Black queer writer Roxane Gay TCM film festival 2022
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Dual Honors in 2025 for a Literary Powerhouse
BLACK EXCELLENCE! Roxane Gay is on a winning streak and we’re here for it. In early 2025, she gained two distinguished accolades that reaffirm her legacy as a cultural warrior and literary trailblazer.
First, in January, CCNY (City College of New York) named Roxane Gay the 2025 Langston Hughes Medalist, recognizing her as a distinguished writer from the African American diaspora who helps celebrate the spirit of Langston Hughes. She accepted this honor during the 46th annual Langston Hughes Festival, held February 13–14, during a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance centennial. The festival theme, Black Love, set the perfect backdrop. She even shared the stage with fellow Haitian-heritage literary giant Edwidge Danticat.
Then, on September 3, 2025, the National Book Foundation announced that Roxane Gay will receive the 2025 Literarian Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. This honor highlights her unwavering commitment to expanding the literary audience, elevating diverse voices, and reshaping what American letters can be. She will formally receive the $10,000 prize and solid brass medal at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on November 19, 2025.
Locations: New York City & Nationwide literary stage
Why These Awards Matter for Black America
Langston Hughes Medal: Bestowed at a festival honoring Black artistic excellence and legacy, this award positions Roxane among icons like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Octavia Butler. It’s a signal that she stands on shoulders built by cultural giants.
Literarian Lifetime Achievement Award: This is recognition at the highest level from a national institution. It’s not just for her bestselling books like Bad Feminist and Hunger, but for her roles as professor, editor, publisher, critic, and advocate for underrepresented writers. Her imprint, Roxane Gay Books (Grove Atlantic), lifts writers of color, queer voices, and those with intersectional identities a commitment this award acknowledges.
Talk Lounge Energy: Bestowing Glory Where It’s Due
We’ve watched Roxane Gay build bridges for voices that are often shut out—whether as a fierce essayist, a savvy publisher, or a truth-teller on race, gender, and identity. These honors don’t just belong to Roxane they speak to every Black writer who’s ever been told their story didn’t matter.
From CCNY’s Langston Hughes Festival with Black Love in the air to The National Book Awards stage this November, Roxane is shining bright and we’re cheering loud.
