Authors

We don’t just give out awards, we work with authors.

For many students, meeting a writer is a powerful experience. Educators indicate that having writers visiting their classrooms creates a culture of literacy, engaging students with reading, the larger curriculum, and new stories and ideas about the world. This is why we’re always looking for writers who are willing to connect with young people about their work, the writing and publishing process, and the larger themes and ideas in their writing.

Here are our PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction submission guidelines.

Black author talking to student with book

Writers in Schools

Writers in Schools connects students in grades 3-12, primarily in Title I public and charter schools across DC, with contemporary living writers, ideas, and books. We purchase copies of the author’s book to donate to students. We then bring the author into the classroom for an in-depth discussion led by students, with the option of a short author-led writing activity, followed by a book signing and group photo.

Our Nuestras Voces initiative specifically seeks Latinx/Hispanic writers, including but not limited to those with verbal fluency in Spanish, as well as texts written in Spanish.

FAQs for Authors

"[It's] so cool when the teachers really work with the students and the material to bring it to life."

– Author Innosanto Nagara

“School visits are the most fun because they’re the most chaotic.”

– Author Mark Oshiro

“People often ask me what I like about being a poet. This is one of them. When students trust me to send me their work.”

– Author Alan King

"I just wanted to acknowledge how real you are in the book. You never hear those types of stories. I appreciate how you tell us your story. You're not hiding anything. You're not filtering anything."

– Student speaking to author Tony Lewis, Jr.

Nuestras Voces

Los jóvenes necesitan verse a sí mismos y sus vidas reflejados en los textos que leen. Autores identificados como Latinx, libros con cuentos que presentan personajes Latinx y textos bilingües son parte de Nuestras Voces. Trabajamos con estudiantes en los grados 3-12 principalmente en escuelas públicas y escuelas particulares subvencionada de Título I en todo DC. Compramos copias del libro del autor para donar a los estudiantes. Luego llevamos al autor al aula para una discusión en profundidad dirigida por los estudiantes, seguida de una firma de libros y una foto de grupo.

Young people need to see themselves and their lives reflected in the texts they read. Latinx-identified authors, books with stories that feature Latinx characters, and bilingual texts are all part of Nuestras Voces. We work with students in grades 3-12 in primarily Title I public and charter schools across DC. We purchase copies of the author’s book to donate to students. We then bring the author into the classroom for an in-depth discussion led by students, followed by a book signing and group photo.

FAQs for Authors