PEN America is announcing 16 winners of the 2027 Literary Grants, which will provide $90,000 overall in support to allow writers and translators to complete works in progress that hold the promise of lasting literary impact.
This year’s cohort of winners are from four states (PA, NY, AZ and MN) and more than a dozen countries (translators). For the first time, works translated from Albanian and Surinamese-Dutch are among the winners of the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants — a noteworthy milestone in the award’s 24-year history.
Works in progress that will be supported by the literary grants include powerful stories: workers who survived harsh labor conditions on a rubber plantation in Liberia, communities in Minnesota that carry the hidden history of nuclear testing, and Brazilians disappeared under dictatorship. In Jersey City, Lagos, and a speculative empire, women and girls are embroiled in violence as they reckon with truths that will either strengthen or break generational ties.
Diverse in genre, theme, and style, this year’s works are all united by their commitment to expanding the bounds of literary excellence.
Read the grant announcement and information about the 17 judges.
