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-Book Awards for 2025
Janice N. Harrington (poetry) Yard Show
Tessa Hulls (memoir) Feeding Ghosts
Jonathan D.S. Schroeder (nonfiction) The United States Governed by Six Hundred Thousand Despots
Danzy Senna (fiction) Colored Television
Yusef Komunyakaa (lifetime achievement)
Anisfield-Wolf 90th Anniversary Awards Ceremony (2025)
The Anisfield-Wolf Symposium at CWRU (October 11th, 2025).
Anisfield-Wolf Distinguished Visiting Writer Job Listing
Community Events
Tuesday, September 30th through Tuesday, October 21st
“Writers in Love: Percival Everett and Danzy Senna,” a Siegal Lifelong Learning Program. Online. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, October 21st (and subsequent 3rd Tuesdays)
Queer Writes: Free monthly writing group.
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 Asterisk is a podcast hosted by Karen R. Long, former manager of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and former book editor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Each episode focuses on an AWBA winner.
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.
Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison. From February 18, 2026 through February 18, 2027, Ohio will celebrate the life, literature, and legacy of Toni Morrison, Lorain, Ohio native and the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.