Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award
The 2008 recipients are Toi Derricotte, A.M. Homes, and Peter Straub.
Toi Derricotte co-founded the nonprofit organization Cave Canem in 1996 to counter the under-representation of African American poets in writers’ workshops and literary programs. She has published four books of poems, and her memoir, The Black Notebooks (W.W. Norton, 1997), was a recipient of the 1998 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
A.M. Homes chairs the PEN Emergency Writers Fund, which assists writers in need. She also serves on the Boards of PEN, The Writers Room, and Yaddo, and is on the advisory board of Poets & Writers, Inc. Homes has published several novels and short story collections. Her book, The Safety of Objects (HarperCollins, 1999), was released as a feature film in 2003. Her most recent book, The Mistress’ Daughter, was published in 2007 by Viking.
Peter Straub is a long-time supporter of many small literary organizations dedicated to emerging writer and poets. He is a prolific author and his fiction has received numerous awards, including the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award. His latest book, 5 Stories, will be published by Borderlands Press in January 2008.
The awards will be presented at Poets & Writers’ annual gala benefit, In Celebration of Writers, on March 18, 2008 in New York City. Humorist John Hodgman will serve as the master of ceremonies.
Past recipients of the Writers for Writers Award are:
- Edward Albee
- Judy Blume
- Regie Cabico
- Mary Higgins Clark
- E.L. Doctorow
- Rita Dove
- Cornelius Eady
- Marita Golden
- Barbara Goldsmith
- Oakley Hall
- E. Lynn Harris
- Bill Henderson
- Bob Holman
- June Jordan
- Stephen King
- Barbara Kingsolver
- Stanley Kunitz
- Wally Lamb
- Terry McMillan
- James A. Michener
- Arthur Miller
- Walter Mosley
- Sidney Offit
- Sharon Olds
- Anna Quindlen
- Ishmael Reed
- Susan Sontag
- William Styron
- Amy Tan
- Quincy Troupe
- Scott Turow
- Hilma Wolitzer
