Saturday’s AWBA events start at the Martin L. King, Jr. Branch of the Cleveland Public Library with an opening keynote and complimentary refreshments, followed by a series of rich conversations and readings featuring past AWBA winners and jurors—leading writers who have fundamentally shaped how we think about race relations and cultural diversity.
Doors open at 9am
9:30 a.m.:
Opening and Challenging Minds Since 1935: How 90 Years of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards has Shaped How We Think About Race
Kick off the 90th Anniversary Celebration with opening remarks from our Jury Chair Natasha Trethewey as she highlights the transformative impact the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards have had on our larger understanding of race, racism, and human diversity.
9:45-10:30 a.m.:
Humanity on the Line: Resisting Dehumanization, Erasure, and Atrocity Amidst Divides
Join Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards winners George Makari and David Livingstone Smith for a compelling fireside chat exploring the forces that fracture our shared humanity. Drawing from history and contemporary events, they’ll examine how narratives of othering and exclusion have shaped some of the darkest chapters of our past—and how understanding these patterns can illuminate paths towards dignity and resistance in our present.
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.:
Light in the Ruins: A Poetry Reading Featuring Past Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Winners
Join past Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards winning poets—Victoria Chang, Marilyn Chin, Tyehimba Jess, Ilya Kaminsky, Adrian Matejka, Shane McCrae, and Monica Youn—as they read past and new works that speak to the resilience of the human spirit and the bridges we can build with language.
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:
Meet the Authors: Book Signings with Anisfield-Wolf Luminaries
Celebrate the voices behind the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards with a special book signing session featuring past award-winning authors. This book signing also includes the full AWBA jury—Natasha Trethewey, Peter Ho Davies, Charles King, Tiya Miles, Deesha Philyaw, and Luis Alberto Urrea—alongside additional past recipients of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the writers and thinkers shaping our literary landscape. Mac’s Backs is the official book seller for this event.
Registration is free but required. There will be a standby line at the venue; if there is available space, people will be seated on a first come, first served basis.
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