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Mohsin Hamid's 'Exit West' Wins First-Ever Aspen Words Literary Prize

April 10, 2018 • His magical realist novel on the lives of refugees "hints at possibilities for doing better," judges said. And it won him the prize, which recognizes fiction tackling today's thorniest social issues.

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Aspen Words Literary Prize Finalists 'Capture The Messiness Of Reality'

March 5, 2018 • The award, which focuses on pressing social issues, has revealed its inaugural shortlist — including fiction by Jesmyn Ward, Zinzi Clemmons, Mohsin Hamid, Samrat Upadhyay and Lesley Nneka Arimah.

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Jesmyn Ward, Frank Bidart, Masha Gessen And Robin Benway Win National Book Awards

November 15, 2017 • For Ward, who won the fiction prize for Sing, Unburied, Sing, it was her second National Book Award. For Bidart, whose poetry collection spanned 51 years, it was akin to a lifetime achievement honor.

Here Are The 2017 MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Winners

MacArthur Award Winners 2017. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

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John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Here Are The 2017 MacArthur 'Genius' Grant Winners

October 11, 2017 • Jason De León, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Derek Peterson are among the 24 winners of this year's MacArthur Fellowship, which honors "extraordinarily talented and creative individuals."

Writing Mississippi: Jesmyn Ward Salvages Stories Of The Silenced

Jesmyn Ward poses for a portrait near DeLisle Bayou in DeLisle, Miss. Ward, 40, has chosen to return to DeLisle and raise her children there, despite her profound ambivalence about what the town represents. Emily Kask for NPR hide caption

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Emily Kask for NPR

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

Writing Mississippi: Jesmyn Ward Salvages Stories Of The Silenced

August 31, 2017 • The author's books are set in the poor, black Mississippi community where she grew up, a place where, she says, "the past bears very heavily on the present."

Writing Mississippi: Jesmyn Ward Salvages Stories Of The Silenced

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'The Fire This Time': A New Generation Of Writers On Race In America

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'The Fire This Time': A New Generation Of Writers On Race In America

August 2, 2016 • Author Jesmyn Ward invited prominent writers from her generation to pen essays for The Fire This Time. It's a nod to James Baldwin's work of a similar name, which warned of today's racial tension.

'The Fire This Time': A New Generation Of Writers On Race In America

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