Arab American Book Award
The Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 to celebrate and support the research of, and the written work of, Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excellence of books that preserve and advance the understanding, knowledge, and resources of the Arab American community by celebrating the thoughts and lives of Arab Americans. The purpose of the Award is to inspire authors, educate readers and foster a respect and understanding of the Arab American culture.[1]
The Arab American Book Award was brought about by the Arab American National Museum and faculty members of the nearby University of Toledo. The winning titles are chosen by groups of selected readers including respected authors, university professors, artists and AANM staff. The Awards are given during an invitation only event in the Fall of the award year. The AANM first gave these awards in 2007 for books published in 2006; for 2007, the number of submissions more than doubled from the inaugural year.[2]
To help ensure the continuity of the Arab American Book Award a special endowment fund has been launched with a $10,000 gift from Drs. A. Adnan and Barbara C. Aswad. Dr. Barbara C. Aswad is Professor Emerita of Anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a past president of the Middle Eastern Studies Association and a Board Member Emerita for the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), parent organization of the Arab American National Museum. Dr. A. Adnan Aswad is Professor Emeritus of Engineering at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. The Aswads, now based in Los Angeles, were inspired to make the gift after the inaugural Book Award ceremony in Fall 2007.[2]
In 2011, the Non-Fiction award was changed to the "Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award" to honor the legacy and contributions to Arab American scholarship of Evelyn Shakir, who died of breast cancer in 2010. In addition to winning the Arab American Book Award for Fiction in 2008, Professor Shakir extensively researched the history of Arab women and wrote the groundbreaking work "Bint Arab: Arab and Arab American Women in the United States" in 1997. Evelyn's longtime partner, poet George Ellenbogen, established the award in collaboration with the Arab American National Museum.[3]
2009 Name change for the Arab American Book Award
In 2009, The Arab American Book Award Committee changed the name of the '2008 Arab American Book Award' to the '2009 Arab American Book Award' in order to reflect the true award date instead of the publication date of the winning books. All dates in the previous Award years were also changed retroactively. While the date within the Award name has changed, the rules regarding the publication dates for eligible submissions have not.
Submission Guidelines for the Arab American Book Award
As of 2009, the eligibility criteria for the Arab American Book Award are as follows:[4]
1. The book must be written, edited or illustrated by an Arab American, or address the Arab American experience. See below for a list of the 22 Arab countries.[5]
2. The book must be an original work and published in English between January 1 and December 31 of the last full calendar year. The Award is given the year after the eligible books are published.
3. The portrayal or representation of Arab Americans should be accurate and engaging; avoid stereotypes, and reflect rich characterization.
4. Submissions must be postmarked by noted deadline. (2016 Submission Deadline: February 15, 2016)[6]
The submission form for the Arab American Book Award can be found here: .
Past Winners of the Arab American Book Award
Adult Fiction
| Year | Winner | Honorable mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine and The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami | |
| 2014 | The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon | The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud |
| 2013 | Lebanese Blonde by Joseph Geha | Flying Carpets by Hedy Habra |
| 2012 | Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber | Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar |
| 2011 | Loom: a Novel by Thérèse Soukar Chehade | |
| 2010 | Master of the Eclipse: And Other Stories by Etel Adnan | |
| 2009 | A Map of Home: A Novel by Randa Jarrar | |
| 2008 | Remember Me to Lebanon by Evelyn Shakir | Origin by Diana Abu-Jaber |
| 2007 | In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar | |
Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award* (Formally Adult Non-Fiction, est 2011)
| Year | Winner | Honorable mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Old Islam in Detroit: Rediscovering the Muslim American Past by Sally Howell | |
| 2014 | We Are Iraqis: Aesthetics and Politics in a Time of War edited by Nadje Al-Ali and Deborah Al-Najjar | Between the Middle East and the Americas: The Cultural Politics of Diaspora edited by Evelyn Alsultany and Ella Shohat and The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Cultural Journey by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt |
| 2013 | House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family and Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid | The Girl Who Fell to Earth by Sophia Al Maria and Even My Voice Is Silence by Soha Al-Jurf |
| 2012 | Arab and Arab-American Feminisms: Gender, Violence, & Belonging edited by Rabab Abdulhadi, Evelyn Alsultany and Nadine Naber | Modern Arab-American Fiction: A Reader's Guide by Steven Salaita |
| 2011 | Arab Americans in Toledo: Cultural Assimilation and Community Involvement edited by Samir Abu-Absi | Barefoot in Baghdad by Manal M. Omar |
| 2010 | Angeleno Days: An Arab American Writer on Family, Place, and Politics. by Gregory Orfalea | Homeland Insecurity: The Arab American and Muslim American Experience After 9/11. by Louise Cainkar A Country Called Amreeka: Arab Roots, American Stories. by Alia Malek |
| 2009 | How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi | The Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists by Fayeq Oweis Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation by Saree Makdisi |
| 2008 | Another Arabesque by John Tofik Karam | Kisses from a Distance by Raff Ellis Annals of the Caliphs’ Kitchens by Nawal Nasrallah |
| 2007 | The Iron Cage by Rashid Khalidi | The Arab Americans by Randa Kayyali “Evil” Arabs in American Popular Film by Tim Jon Semmerling |
Children's/ Young Adult
| Year | Winner | Honorable mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye | The Olive Tree by Elsa Marston and Claire Ewart, illustrator |
| 2014 | Kids Guide to Arab American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Maha Addasi | The Arab World Thought of It by Saima S. Hussain |
| 2013 | Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books by Karen Leggett Abouraya and Susan L. Roth | Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi |
| 2011 | Saving Sky by Diane Stanley | Time to Pray by Maha Addasi, illustrated by Ned Gannon |
| 2010 | No Winner for 2010 | |
| 2009 | Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose by Naomi Shihab Nye | |
| 2008 | Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat | |
| 2007 | One Green Apple by Eve Bunting and Ted Lewin, illustrator | |
Poetry (New in 2009)
| Year | Winner | Honorable mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tahrir Suite: Poems by Matthew Shenoda | And the Time Is: Poems, 1958-2003 by Samuel Hazo |
| 2014 | A Concordance of Leaves by Philip Metres | My Daughter La Chola by Farid Matuk and Alight by Fady Joudah |
| 2013 | Atrium by Hala Alyan | Sea and Fog by Etel Adnan |
| 2012 | Abu Ghraib Arias by Philip Metres | Transfer by Naomi Shihab Nye |
| 2011 | Tocqueville by Khaled Mattawa | This Is a Nice Neighborhood by Farid Matuk |
| 2010 | Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea. by Dunya Mikhail | |
| 2009 | breaking poems by Suheir Hammad |
See also
References
- ↑ Arab American Book Award Official Webpage http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/bookaward
- 1 2 Arab American National Museum Press Release, October 13, 2008
- ↑ Evelyn Shakir: Remembering a West Roxbury writing pioneer http://www.tauntongazette.com/pink/profiles/x1199433678/Evelyn-Shakir-Remembering-a-West-Roxbury-writing-pioneer
- ↑ From Arab American Book Award Submission Form
- ↑ 22 Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
- ↑ http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/bookaward
External links
- Arab American Book Award, Official Site
- Arab American National Museum Website
- ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services)