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November 15-30, 2004 Edition

2005 PEN/Beyond Margins

Awards Seeks Entries

From Publishers, Agents

NEW YORK, NY/11/04/04—PEN/Beyond Margins Awards invites submissions of booklength writings by authors of color, published in the United States during the current calendar year. The Beyond Margins Awards were created by PEN American Center’s Open Book Committee, a group committed to racial and ethnic diversity within the literary and publishing communities. The awards confer five $1000 prizes upon African, Arab, Asian, Caribbean, Latino, and Native American authors who have not received wide media coverage. U.S. residency or citizenship is not required. Works of fiction, literary nonfiction, biography/memoir and other works of literary character are strongly preferred.

The most recent recipients of Beyond Margins Awards were Laila Halaby, for West of the Jordan; Suki Kim, for The Interpreter; Nasdijj, for The Boy and the Dog Are Sleeping; Willie Perdomo, for Smoking Lovely; and April Reynolds, for Knee-Deep in Wonder. The next prizes will be awarded in Spring 2005.

How to Submit

There is no application form. Publishers and agents may submit five copies of book-length writings by an author of color published during the calendar year under consideration, with an official letter of recommendation.

Deadline: December 31, 2004. Early submissions are strongly recommended.

Submissions of books or general inquiries after October 1, 2004 should be sent to:

PEN/Beyond Margins Awards

PEN American Center

588 Broadway, Ste 303

New York, NY 10012

Attn: Juan Martinez

Beyond Margins Awards

For more information on the PEN/Beyond Margins Awards, contact:

Juan Martinez, Program Assistant, at 212-334-1660, ext. 110 or e-mail jmartinez@pen.org.