University Of Akron Press publication wins prestigious National Book Award

The University of Akron Press publication "Something About Living," by poet, essayist and translator Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, has won the prestigious 2024 National Book Award for Poetry.

The award was announced by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization that manages the National Book Awards, which are annual American literary prizes in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature and children's literature.

This is the second time the University of Akron Press has had a title named as a finalist, and the first time one of the Press' publications was selected for a National Book Award, distinguishing it as among the most esteemed publishers of poetry in the nation.

"Winning the National Book Award in Poetry is a great honor for Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and for the University of Akron Press. Our ability to publish at the highest level reflects well on our staff and on the Akron and University communities that support and sustain us," said Dr. Jon Miller, University of Akron Press director and a professor of English at The University of Akron (UA).

Khalaf Tuffaha's "Something About Living" also won the 2022 Akron Poetry Prize. She is the author of "Water & Salt" (Red Hen), which won the 2018 Washington State Book Award, and "Kaan & Her Sisters" (Trio House Press), finalist for the Firecracker Award. She was the translator and curator of the 2022 series "Poems from Palestine" at The Baffler magazine. She is currently curating a series on Palestinian writers for Words Without Borders titled "Against Silence." For more about her work, visit www.lenakhalaftuffaha.com.

"I am tremendously grateful to the National Book Foundation judges for their recognition of 'Something About Living,' not only because Khalaf Tuffaha's work is so poignant and timely, but also because this acknowledgment recognizes the vital and excellent work of university presses," said Dr. Mary Biddinger, a UA professor of English who teaches graduate and undergraduate creative writing courses, serves as chair of the English Department and director of the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, and has been the editor of the Akron Series in Poetry since 2008.

Other University of Akron Press and UA contributors to the production of "Something About Living" include Amy Freels, University of Akron Press senior editorial, design and production manager, who designed the cover based on Soraya Farha's artwork "Los Troncones," Brittany LaPointe, University of Akron Press marketing and sales manager, Julia Gammon, professor emerita of bibliography and marketing volunteer, and student employees and interns.

Media outlets interested in a review copy of "Something About Living" may contact LaPointe at 330-972-4732 or [email protected].

The book is for available for sale through all major booksellers as well as the University of Akron Press website.

University of Akron Press

The University of Akron Press is a small publisher of scholarly, literary and general interest books. Since 1988, the Press has published compelling works with regional and national significance. The Press is committed to the idea of scholarship as a public good and works collaboratively with its authors to produce books that meet the highest editorial and design standards. The Press is overseen by an editorial board of University of Akron faculty. The first University of Akron Press book to be a finalist for a National Book Award was Leslie Harrison's 2017 collection "The Book of Endings." The University of Akron Press is a member of the Association of University Presses.

University of Akron Press contact: Brittany LaPointe, 330.972.4732 or [email protected]
University of Akron media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or [email protected]

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