The PEN New England Award (previously L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award and Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award) is awarded annually by PEN New England (today

PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of litera ...

Boston) to honor a

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

author or book with a New England setting or subject. The award was established in 1975 by ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' in conjunction with PEN to honor the veteran ''Boston Globe'' editor Laurence L. Winship. Since 2005, the award has been presented in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry with each winner receiving $1,000. For one year in 2012, the award was called the Laurence L. & Thomas Winship/PEN New England Award in honor of father and son,

Thomas Winship Thomas Winship (July 1, 1920 – March 14, 2002) was an American journalist who served as editor of ''The Boston Globe'' from 1965 until 1984. Biography Winship was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and soon after moved to Sudbury. He graduated ...

, both long-time ''Boston Globe'' editors. It was renamed to simply PEN New England Award starting with the 2013 award. The award presentation is sponsored in part by the JFK Presidential Library. The award is one of many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN affiliates in over 145 PEN centres around the world.

Winners

1975-2004

*1975 ''Separate Flights'' by

Andre Dubus Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist. Biography Early life and education Andre Jules Dubus II was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest child of Katherine (Burke) ...

*1976 ''The Private Franklin: The Man and His Family'' by Claude-Anne Lopez *1977 ''Letters of E. B. White'' by

E. B. White Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), ''Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and '' The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...

*1978 ''Louisa May Alcott: A Modern Biography'' by

Martha Saxton Martha Saxton is an American professor of history and women's and gender studies at Amherst College who has authored several prominent historical biographies. Life She graduated from Columbia University, and University of Chicago. She taught at ...

*1979 ''The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725'' by Abbott Lowell Cummings *1980 ''Marquand: An American life'' by Millicent Bell *1981 ''Slave to Beauty: The Eccentric Life and Controversial Career of F. Holland Day, Photographer, Publisher, Aesthete'' by Estelle Jussim *1982 ''Shallow Waters: A Year on Cape Cod's Pleasant Bay'' by William Sargent *1983 ? *1984 ''In a Patch of Fireweed: A Biologist's Life in the Field'' by

Bernd Heinrich Bernd Heinrich (born April 19, 1940 in Bad Polzin, Germany), is a professor emeritus in the biology department at the University of Vermont and is the author of a number of books about nature writing and biology. Heinrich has made major contribut ...

*1985 ''Home Before Dark'' by

Susan Cheever Susan Cheever (born July 31, 1943) is an American author and a prize-winning best-selling writer well known for her memoir, her writing about alcoholism, and her intimate understanding of American history. She is a recipient of the PEN New Englan ...

*1986 ''Drawn to Art: A Nineteenth Century American Dream'' by Diana Korzenik *1987 ''Mothers in the Fatherland: Women, the Family and Nazi Politics'' by

Claudia Koonz Claudia Ann Koonz is an American historian of Nazi Germany. Koonz's critique of the role of women during the Nazi era, from a feminist perspective, has become a subject of much debate and research in itself. She is a recipient of the PEN New Engl ...

*1988 ''A Mind of Her Own: The Life of Karen Horney'' by Susan Quinn *1989 ''

The Road from Coorain Jill Ker Conway (9 October 1934 – 1 June 2018) was an Australian-American scholar and author. Well known for her autobiographies, in particular her first memoir, '' The Road from Coorain'', she also was Smith College's first woman president ...

'' by Jill Ker Conway *1990 ''Among Schoolchildren'' by

Tracy Kidder John Tracy Kidder (born November 12, 1945) is an American writer of nonfiction books. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his '' The Soul of a New Machine'' (1981), about the creation of a new computer at Data General Corporation. He has recei ...

*1991 ''House of Light'' by

Mary Oliver Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary ...

*1992 ''Patron Saints: Five Rebels Who Opened America to a New Art, 1928-1943'' by Nicholas Fox Weber *1993 ''The Rascal King: The Life and Times of James Michael Curley (1874-1958)'' by Jack Beatty *1994 ? *1995 ? *1996 ''Here and Nowhere Else: Late Seasons of a Farm and Its Family'' by

Jane Brox Jane (Martha) Brox (born 1956) is an American author, who specializes in non-fiction works. Her father was John Brox (1910–1995). She graduated from Colby College in 1978 and currently lives in Maine. Awards and honors *1996 L.L. Winship/PEN ...

*1997 ''Charles Ives: A Life With Music'' by

Jan Swafford Jan Swafford (born September 10, 1946) is an American author and composer. He earned his Bachelor of Arts ''magna cum laude'' from Harvard College and his M.M.A. and D.M.A. from the Yale School of Music. His teachers included Earl Kim at Harvard, ...

*1998 '' The Weight of Water'' by

Anita Shreve Anita Hale Shreve (1946 – March 29, 2018) was an American writer, chiefly known for her novels. One of her first published stories, '' Past the Island, Drifting'' (published in 1975), was awarded an O. Henry Prize in 1976. Early years a ...

*1999 ''Without: Poems'' by

Donald Hall Donald Andrew Hall Jr. (September 20, 1928 – June 23, 2018) was an American poet, writer, editor and literary critic. He was the author of over 50 books across several genres from children's literature, biography, memoir, essays, and includin ...

*2000 '' Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II'' by John W. Dower *2001 ''Transfigurations: Collected Poems'' by Jay Wright *2002 ''Niagara Falls All Over Again'' by

Elizabeth McCracken Elizabeth McCracken (born 1966) is an American author. She is a recipient of the PEN New England Award. Life and career McCracken, a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, graduated from Newton North High S ...

*2003 ''You Are Not a Stranger Here: Stories'' by

Adam Haslett Adam Haslett (born December 24, 1970) is an American fiction writer and journalist. His debut short story collection, ''You Are Not a Stranger Here'', and his second novel, '' Imagine Me Gone,'' were both finalists for both the Pulitzer Prize and ...

*2004 ''Cut Time: An Education at the Fights'' by Carlo Rotella and '' An Hour in Paradise'' by Joan Leegant

2005-present

*2005 **Poetry: ''In the Ghost-House Acquainted'' by Kevin Goodan **Non-fiction: ''This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace'' by Swanee Hunt **Fiction: '' Baker Towers'' by

Jennifer Haigh Jennifer Haigh is an American novelist and short story writer. Life She was born in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania, Barnesboro, a Western Pennsylvania coal town 85 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County. She a ...

*2006 **Poetry: ''The Wild Braid: A Poet Reflects on a Century in the Garden'' by

Stanley Kunitz Stanley Jasspon Kunitz (; July 29, 1905May 14, 2006) was an American poet. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress twice, first in 1974 and then again in 2000. Biography Kunitz was born in Worcester, Massach ...

**Non-fiction: ''Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Restless Genius'' by

Leo Damrosch Leopold Damrosch Jr. (born 1941) is an American author and professor. In 2001, he was named the Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature at Harvard University. He received a B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from Cambridge University, where he was ...

**Fiction: ''Warp & Weft'' by Edward J. Delaney *2007 **Poetry: ''Averno: Poems'' by

Louise Glück Louise Elisabeth Glück ( ; born April 22, 1943) is an American poet and essayist. She won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, whose judges praised "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal". H ...

**Non-fiction: ''A Death in Belmont'' by

Sebastian Junger Sebastian Junger (born January 17, 1962) is an American journalist, author and filmmaker who has reported in-the-field on dirty, dangerous and demanding occupations and the experience of infantry combat. He is the author of '' The Perfect Sto ...

**Fiction: ''Inland ''by K. C. Frederick *2008 **Poetry: ''Beloved Idea'' by Ann Killough **Non-fiction: ''American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland'' by Kristen Laine **Fiction: ''Karma and Other Stories'' by

Rishi Reddi Rishi Reddi is an American author. She is a L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award laureate. Biography Rishi Reddi was born in Hyderabad, India. She grew up in the United Kingdom and the United States. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College, wher ...

*2009 **Poetry: ''Two Minutes of Light'' by Nancy K. Pearson **Non-fiction: ''Stalking Irish Madness'' by Patrick Tracey **Fiction: ''The House on Fortune Street'' by

Margot Livesey Margot Livesey (born 1953) is a Scottish-born writer. She is the author of nine novels, a collection of short stories, a collection of essays on writing and the co-author, with Lynn Klamkin, of a textbook. Among other awards, she has earned a G ...

*2010 **Poetry: ''Home By Now'' by Meg Kearney **Non-fiction: ''Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town'' by Elyssa East **Fiction: ''Triple Time'' by Anne Sanow *2011 **Poetry: ''Blue for Oceans'', Charles Douthat **Non-fiction: ''Street Shadows: A Memoir of Race, Rebellion, and Redemption'', Jerald Walker **Fiction: ''The Chester Chronicles'', Kermit Moyer *2012 **Poetry: ''Address'', Elizabeth Willis **Non-fiction: ''Lost In Shangri-La'',

Mitchell Zuckoff Mitchell S. Zuckoff (born April 18, 1962) is an American professor of journalism at Boston University. His books include '' Lost in Shangri-La'' and '' 13 Hours'' (2014). Mitchell is a graduate of John F Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New Yo ...

**Fiction: ''The Call'', Yannick Murphy *2013 **Poetry: ''Blacksnake at the Family Reunion'',

David Huddle David Ross Huddle (born July 11, 1942) is an American writer and professor. His poems, essays, and short stories have appeared in ''The New Yorker'', '' Esquire'', '' Harper's Magazine'', ''The New York Times Magazine'', ''Story'', ''The Autumn H ...

**Non-fiction: ''Life Everlasting: The Animal Way of Death'',

**Fiction: ''The Vanishers'',

Heidi Julavits Heidi Suzanne Julavits (born April 20, 1969) is an American author and was a founding editor of '' The Believer'' magazine. She has been published in ''The Best Creative Nonfiction Vol. 2'', '' Esquire'', ''Culture+Travel'', ''Story'', '' Zoetrope ...

*2014 **Poetry: ''Frost in the Low Areas'', Karen Skolfield **Non-fiction: ''What Happens Next?: Matters of Life and Death'', Doug Bauer **Fiction: ''News from Heaven'',

*2015 **Poetry: ''The Lost Child'',

Wesley McNair Wesley McNair (born 1941) is an American poet, writer, editor, and professor. He has authored 10 volumes of poetry, most recently, ''Lovers of the Lost: New & Selected Poems''Godine 2010), ''The Lost Child: Ozark Poems'' (Godine, 2014), ''The Unf ...

**Non-fiction: ''The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle for James Joyce’s Ulysees'', Kevin Birmingham **Fiction: ''Treat Us Like Dogs and We Will Become Wolves'', Carolyn Chute *2016 **Poetry: ''Bastards of the Reagan Era'', Reginald Dwayne Betts **Non-fiction: ''The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey'', Rinker Buck **Fiction: ''The Book of Aron'',

Jim Shepard Jim Shepard (born 1956) is an American novelist and short story writer, who teaches creative writing and film at Williams College. Biography Shepard was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He received a B.A. at Trinity College in 1978 and an M ...

*2017 **Poetry: ''Standoff'',

David Rivard David Rivard (born 1953 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is an American poet. He is the author of seven books including ''Wise Poison'', winner the 1996 James Laughlin Award, and ''Standoff'', winner the 2017 PEN New England Award in Poetry. He is ...

**Non-fiction: '' Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City'',

Matthew Desmond Matthew Desmond is a sociologist and the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University, where he is also the principal investigator of the Eviction Lab. Desmond was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2022. Educ ...

**Fiction: ''Half Wild'', Robin MacArthur *2018 ''(no award)''

References

{{Reflist

External links

PEN New England Award
official website
List of winners
at LibraryThing PEN New England awards Awards established in 1975 1975 establishments in the United States American poetry awards American non-fiction literary awards American fiction awards