Edith Anisfield Wolf (1889-1963)
A call is out for submissions for the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which have a very long history of honoring exceptional writers. Cleveland poet and philanthropist Edith Anisfield Wolf established the book awards in 1935.
Anisfield Wolf was a published poet and civic leader who grew-up in a wealthy family that had a passion for social justice. The book awards are named for her father and husband.
The Anisfield-Wolf honors are the only American book awards geared specifically to recognizing works that have made important contributions to the understanding of racism and appreciation of diversity.
Past winners include Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, Quincy Jones, August Wilson, Zadie Smith, Walter Mosley, and Junot Diaz.
Usually, there are two $10,000 awards given each year: one for fiction or poetry and a second for nonfiction, biography, or scholarly research.
The deadline is December 31, 2008 Details at the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards website.