The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards were established in 1935 by Edith Anisfield Wolf to “recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and human diversity.” Today, the foundation supports local Cleveland institutions who are committed to sharing these texts that help us navigate today’s world.
In 2025-2026, AW is supporting CWRU’s commitment to the teaching and exploration of the Anisfield-Wolf canon while fostering an understanding of our differences through literature and discussion. In October 2025, Case Western Reserve University will host the annual Anisfield-Wolf higher education symposium, a one-day workshop for faculty from Northeast Ohio colleges and universities to discuss the use of Anisfield-Wolf-award winning books in their classrooms. In spring 2026, CWRU will host a Distinguished Visiting Writer whose highly visible works, scholarship, and approach to the classroom align with CWRU’s mission and embody the principles of AWBA.
Anisfield-Wolf Distinguished Visiting Writer Job Listing
Anisfield Wolf Symposium at CWRU
Saturday, October 11th. Thwing 201. 9:00 to 4:00.
Community Events
Tuesday, August 19th (and subsequent 3rd Tuesdays)
Queer Writes: Free monthly writing group.
Wednesday, September 10th
Book Discussion: Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls, Led by Dr. Valentino Zullo. (part of Cleveland Book Fest)
Wednesday, September 10th
Get Real: Being Vulnerable in Fact and Fiction, a virtual panel with Deesha Philyaw, a 2025 Anisfield-Wolf judge and Kiese Laymon. (part of Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator)
Thursday, September 18th
Queer Book Club discussing Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ubeh. Loganberry Books. 7:00 p.m. (recurring, both in person and by zoom)
Friday, September 19th
City Club Conversation at noon. Rediscovering Resistance: John Swanson Jacobs and 600,000 Despots: A Conversation with Anisfield-Wolf Book Winner Jonathan D.S. Schroeder, moderated by Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Winner Vincent Brown (AWBA 2021 nonfiction, Tacky’s Revolt: A History of an Atlantic Slave War. Tickets are $30-$45. Here’s the link.
Friday-Saturday, September 19th-20th
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards 90th Anniversary Weekend.
Sept. 19, 6:30 p.m. Awards Ceremony at the Maltz Performing Arts Center will be Friday, 6:30 – 7:30 + after party across the lane at the Park Lane Villa. Tickets are free, but they will go quickly, beginning Tuesday, 9/2 @ 10 a.m. Here’s the link.
Sept. 20, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. 90th Anniversary Celebration. AWBA author panels, book signings and in-community events at the Cleveland Public Library – Martin Luther King Jr. Branch and various venues across Ohio City.
Saturday, October 11th
Anisfield-Wolf Symposium at CWRU. Thwing 201. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Contact Us
Erika Olbricht (exo37@case.edu), Anisfield-Wolf Coordinator
Department of English, Case Western Reserve University
Susan Grimm (sxd290@case.edu), Department Assistant
Department of English, Case Western Reserve University
Useful Links
The Land is a local, nonprofit news organization that reports on Cleveland’s neighborhoods and the inner-ring suburbs.
Lee–Harvard Memorial Project:The rich, living history of the Lee-Harvard neighborhood.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch of the CCPL. The branch continues to house a collection of resources related to African-American history and the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a vibrant collection of urban fiction.