University of Akron Press Publication Named National Book Award Finalist

The University of Akron Press announced that its recent publication, Something About Living, by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha, winner of the 2022 Akron Poetry Prize, is one of only five titles on the short list for the 2024 National Book Award in Poetry. This is the second time in seven years The University of Akron Press has had a publication selected as a finalist for the National Book Awards, distinguishing it as among the most prestigious publishers of poetry in the nation.

"Being a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry is a great honor for Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and for The University of Akron Press. Our ability to publish at the highest level reflects well on our staff and on the Akron and UA communities who support and sustain us," said Dr. Jon Miller, University of Akron Press director and a professor of English at The University of Akron.

Lena Khalaf Tuffaha is a poet, essayist, and translator. She is the author of Water & Salt (Red Hen), which won the 2018 Washington State Book Award, Kaan & Her Sisters (Trio House Press), finalist for the Firecracker Award, and Something About Living (University of Akron Press, 2024), winner of the 2022 Akron Poetry Prize. She was the translator and curator of the 2022 series “Poems from Palestine” at The Baffler magazine. She is currently curating a series on Palestinian writers for Words Without Borders entitled “Against Silence.” For more about her work, visit www.lenakhalaftuffaha.com. 

Regarded as among the nation’s most esteemed literary awards, the National Book Awards are administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to recognizing the best in American literature. The National Book Foundation divides awards into five categories of literature—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. Ten titles were placed on each long list on Sept. 12. The finalists were announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1, in The New York Times. The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at the ceremony in New York City. The first University of Akron Press book to be a finalist for a National Book Award was Leslie Harrison’s 2017 collection, The Book of Endings.

Tuffaha was the winner of the 2022 annual Akron Poetry Prize. Every year, the Akron Poetry Prize receives around 600 submissions for publication. However, only two manuscripts are published—the editor’s choice selection and the final contest winner selected by a judge.

Dr. Mary Biddinger, editor for the Akron Series in Poetry and UA professor of English noted, “The 2022 Akron Poetry Prize judge, Adrian Matejka, did a wonderful job of capturing what makes Khalaf Tuffaha’s work so powerful in his judge's citation, stating that, ‘This collection is her witness to our collective unraveling, vowel by vowel, syllable by syllable … In these poems, Khalaf Tuffaha reminds us that love isn’t an idea; it a radical act.’” Biddinger remarks, “I am tremendously grateful to the National Book Foundation judges for their support of Something About Living, not only because Khalaf Tuffaha’s work is so poignant and timely, but because this acknowledgment recognizes the vital work of university presses.” 

Biddinger has served as editor of the Akron Series in Poetry since 2008. She teaches graduate and undergraduate creative writing courses and serves as Chair of the English Department and Director of the NEOMFA: Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program.

Contributions to the production of Something About Living also came from Amy Freels, University of Akron Press senior editorial, design, and production manager, who designed the cover based on Soraya Farha’s artwork titled “Los Troncones;” Brittany LaPointe, University of Akron Press marketing and sales manager; Julia Gammon, professor emerita of bibliography and marketing volunteer; and student employees and interns.

Media outlets interested in a review copy of Something About Living may contact LaPointe at 330-972-4732 or blapointe@uakron.edu.

The book is for available for sale through all major booksellers as well as here.