PEN/Open Book (known as the Beyond Margins Award through 2009) is a program intended to foster racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities, and works to establish access for diverse literary groups to the publishing industry. Created in 1991 by the PEN American Center (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 ...
), the PEN/Open Book program ensures custodians of language and literature are representative of the American people.
The Committee discusses mutual concerns and strategies for advancing writing and professional activities, and coordinates Open Book events. While multiple awards were presented in previous years, the PEN Open Book Award now presents one award every year to books published in the United States (but without citizenship or residency requirements) by "authors of color who have not received wide media coverage".
The award is
one of many PEN awards sponsored by
International PEN affiliates in over
145 PEN centers around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been characterized as being among the "major" American literary prizes.
Honorees
PEN/Open Book Award
After 2010, the Beyond Margins Award was renamed the PEN/Open Book Award.
Beyond Margins Award
Prior to 2010, the PEN Open Book Award was referred to as the Beyond Margins Award, and several books were selected per year as joint winners.
References
External links
PEN Open Book AwardOfficial site
{{DEFAULTSORT:PEN Open Book
PEN America awards
Awards established in 1991
1991 establishments in the United States
Literary awards honoring minority groups