Cleveland has been transformed into one of the country’s most literary cities throughout September, with eight literary partners coming together to promote social justice programming, artistic excellence, and community engagement, and events around literature during the inaugural Cleveland Book Fest.
As Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator conference wrapped up last weekend, all attention this weekend is on the 90th anniversary of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maltz Performing Arts Center, 1855 Ansel Road in University Circle.
The 2025 award winners to be honored include:
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his profound impact on American literature.
Known for his lyrical explorations of war, memory, and race, Komunyakaa has shaped contemporary poetry with a voice that is both unflinching and deeply evocative. While Yusef Komunyakaa is unable to attend the awards in-person, his poetic legacy will be honored during the evening’s program.
Tickets are 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. A livestream option will be available for those who cannot attend in person.
View a list of all Anisfield-Wolf award winners over the past 90 years.
City Club Forum
Before the awards ceremony Friday night, City Club on Friday, Sept. 19 at 11:30 a.m. will host a Friday Forum, “Rediscovering Resistance: John Swanson Jacobs and 600,000 Despots” by John Swanson Jacobs; a conversation with Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winner Jonathan D.S. Schroeder.
The forum will be held at City Club, 1317 Euclid Ave., Suite 100, but ticket sales have ended. A livestream will be available. Third Space Reading Room will be on-site for book sales, and the author will be signing books.
The 90th Anniversary Celebration
On Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Cleveland Public Library, MLK Branch, 10601 Euclid Ave., the 90th Anniversary Celebration of Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards kicks off at 9 a.m. and runs through 12:30 p.m.
The celebration begins with an opening keynote by jury chair Natasha Trethewey, “Opening and Challenging Minds Since 1935: How 90 Years of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards has Shaped How We Think About Race.”
Complimentary refreshments will be served before a series of rich conversations and readings featuring past AWBA winners and jurors.
Tickets are free, but required, and depleting fast.
Meet some of the award-winning authors on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 20 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at various locations. Speakers include:
Beyond Representation: Fiction that Illuminates the Complexity of Identity
1 p.m. Bop Stop, 2920 Detroit Ave., 44113
A conversation honoring Danzy Senna, winner of the 2025 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction, for her sharp, genre-bending collection “Colored Television,” and Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and Anisfield-Wolf juror. Registration is free but required.
Drawn from Memory: The Role of Art in Shaping Identity
2 p.m. Cleveland Museum of Art’s Transformer Station, 1460 W. 29th St., 44113
An afternoon of storytelling, art, and conversation with Tessa Hulls, artist and author of “Feeding Ghosts,” the first-ever graphic memoir to win an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award—and the inaugural winner in the memoir category. Moderated by acclaimed writer Peter Ho Davies. Registration is free but required.
Revival: A Slave Narrative Reawakened
3 p.m. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 2600 Church Ave., 44113
Presented in partnership with Karamu House
A moving afternoon of performance and reflection as the Karamu House Ensemble breathes life into the 1855 slave narrative of John Swanson Jacobs—an extraordinary account nearly forgotten by history, but recently rediscovered by Jonathan D. S. Schroeder in his Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winning text, “The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots: A True Story of Slavery; A Rediscovered Narrative, with a Full Biography.” Schroeder will provide historical context and insight, helping audiences understand the significance of Jacobs’ life in the wake of enslavement.
Registration is free but required.
Yard Show: Poetry of Belonging, Nature, and Black Creative Placemaking
4 p.m. Ohio City Farm, Bridge Ave. and W 24th St. 44113
Meet at Ohio City Farm for a poetry reading and cultural gathering with acclaimed writer Janice N. Harrington, celebrating her Anisfield-Wolf Book Award winning collection, “Yard Show.” Set amidst one of the nation’s largest urban farms, this event honors the Black midwestern tradition of the yard show—where everyday materials and personal memory transform outdoor spaces into vibrant, living art. The event will include a reading and conversation with Harrington; reflections on the cultural and ecological significance of front yard shows; and a guided walk through the farm’s cultivated grounds.
Registration is free but required.