Poets & Writers has recognized poet, memoirist, emeritus professor and former Poetry Center director Richard Shelton with a 2017 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers award.  The award recognizes Shelton’s four decades of service leading writing workshops in Arizona’s prison system.  Several workshop participants have gone on to successful careers as writers, poets, journalists, and educators.  In a recent article for Orion Magazine, Shelton described the profound impact the workshops have had: "[The participants] welcome criticism because they know it will push their writing toward improvement, possibly even publication. And publication changes lives. I have witnessed it again and again. There is something about seeing one's name on the page with one's creative work...that makes a difference in a person's self-image."  The program is administered by the University of Arizona Poetry Center.   Learn more about the prison writing program here.

The Writers for Writers Award was established by Poets & Writers in 1996 to recognize authors who have given generously to other writers or to the broader literary community. It is named for Barnes & Noble in appreciation of the company's loyal sponsorship of Poets & Writers.

Author Susan Isaacs, chairman of Poets & Writers' Board of Directors, said, "We are thrilled to have an opportunity to shine a light on the extraordinary contributions of these writers and editors. They embody the values that Poets & Writers aspires to: service, integrity, inclusivity, and excellence."

Authors Anne Patchett and Francisco Goldman were also recognized with 2017 Writers for Writers awards.  Fiona McCrae and Jeffrey Shotts, editors at Graywolf press, were recognized with the 2017 Editors Award. 

The awards will be presented at Poets & Writers' annual dinner, In Celebration of Writers, on Tuesday evening, March 8, 2017, at 583 Park Avenue in New York City. The chair of this year's event is Shawn Morin, CEO and president of Ingram Content Group.  Actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Alexander, will serve as the emcee for the event. Susan Isaacs will present the awards on behalf of the Board of Directors. 

Tickets to the dinner begin at $500 per person. The evening is expected to generate over $500,000, with proceeds to support Poets & Writers' programs for creative writers.