Graywolf Press is delighted to announce that BLUE FRONT by Martha Collins has been selected to receive an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. The award is given annually and recognizes outstanding works that contribute to society’s understanding of racism and foster an appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. Collins will be honored in Cleveland on Thursday, September 6, at a ceremony hosted by The Cleveland Foundation and emceed by Jury Chair Henry Louis Gates Jr.
“This year’s selections reflect the many layers and global complexity of the issues of race and cultural diversity,” said Jury Chair, Henry Louis Gates Jr. “The books we have chosen this year stand out not only for their creative treatment of difficult subject matter, but also for their powerful insistence on the need to respect the humanity and individuality of others.”

Jeff Shotts, Executive Editor at Graywolf Press said, “We couldn’t be more honored that BLUE FRONT by Martha Collins has won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Collins has written a poetry book that not only describes a major atrocity of racist violence in the history of the United States, but also examines what it means to be white in contemporary America. BLUE FRONT is an extraordinary achievement, and this award is a tremendous expression of confidence in this book’s artistry and power.”

Other 2007 winners include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for Half of a Yellow Sun (Knopf), Scott Reynolds Nelson for Steel Drivin’ Man (Oxford University Press), and historian Taylor Branch for Lifetime Achievement. The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award is the only juried American literary competition devoted to recognizing books that have made an important contribution to society’s understanding of racism and the diversity of human cultures. Judges for the 72nd annual award were Henry Louis Gates Jr., Rita Dove, Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Pinker, and Simon Schama. Previous winners of the Anisfield-Wolf Award include Zadie Smith, Jill Lipore, William Demby, Geoffrey C. Ward, A. Van Jordan, Edwidge Danticat, and others.

BLUE FRONT is Martha Collins’ fifth collection of poetry and was selected as one of New York Library’s top 25 books of 2006. She is the author of Some Things Words Can Do, and co-translator of two volumes of poetry from the Vietnamese. She teaches at Oberlin College and lives in Oberlin, Ohio, and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards were established in 1935 by Cleveland poet, civic activist, and philanthropist Edith Anisfield Wolf, in order to honor her family’s passion for issues of social justice. Winners of the award have presented the extraordinary art and culture of peoples around the world, explored human rights violations, exposed the effects of racism on children, reflected on growing up bi-racial, and illuminated the dignity of people as they search for justice.

The Cleveland Foundation improves the lives of Greater Clevelanders by building community endowment, addressing needs through grantmaking, and providing leadership on vital issues.