2014, at The New School’s Auditorium at West 12th Street.