Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Dayton Literary  Peace Prize logo

The Dayton Literary Peace Prize recognizes writers whose work demonstrates the power of literature to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding. Past recipients include Elie Wiesel and Studs Terkel. Launched in 2006,.it is an offshoot of the Dayton Peace Prize commemorating the 1995 peace accords ending the war in Bosnia, and is the only international literary peace prize awarded in the United States.

Visit the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Website →


20 Related Articles

Dayton Literary Peace Prize on C-SPAN Book TV

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Jan. 01, 2023

C-SPAN Book TV tonight aired the 2022 Dayton Literary Peace Prize ceremony featuring speeces by winners Wil Haygood (The Butler), Clint Smith (How the Word is Passed), and Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois)..

Permalink | Posted on Jan 01, 2023 at 8:38 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Wil Haygood honored with Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 26, 2022

Wil Haygood, whose books chronicle the struggles and triumphs of 20th-century Black Americans—from high-profile politicians to high school basketball players—will receive the 2022 Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. Haygood’s seminal works include Showdown, which details the contentious 1967 battle to get Thurgood Marshall onto the Supreme Court, and Tigerland, which followed athletes at an all-Black high school as they captured two state titles in Columbus, Ohio. His book The Butler, based on the life of Eugene Allen who served eight presidents at the White House, was adapted to become an award-winning film directed by Lee Daniels.

Coverage included: Associated Press, NPR, Library Journal, The Columbus Dispatch, ABC News, and Kirkus Reviews.

Permalink | Posted on Aug 26, 2022 at 11:35 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Chanel Miller’s speech at Dayton ceremony on LitHub

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov. 19, 2021

LitHub highlighted author Chanel Miller’s moving and powerful speech at this week’s Dayton Literary Peace Prize ceremony.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 19, 2021 at 8:24 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Chanel Miller wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov. 11, 2020

Chanel Miller is among the winners of a prestigious book award for her soul-bearing memoir, where she reclaims her identity after being known as an anonymous victim of a highly publicized sexual assault. The Dayton Literary Peace Price announced Miller’s “Know My Name” memoir as the winner of its nonfiction award. Alice Hoffman’s “The World That We Knew,” a novel that explores love and resistance amid the Holocaust, won the fiction award, the organization announced this week.

Coverage included Associated Press, LitHub, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Poets & Writers, and the Dayton Daily News.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 11, 2020 at 8:28 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Margaret Atwood to receive Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Sep. 18, 2020

Margaret Atwood, the bestselling author whose critically acclaimed fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have offered prescient warnings about the political consequences of individual complacency, will receive the 2020 Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced today. Coverage included Associated Press, The Guardian, LitHub, CBC, Kirkus Reviews, and USA Today.

Permalink | Posted on Sep 18, 2020 at 1:49 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Momaday wins 2019 Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 01, 2019

Writer N. Scott Momaday, who is widely credited with spearheading the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream, will receive the Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced this week. A Kiowa Indian, Momaday is the author of Pulitzer Prize-winning novel House Made of Dawn (1968) and The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969). 

Coverage highlights include USA Today, PBS NewsHour, Houston Chronicle, Native News, BookWeb, Poets and Writers, and Lit Hub.   

Permalink | Posted on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:04 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

John Irving honored by Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Jul. 23, 2018

John Irving, the author of novels such as “The World According to Garp” and “The Cider House Rules” that examine the complexities of sexual differences and other social issues is this year’s winner of the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Award, organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced this week. Coverage included Associated Press, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, and The Toronto Star.

Permalink | Posted on Jul 23, 2018 at 7:23 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Colm Toibin wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Jul. 21, 2017

Irish novelist, journalist, and essayist Colm Tóibín, whose fiction and nonfiction captures in heartbreaking detail the impact of exile and political conflict on individual lives, will receive the 2017 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced this week. Coverage included the Associated Press, The Times of London, the Irish Independent,  and The Irish Times.

Permalink | Posted on Jul 21, 2017 at 9:54 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

The Sympathizer, Nagasaki win Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Oct. 21, 2016

Two books focused on the aftermath of 20th century wars are winners of the 2016 Dayton Literary Peace Prize. The nonfiction winner is “Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War,” Susan Southard’s examination of the enduring impact of the U.S. use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city in World War II. Viet Thanh Nguyen won for fiction with “The Sympathizer,” featuring a double agent in the Vietnam War aftermath.

Coverage included Associated Press, The Guardian, Bustle, Publishers Weekly, Adweek Galley Cat, Book Riot, American Libraries Magazine, and BookWeb.

Permalink | Posted on Oct 21, 2016 at 12:07 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Robinson wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 26, 2016

Writer Marilynne Robinson (Gilead, Housekeeping, Home), whose novels and essays offer moving, graceful, and thoughtful meditations on modern life, spirituality, science, and politics, will receive the 2016Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award, organizers of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced this week.

In 2012, President Barack Obama, a self-avowed fan of her work, awarded Robinson the National Humanities Medal. They made headlines again in November 2015 when President Obama interviewed Robinson for The New York Review of Books. Their wide-ranging conversation, which touched on religion, fear-mongering, and the convergence of faith and democracy, went viral.

PKPR placed stories in outlets including AP, The Guardian, MSN, Bookforum, and Adweek

Permalink | Posted on Aug 26, 2016 at 7:37 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Steinem receives 2015 Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov. 16, 2015

Gloria Steinem, the iconic author whose writing and activism has helped shape modern feminism, receive the 2015 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award at the 2015 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Gala. Coverage ranged from the AP and US News & World Report to Bustle and Adweek’s GalleyCat.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 16, 2015 at 11:19 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Wendell Berry wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 15, 2013

In recognition of a lifetime of letters exploring how humans can live more harmoniously with both the land and each other, Wendell Berry, the novelist, essayist, poet, farmer, and activist, will receive the 2013 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award at a November gala in Dayton, Ohio.

For the announcement, PKPR arranged an exclusive interview for Berry with the AP. Other coverage highlights included The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Salon, USA Today, Montreal Gazette, Publishers Weekly, GalleyCat, Mother Nature News, Library Journal, and Book Patrol.

The photo above is from 2011 when Berry received a National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama.

Permalink | Posted on Aug 15, 2013 at 10:56 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Tim O’Brien Wins Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov. 19, 2012

Last week in Dayton, Ohio, Vietnam veteran and acclaimed author Tim O’Brien fought back tears when he discussed how much winning the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for lifetime achievement meant to him. 

“For me to get an award at the end of my career with the word peace in it—I’ve been called a war writer my whole career, and I think of myself as a peace writer. I’ve always thought of myself as a peace writer, and I’m sure that my colleagues up here are all in agreement about that – that we display the ugliness and obscenities of war as a way of contrast against that alternative, that shy, unbragging word peace.”

PKPR secured extensive coverage of this year’s awards including the Associated Press, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, Minnesota Public Radio, Austin American Statesman, and Mediabistro.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 19, 2012 at 12:53 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Lee, Rideau Win 2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Sep. 28, 2011

The Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation this week announced that The Surrendered by Chang-Rae Lee and In The Place Of Justice: A Story of Punishment and Deliverance by Wilbert Rideau are the winners of the 2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for fiction and nonfiction, respectively. Organizers also announced this year’s runners-up: Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson.

PKPR announced the winners in an exclusive in The New York Times and placed an AP story which was published in dozens of outlets including ABCNews.com, Yahoo! News, and Washington Post

Other coverage highlights included USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Mediabistro, and Poets & Writers.

Permalink | Posted on Sep 28, 2011 at 12:25 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Kingsolver Wins First Richard Holbrooke Literary Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 05, 2011

Author Barbara Kingsolver will receive the first-ever Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award from the Dayton Literary Peace Prize at a gala ceremony in Dayton on November 13th.

The award, which was formerly known as the Lifetime Achievement Award, was renamed in honor of the late Richard C. Holbrooke, the celebrated U.S. diplomat who played an instrumental role in negotiating the historic 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in Bosnia.The award will be presented to Kingsolver by journalist Kati Marton, Holbrooke�s widow. Holbrooke had been serving as special advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan under President Obama when he passed away in December 2010.

For the announcement, PKPR placed an exclusive with the Associated Press, including both a news story and Q&A with Kingsolver, which were published by more than 250 outlets around the world. Other coverage included USA Today, Los Angeles Times, CBC, MediaBistro, and Poets & Writers.

Permalink | Posted on Aug 05, 2011 at 3:23 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Eggers, James win Dayton Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Nov. 15, 2010

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers and The Book Of Night Women by Marlon James were named winners of the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for nonfiction and fiction, respectively.

“It can be lonely, believing that books can still change how we think,” said James. The Dayton Literary Peace Prize reminds us that the book is still our most eloquent tool to speak truth to power, and to bear witness to the good and not so good in human nature.

Coverage of this year’s winners ranged from Huffington Post and UTNE Reader to Minnesota Public Radio and MediaBistro.

Permalink | Posted on Nov 15, 2010 at 4:46 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Dayton Literary Peace Prize in NY Times, Reuters

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 20, 2010

Geraldine Brooks, a historical novelist who taps into her own experiences as a wartime reporter to vividly illustrate the horrors of war, will receive the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Brooks spent many years covering crises in the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans for the Wall Street Journal before going on to write acclaimed novels, including the 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel March. She will accept the award at a ceremony in Dayton, Ohio on November 7th.

PKPR secured coverage for the announcement in the New York Times, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Publishers Weekly, Mediabistro, Poets & Writers, and more.

Permalink | Posted on Aug 20, 2010 at 10:46 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Shortlist for Dayton Literary Peace Prize Announced

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Aug. 23, 2009

In recognition of their work chronicling human rights in Asia, Africa, and the developing world, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Committee today announced that authors and journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn will receive the 2009 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement. The committee also announced the shortlist for this year’s prizes in fiction and nonfiction. Coverage included New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Mediabistro, Washington Post books review editor Ron Charles, and The New Yorker’s Book Bench blog.

Permalink | Posted on Aug 23, 2009 at 10:01 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Dayton Literary Peace Prize Salutes Authors

By Patrick Kowalczyk

Sep. 24, 2008

The 2008 Dayton Literary Peace Prize will be presented in Dayton, Ohio this Sunday, September 28th.

Winners include Junot Diaz for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Edwidge Danticat for Brother, I’m Dying. PKPR has been instrumental in raising the awards’ national profile including stories in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, National Post, St. Paul Pioneer Press, San Jose Mercury News, Publisher’s Weekly, and Library Journal.

Permalink | Posted on Sep 24, 2008 at 7:46 PM by Patrick Kowalczyk

Taylor Branch to Receive Literary Peace Prize

By Patrick Kowalczyk

May. 07, 2008

This week, PKPR helped announce that the premier chronicler of America�s civil rights era will receive a special Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

Taylor Branch, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning trilogy America in the King Years is widely considered the definitive history of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement, will accept the award at a ceremony in Dayton, Ohio on September 28, 2008. Coverage ranged from the Baltimore Sun to Publisher’s Weekly to Mediabistro’s Galley Cat blog.

Permalink | Posted on May 07, 2008 at 12:25 AM by Patrick Kowalczyk


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