A literary honor will now carry the name of a uniquely successful author: the Michelle Obama Award for Memoir.
On Wednesday, Penguin Random House announced the retitling of the prize in its decades-old Creative Writing Awards program, which also includes categories named for Amanda Gorman (poetry) and Maya Angelou (spoken word). Each year, the Obama prize will provide a $10,000 college scholarship to a high school senior in public school, based on an autobiographical English-language composition.
Obama’s memoir “Becoming” was published in 2018 and has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, by far the most popular book by a modern White House resident. The former first lady’s next book, “The Light We Carry,” comes out next month.
“I know firsthand how nerve-wracking it can be to share the most intimate stories from your life with the world,” Obama said in a statement released by Penguin Random House.
“But after publishing my memoir ‘Becoming,’ I’ve learned
You’ve reached your free article limit
Subscribe to enjoy unlimited access to trusted journalism. Cancel anytime.
Subscribe nowNeed help? molokom@insidepolitic.co.za
