PEN/Faulkner Foundation records, 1976-2024
Collection context
- Creator:
- PEN/Faulkner Foundation
- Abstract:
- The PEN/Faulkner Foundation gives out three major literary awards: the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, and the PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. The Foundation also engages in literary and educational programming. The records include audio recordings, brochures, budgets, correspondence, financial records, invitations, minutes, photographs, planning files, programs, press files, reports, teacher and volunteer guidebooks, and video recordings.
- Extent:
- 32 Linear Feet 70 boxes: 58 document boxes, 3 ½ document boxes, 3 record cartons, 2 flat boxes, 2 audio cassette boxes, and 2 CD boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation gives out three major literary awards: the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, and the PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion. The Foundation also engages in literary and educational programming. The records include audio recordings, brochures, budgets, correspondence, financial records, invitations, minutes, photographs, planning files, programs, press files, reports, teacher and volunteer guidebooks, and video recordings.
The collection documents PEN/Faulkner's awards, galas, literary programs, and other events through various records. The records include author files and correspondence, audio and video recordings, invitations, photographs, press clippings, programs, promotional materials, publications, remarks, and series brochures. These records provide information on the programs and events, and the content of many individual events is documented through publications, printed remarks, and recordings.
The records also include documentation of PEN/Faulkner's educational programs. The records in the collection primarily document the Writers in Schools program. These records include administrative files, brochures, grant files, guidebooks, photographs, planning records, a few recordings, school publications, author files, and school files. Most of the records for individual school visits are closed, as they contain records of individual students and their work, and are restricted under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). While documentation is incomplete, there are records available for 1989-2018. The collection does not currently contain records related to Nuestras Voces, which was developed much more recently than the Writers in Schools program.
The collection also includes administrative records. The records include documentation regarding the founding of PEN/Faulkner and the early development of the organization and its transition to a non-profit arts organization in 1985. In addition, there are early records for the Board of Directors, as well as later correspondence, memoranda, minutes, planning documents, and policy documents. The records of the Board of Directors are most comprehensive for 1982-2010. In addition, the collection includes articles of incorporation, business licenses and applications, bylaws and revisions, 501(c)(3) verification, and records related to tax exemption. The collection also includes administrative and planning files related to PEN/Faulkner awards, galas, educational programs, and literary programs.
The administrative records include financial records. These records include budget and expenses records, ledgers, grant and fundraising files, investment management, tax filings and related documents, and miscellaneous subjects. The collection also includes financial records related to specific programs and events, particularly for the Writers in Schools program and the PEN/Faulkner Gala.
The Rare Book & Manuscript Library expects to receive digital records for 2018-present, which will provide more documentation of recent years. These records include author and board correspondence, photographs, and records related to awards, programs, events, education, administration, finances, marketing, and development.
Overall, the documentation available in the collection is incomplete and uneven across time periods. In general, there is good documentation for some time periods and less for others, not only for the records relating to the operations of the organization as a whole, but also for records related to authors, the board of directors, finances, and individual awards, programs, and events.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The PEN/Faulkner Award was founded in 1980 by author Mary Lee Settle, in response to the controversy regarding the 1979 National Book Award and the perception that literary prizes were becoming too commercialized. The award was named for William Faulkner, who had used his Nobel Prize funds to establish a prize for younger writers, and PEN, the international writers' organization. The award winners would be chosen by other authors, so that the selections would be free of publishing industry influences and popular trends.
At first, the award was originally administered by PEN at the University of Virginia, where Settle was teaching at the time. In 1983, Dr. O.B. Hardison Jr., then the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., offered to house the administration of the award within the library. The PEN/Faulkner Foundation was created shortly thereafter, and established its headquarters in the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation continued the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and added two additional awards: the PEN/Bernard and Ann Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story, established in 1988, and the PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, established in 2020 as part of the Foundation's 40th anniversary.
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation also expanded beyond literary prizes and developed both literary and educational programs. It started a series of public fiction readings in 1983, which has evolved into its Literary Conversations series in recent years. The Foundation launched its first education program, Writers in Schools, in 1989. This program arranges for authors to visit and also to provide books to students in Washington, D.C. schools. In 2017, the Foundation established Nuestras Voces, to bring Latinx and Hispanic authors to Latinx- and Hispanic-centric versions of their education programs to students in these schools. The Foundation also offers writing workshops and other programs.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Some records are restricted due to privacy laws related to personal information and student records.
This collection is located off-site. You will need to request this material at least five business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room.
If you would like to use the digital photographs in Series X or the audiovisual materials in Series XI, please contact the library in advance of your visit to discuss access options.
Digital files remain on their original disks and are not readily available for use; please contact the Rare Book & Manuscript Library in advance of your visit to discuss access options.
- Terms of access:
-
Single reproductions may be made for research purposes. It is the responsibility of the user to secure permission for publication or use from the appropriate copyright holder.
- Preferred citation:
-
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); PEN/Faulkner Foundation records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu