Hurston/Wright Foundation

The Hurston/Wright Foundation was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1990 by writer Marita Golden and cultural historian Clyde McElvene. Golden used $750 of her own money to found the organization, which she wanted in part "to address the dearth of black graduate students in literature that she found while teaching at several area universities". The stated mission is to help develop the careers of black writers and to increase the representation within the literary field. The organization is named after prolific black writers Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright. Toni Morrison previously sat on the advisory board. The executive director is Nichelle M. Hayes. == Activities ==

The Foundation provides classes, workshops, public readings, and awards. Previous writing workshop participants include Imani Perry and Jericho Brown. It also holds an annual literary conference in D.C., which was virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. The Legacy Awards are announced annually at a ceremony. == Awards ==

Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards The Legacy Awards were created in 2001 to recognize outstanding black writers in the United States and across the diaspora. The awards are offered in four categories: fiction, debut fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The 2020 winners were Jeffrey Colvin, Curdella Forbes, Ladan Osman, and Albert Woodfox. The inaugural winner was Melanie Farmer for the essay "Rolling: A Ladies’ Guide to Brazilian jiu-jitsu". North Star Award The Award is named in reference of the importance of the North Star for African Americans, and is given for lifetime literary achievement. Madam C.J. Walker Award Introduced in 2005, the Madam C.J. Walker Award is given to people, organizations, or businesses that have shown exceptional innovation in supporting and sustaining black literature. The Calabash International Literary Festival received the Madam C.J. Walker Award in 2021. == References ==