Roxane Gay will receive the National Book Foundation’s 2025 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, the organization announced in a news release.
Gay, the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, published her first book, the short story collection Ayiti, in 2011, and followed that up three years later with the novel An Untamed State and the essay collection Bad Feminist. The latter book became a huge bestseller, and launched her career as a public intellectual.
Her other books include Difficult Women, Hunger, and Opinions. She is the editor of Roxane Gay Books, a Grove Atlantic imprint.
David Steinberger, chair of the board of directors of the National Book Foundation, said in a statement, “As a writer, professor, editor, and cultural critic, Roxane Gay has intentionally and artfully carved out spaces to create opportunities for writers, readers, and emerging publishing professionals of all backgrounds in the literary world, and we will continue to reap the benefits of her achievements for generations. It is an honor to recognize Roxane Gay’s extraordinary contributions to the literary community at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony this November.”
The Literarian Award was established in 2005. Previous winners include Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dave Eggers, Maya Angelou, and Nancy Pearl.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
