Walker’s ‘Magically Black and Other Essays’ Longlisted for Prestigous PEN Award

Jerald Walker was still soaring several days after learning his book, Magically Black and Other Essays (HarperCollins), was longlisted for the PEN Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay.

“It’s always personally and professionally gratifying to receive affirmation for your work, and it’s made even more so when it’s included alongside the work of writers you’ve long admired,” said the Writing, Literature & Publishing Distinguished Professor.

Also long listed for the prize is Elisa Gabbert, MFA ’05, author of Any Person Is the Only Self (Farrar Straus & Giroux).

The PEN Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay is regarded as the nation’s top prize for essay collections, said Walker.

Walker’s critically-acclaimed book was one of 10 books longlisted. Five finalists will be announced in early April, and a winner will be named in May at the 2025 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony in New York.  

The PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay is an annual award which honors a seasoned writer whose collection of essays is an expansion on their corpus of work. Beginning with the 2021 award, the award includes $15,000 for the winning author.