The Whiting Foundation awarded $50,000 to each of these emerging writers.
The Whiting Foundation has been doing the vital work of supporting emerging writers for the past 35 years. Annually, The Whiting Awards grants $50,000 each to ten emerging fiction and nonfiction writers, poets, and playwrights. These grants have identified and celebrated some of the most influential voices in contemporary literature today, including Ocean Vuong, Esmé Weijun Wang, Michael R. Jackson, Alexander Chee, Tracy K. Smith, Lydia Davis, Colson Whitehead, Yiyun Li, and Jericho Brown, to name a few.
Unfortunately, on account of the continual spread of COVID-19, the traditional ceremony has been canceled. Plans for a future celebration are forthcoming. Until then, let’s show some love for this year’s winners!
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Fiction
Genevieve Sly Crane
Andrea Lawlor
Ling Ma
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Nonfiction
Jaquira Díaz
Jia Tolentino
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Poetry
Aria Aber
Diannely Antigua
Jake Skeets
Genya Turovskaya
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Drama
Will Arbery