Authors

Writers live at the center of everything we do.

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. Learn more.

Without writers, furthermore, we wouldn’t be able to recognize significant literary achievements. Here are the submission guidelines for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel.

"[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.

Our Writers

In recent years, our Education Programs staff members have worked with Gabriela Belt, Adriana Hernández Bergstrom, Sheri Booker, Mayra Cuevas, Susan Muaddi Darraj, David Ebenbach, Patricia Elam, Leah Henderson, Zara Gonzalez Hoang, Hugh Hunter, Terry Catasús Jennings, Harshita Jerath, Kim Johnson, George Jreije, Meg Eden Kuyatt, Chloë Lawrence, Lisa Lednicer, Tony Lewis Jr., Sylvia Liu, Susan Mockler, Ofelia Montenegro, Madelyn Nye, Mark Oshiro, Leslye Penelope, Brianna Peppins, Jamar J. Perry, NoNieqa Ramos, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris, J.E. Thomas, R. Eric Thomas, Julian R. Vaca, Patricia Valdez, Lakita Wilson, Alysa Wishingrad, Helen H. Wu, and many more!

FAQs for Authors