Our Mission
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation celebrates literature and fosters connections between readers and writers to enrich and inspire both individuals and communities.
Our Values
We are dedicated to the notion that our culture thrives when stories from a diverse variety of perspectives enrich our daily lives and when no voices are excluded from our conversations.
We believe the written word plays an essential role in contributing to civil discourse and in creating empathy within and among communities.
Our Team
Lacey N. Dunham
Director of Education Programs
Sarah Silberman
Awards and Literary Programs Director
Maya Lawrence
Education Programs Coordinator, Nuestras Voces
Caroline Schreiber
Development Director
Gwydion Suilebhan
Executive Director
Cristi Donoso Best
Writer in Residence
Faith Angel Campbell
Lisa Page Writing Workshops Fellow
Hugh Hunter
Writer in Residence
Our Board Members
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Board Chair
Susan Keselenko Coll
Board President
Bethanne Patrick
First Vice President
Tope Folarin
Vice President
Thomas Lloyd
Treasurer
Renée K. Gardner
Secretary
Elliot Ackerman
Board Member
Marie Arana
Board Member
Jabari Asim
Board Member
Louis Bayard
Board Member
Katherine Boone
Board Member
Lauren Francis-Sharma
Board Member
Susan Ginsburg
Board Member
Ginny Grenham
Board Member
Jojo Ruf
Board Member
Clay Smith
Board Member
Martha Anne Toll
Board Member
Jung Yun
Board Member
Directors Emeriti
Mary Lee Settle, Founder
Jackson Bryer
Conrad Cafritz
Thomas Caplan
H.G. Carrillo
Stephen Goodwin
Patricia Griffith
Nick Kotz
Willee Lewis
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Beverly Lowry
Tracy McGillivary
E. Ethelbert Miller
Azar Nafisi
Frazier O’Leary
Lisa Page
George Pelecanos
Diane Rehm
Susan Shreve
Susan Stamberg
Lou Stovall
Mary Kay Zuravleff
Mary Lee Settle, Founder
Conrad Cafritz
Thomas Caplan
H.G. Carrillo
Stephen Goodwin
Nick Kotz
Beverly Lowry
Tracy McGillivary
E. Ethelbert Miller
Azar Nafisi
Frazier O’Leary
George Pelecanos
Diane Rehm
Susan Shreve
Susan Stamberg
Lou Stovall
Mary Kay Zuravleff
Celebrate the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Awards With Us!
Even though the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award Celebration is virtual this year, we are still incredibly excited to honor the year's best in fiction with you. Join our team in setting the mood by streaming...
Announcing the Finalists for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Judges have selected the five finalists for the 2022 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, America’s most prestigious peer-juried literary prize. The finalists are Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz...
Black Lives Matter Week of Action
Finger snaps toppled over one another in the classroom. Rain trickled down the school’s windows, but the excitement of the students wasn’t dulled by the bad weather. Alan King—a poet from Bowie,...
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