Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Fuller Award: Patricia Smith

Co-presented with the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, American Writers Museum, and Guild Literary Complex, the ceremony will present Chicago poet Patricia Smith with the Fuller Award for her lifetime contributions to literature. Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young will lead a lineup of presenters that includes Nora Brooks Blakely, Reginald Gibbons, Poetry Out Loud National Champion Niveah Glover, Adrian Matejka,  Marc Smith, and Jamila Woods. Lynne Thompson will moderate a conversation with Ms. Smith at the end of the program.  

Patricia Smith was born in Chicago and raised on the city’s West Side. She attended Southern Illinois University, Northwestern University, and the University of Southern Maine. She has had a distinguished literary career as a poet, spoken-word performer, author, and teacher. Individual awards include four National  Poetry Slam championships, the 2023 Aiken Taylor Award, and the 2021 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation. Smith is a 2022 inductee to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,  Guggenheim fellow,  Civitellian,  National Endowment for the Arts grant recipient,  finalist for the Neustadt Prize,  two-time winner of the Pushcart Prize, and a former fellow at both Yaddo and the MacDowell Colony.  

The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s (CLHOF) Fuller Award was inspired by Henry Blake Fuller (1857-1929), author, editor, poet, critic, and composer, one of Chicago’s earliest novelists, and the author of The Cliff-Dwellers (1893) and With the Procession (1891). It is awarded annually to a writer with strong Chicago roots who has made a significant lifetime contribution to literature. CLHOF’s’s mission is “To honor and preserve Chicago’s great literary heritage—past, present, and future.”CLHOF is a not-for-profit organization. 

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In-Person Attendance:
Masks are strongly encouraged and available at check-in for those who would like to wear one. The Foundation reserves the right to update this policy if community levels of COVID-19 increase significantly. Read our full COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines. Guests are encouraged to register in advance.

Livestream Attendance:
The livestream link will be shared with registered guests on the day of the event. In order to receive the livestream details, please register in advance.