By Chris Olsen

The Pulitzer Prize is a prestigious award recognizing outstanding achievements in American journalism, literature, drama and music—but its history also reflects a larger story about visibility. In literature, Pulitzer recognition has historically centered white, heterosexual voices. Recognition for women of color and LGBTQ+ writers is more recent.

Pulitzer literary milestones since 1917:

• 1950: Gwendolyn Brooks became the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Annie Allen.”
• 1983: Alice Walker became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “The Color Purple.”
• 2020: Jericho Brown won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “The Tradition,” becoming one of the first openly queer Black writers recognized in the category.
• 2021: Louise Erdrich became the first Native American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “The Night Watchman.”

This year, six books by women of color and LGBTQ+ authors were recognized and one received a prize.

• Three Asian American women were notably recognized, including Memoir winner Yiyun Li for “Things in Nature Merely Grow,” Memoir finalist Anelise Chen for “Clam Down,” and Fiction finalist Katie Kitamura for “Audition.”
• Memoir finalist Hala Alyan, author of “I’ll Tell You When I’m Home,” joined the relatively short list of Arab American women recognized in Pulitzer literary categories.
• Fiction finalist Torrey Peters, author of “Stag Dance,” is among the first openly trans women ever shortlisted in the Fiction category.
• Poetry finalist Patricia Smith, author of “The Intentions of Thunder,” continues a strong recent pattern of poets of color being recognized by the Pulitzer Board.

Join Publish Her in celebrating the women of color and LGBTQ+ Pulitzer Prize finalists and winner by adding these books to your reading list. When you purchase these titles from Publish Her’s online shop on Bookshop.org, in addition to supporting these authors, you help fund publishing and program grants for underrepresented authors.

Photo: Yiyun Li by Hannah Yoon