The annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards ceremony returns to the Maltz Performing Arts Center for a fifth consecutive year to honor the 2026 winners as they join the esteemed canon of America’s only juried book prize focusing on works that address racism and diversity.
Join us to celebrate the winners of the year’s Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards:
- Fiction: Make Your Way Home by Carrie R. Moore
- Nonfiction: Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of an American City by Bench Ansfield
- Memoir: The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders by Sarah Aziza
- Poetry: Death Does Not End at the Sea by Gbenga Adesina
Pioneering historian Nell Irvin Painter has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her transformative role in reshaping how we understand history, race, and identity in America. Known for her groundbreaking work on race and the American experience, particularly The History of White People, which reframes “whiteness” as a constructed and evolving category rather than a fixed identity.
More Information:
- A reception, book sale and author signing will follow the ceremony.
- Tickets are free but required.
- There will be a standby line at the venue; if there is available space before the event starts, people will be seated on a first come, first served basis.
- A livestream option will also be available for those who cannot attend in person.
- Availability for this event is VERY limited. If tickets are no longer available, please check back shortly before the event for additional availability.
- Ticket Limit - Two ticket per patron/order
- Parking for this event is free and requires no advance purchase