PEN America Boston
PEN America Boston is a regional community of PEN America Members and their allies. Known historically as PEN New England, PEN America Boston shares the nationwide PEN America mission of defending against threats to free expression and open discourse, standing with writers and creators worldwide who face persecution, and celebrating literary excellence both established and emerging. On this page you will find links to ongoing Boston-area activities, including the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction.
Awards
Private: PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel honors a work of exceptional merit by an author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. More
Past Awards and Honors
PEN/New England Awards
Celebrating New England’s long and illustrious literary tradition, the PEN/ New England Awards recognize outstanding fiction, poetry, and nonfiction by New England authors. Previous winners include E. B. White,… More
The Howard Zinn Freedom to Write Award
The prize is awarded in memory of Howard Zinn, renowned writer-activist and champion of free speech, writers, and independent publishers. More
The Vasyl Stus Freedom to Write Award
The Vasyl Stus Freedom to Write Award recognizes a writer persecuted for the peaceful expression of his or her views and whose courage in the face of censorship and… More
Cerulli Award for Excellence in Sports Writing
Established in 2012 by Kurt and Mary Cerulli, the award—which comes with a $5,000 prize—honors excellence in sports writing across genres. More
PEN/Song Lyrics Award
Long before we were able to articulate our thoughts, we expressed joys and sorrows by singing. Patterns emerged, becoming language and making the world intelligible. That’s why the ancients… More
Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award
Every year the Children’s Book Committee honors emerging writers and writer/illustrators with the Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award. Winners present their work to the public at Discovery Evening… More
Henry David Thoreau Prize
Established in 2010 by Dale Peterson, the Henry David Thoreau Prize is awarded annually to a writer demonstrating literary excellence in nature writing. More