(New York) A literary prize will now bear the name of a successful author: Michelle Obama.
Posted at 9:52
Publishing house Penguin Random House announced Wednesday that it will be renaming one of its awards in honor of the former first lady. Other awards have been renamed and are now named after poet Amanda Gorman and author Maya Angelou.
Each year, the Michelle Obama Prize will provide a US$10,000 scholarship to a public school student who composes an autobiographical work in English.
Memoirs of Michelle Obama, Coming (Become), were released in 2018 and have sold over 17 million copies worldwide. The next book from the former first lady, The Light We Carryout next month.
In a press release issued by the publishing house, Mme Obama said he understands how scary it can be to tell everyone about his life.
But she adds that sharing your own story can become a “powerful tool”
“It allows us to tap into the things that set us apart and helps us see the world for the nuanced, messy, beautiful place that it is. That’s why I’m so excited about this new award, and I can’t wait to read what this next generation of young writers will share with all of us,” she said.
Penguin Random House’s awards program, previously called Creative Writing Awards, was established in 1993 and has awarded more than 2.8 million to public high school students. The awards are now co-managed by the We Need Diverse Books organization.