Nate Marshall (CW Major) receives 21st Century Award
Poet, spoken word artist, and Colorado College professor of English Nate Marshall, a much-loved alumnus of Vanderbilt UGCW, is the 2020 recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library. This award honors significant recent achievement in writing by a Chicago-based author.
A fixture on Chicago’s literary scene, Marshall was born and raised on the South Side. Library Journal called his award-winning debut poetry collection Wild Hundreds “verbally audacious and rhythmically intense.” And with his latest collection, Finna, “Marshall’s poems rip language open and reassemble it as an homage to its impact and potential,” according to Booklist. Marshall is an assistant professor of English at Colorado College and an editor of The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop.
In presenting the 21st Century Award, the Foundation hopes to encourage the creation of new works and increase public awareness of the writer’s talents. Isabel Wilkerson and Donna LaPietra will also be honored. The Chicago Public Library Foundation Award Ceremony will happen virtually next week on Wednesday, December 9th at 6:30 Chicago time. You can register here.
For more information on the awards and recipients, click here.