University Of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press publication wins prestigious National Book Award
The University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press publication by poet, essayist and translator Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, has won the prestigious 2024 National Book Award for Poetry.
The award was announced by the , a nonprofit organization that manages the National Book Awards, which are annual American literary prizes in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and children’s literature.
This is the second time the University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press has had a title named as a finalist, and the first time one of the Press’ publications was selected for a National Book Award, distinguishing it as among the most esteemed publishers of poetry in the nation.
"Winning the National Book Award in Poetry is a great honor for Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and for the University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press. Our ability to publish at the highest level reflects well on our staff and on the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ and University communities that support and sustain us," said Dr. Jon Miller, University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press director and a professor of English at The University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ (ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ).
Khalaf Tuffaha’s “Something About Living” also won the 2022 ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Poetry Prize. She is the author of “Water & Salt” (Red Hen), which won the 2018 Washington State Book Award, and “Kaan & Her Sisters” (Trio House Press), finalist for the Firecracker Award. She was the translator and curator of the 2022 series “Poems from Palestine” at The Baffler magazine. She is currently curating a series on Palestinian writers for Words Without Borders titled “Against Silence.” For more about her work, visit .
“I am tremendously grateful to the National Book Foundation judges for their recognition of ‘Something About Living,’ not only because Khalaf Tuffaha’s work is so poignant and timely, but also because this acknowledgment recognizes the vital and excellent work of university presses,” said Dr. Mary Biddinger, a ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ professor of English who teaches graduate and undergraduate creative writing courses, serves as chair of the English Department and director of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, and has been the editor of the ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Series in Poetry since 2008.
Other University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press and ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ contributors to the production of “Something About Living” include Amy Freels, University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press senior editorial, design and production manager, who designed the cover based on Soraya Farha’s artwork “Los Troncones,” Brittany LaPointe, University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press marketing and sales manager, Julia Gammon, professor emerita of bibliography and marketing volunteer, and student employees and interns.
Media outlets interested in a review copy of “Something About Living” may contact LaPointe at 330-972-4732 or blapointe@uakron.edu.
The book is for available for sale through all major booksellers as well as the University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press website.
University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press
The University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press is a small publisher of scholarly, literary and general interest books. Since 1988, the Press has published compelling works with regional and national significance. The Press is committed to the idea of scholarship as a public good and works collaboratively with its authors to produce books that meet the highest editorial and design standards. The Press is overseen by an editorial board of University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ faculty. The first University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press book to be a finalist for a National Book Award was Leslie Harrison’s 2017 collection “The Book of Endings.” The University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press is a member of the Association of University Presses.
University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Press contact: Brittany LaPointe, 330.972.4732 or blapointe@uakron.edu
University of ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu