The PEN American Center recently announced their final nominees for their flagship literary award, and we’re proud to represent three incredible finalists across a variety of genres. In ambitious works of nonfiction, biography, and poetry, our speakers’ work is recognized as furthering PEN’s dual mission of fighting for freedom of expression among writers and advancing the art of writing and public discourse. Learn more about the finalists below!
PEN/Jean Stein Book Award Finalist
We Were Eight Years in Power - Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates’s bestselling book of essays is a powerful reflection on the presidency of Barack Obama and a clear-eyed, unsparing appraisal of our current political moment. It has been nominated for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, which honors books across genres that “have broken new ground by reshaping the boundaries of its form and signaling strong potential for lasting influence.” Coates previously won the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for Between the World and Me.
PEN/Bograd Weld Prize for Biography Finalist
Grant - Ron Chernow
Ron Chernow’s exhaustive and definitive biography of President Ulysses S. Grant is not only the comprehensive story of this historical figure, but also that of a nation reckoning with deep internal divisions and struggling to defend equality and justice.
Past Winners
Past Winners – PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award
2016: Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about America’s history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis.
Past Winners – PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction
2015: Five Days at Memorial - Sheri Fink
Physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs five days at Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled to maintain life amid chaos.
2009: The Bin Ladens - Steve Coll
Past Winners – PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
2016: Thunder & Lightning - Lauren Redniss
From the National Book Award finalist Lauren Redniss, author of Radioactive, comes a dazzling fusion of storytelling, visual art, and reportage that grapples with weather in all its dimensions: its danger and its beauty, why it happens and what it means.
Past Winners – PEN/Hemingway Award
1996: Native Speaker - Chang-rae Lee
Native Speaker, focuses on author Chang-rae Lee’s complex and compelling character Henry Park, who has spent his entire life trying to become a true American—a native speaker. The book follows Henry as the essence of his adopted country continues to elude him and his Korean heritage seems to drift further and further away.
Past Winners – PEN/Faulkner Award
2014: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves - Karen Joy Fowler
In We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, acclaimed novelist Karen Joy Fowler showcases her most accomplished work to date in this tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.
Past Winners – PEN/Robert Bingham Award
2011: Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self - Danielle Evans
An electric debut story collection about mixed-race and African-American teenagers, women, and men struggling to find a place in their families and communities
Past Winners – PEN/Faulker Malamud Award
2000: Drown - Junot Díaz
A coming-of-age story of unparalleled power, Drown introduced the world to Junot Díaz’s exhilarating talents, marking him as one of the preeminent writers of our time.
1999: For the Relief of Unbearable Urges - Nathan Englander
Nathan Englander’s debut was recognized as a stunning collection of work, featuring energized, irreverent, and deliciously inventive stories indicative of his astonishing talent.
Past Winners – PEN USA Award for Research Nonfiction
2012: Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard
The extraordinary New York Times bestselling account of James Garfield’s rise from poverty to the American presidency, and the dramatic history of his assassination and legacy, from bestselling author of The River of Doubt, Candice Millard.
2007: The Looming Tower - Lawrence Wright
A sweeping narrative history of the events that led to the tragedy of 9/11, and a groundbreaking look at the people, plans and failures that culminated in the assault on America.
2002: Ghost Soldiers - Hampton Sides
During the end days of World War II, 121 U.S. troops slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines to rescue 513 POWs languishing in a hellish camp. Hampton Sides vividly re-creates this daring raid, offering a minute-by-minute narration that unfolds alongside intimate portraits of the prisoners and their lives in the camp.
1997: No Matter How Loud I Shout - Edward Humes
An award-winning examination of the nation’s largest juvenile criminal justice system in Los Angeles, written by a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist.
Past Winners – PEN/Jerard Fund Award
2005: Stealing Buddha's Dinner - Bich Minh Nguyen
Vivid and viscerally powerful, this remarkable memoir about growing up as an immigrant in 1980s America and seeking solace in American food is the work of an original literary voice and an entirely new spin on the classic assimilation story.
Past Winners – PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award
2006: A Thousand Acres - Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley, the author of numerous novels, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning A Thousand Acres, received the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for her indelible body of work.
Past Winners – PEN/O. Henry Award
2015: The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015 - Elizabeth Strout
Elizabeth Strout won the award for her short story, “Snow Blind”.
2013: The O. Henry Prize Stories 2013 - Kelly Link
Kelly Link won the award for her short story, “The Summer People”.
2012: The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2012 - Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff won the award for her short story, “Eyewall”.
2009: PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories 2009 - Junot Díaz
Junot Díaz won the award for his short story, “Wildwood”.
Please contact us about booking any of the above speakers for your upcoming event. And if you want to stay updated on our speakers, remember to sign up for our e-newsletter.