The 90th Anniversary Celebration

General admission registration opens Sept. 2.

Join us for a full day of thought-provoking conversation, literary celebration and community connection as we mark the 90th Anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards with a festival-style event spanning 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The day begins at the Martin L. King, Jr. Branch of the Cleveland Public Library with an opening keynote and complimentary morning 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.

In the afternoon, the celebration moves into Ohio City for a walking-style series of events. Bookhouse Brewery will serve as the central hub for information, giveaways, and book sales. Park once and spend the afternoon attending in-community author events, all within easy walking distance. Local businesses will offer special discounts to festival attendees, making it easy to explore the neighborhood.

Whether you join us for the full day or just a portion, the event is designed to be open, accessible, and deeply engaging for anyone who wants to take part.

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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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Learn more about the afternoon Ohio City events with our interactive map highlighting the event venues, plus parking/transit, food and drink partners, and other points of interest! https://bit.ly/AWBAOhioCity

Info: 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.

Info: 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.

Info: Join past Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards winning poets—Adrian Matejka, Marilyn Chin, Ilya Kaminsky, Monica Youn, and Victoria Chang—as they read past and new works that speak to the resilience of the human spirit and the bridges we can build with language.

Info: 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.

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