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Trailblazing Black Queer Author Roxane Gay Honored with 2025 National Book Foundation Literarian Award
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Acclaimed Black queer writer Roxane Gay will be awarded the National Book Foundation’s 2025 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, marking a milestone in her career as an author, editor, and advocate for inclusivity in publishing. The prestigious lifetime achievement award will be presented at the National Book Awards Ceremony and Benefit Dinner on November 19, 2025, in New York City, with celebrated author Jacqueline Woodson scheduled to bestow the honor .
Roxane Gay’s influence as a writer and cultural critic is both far-reaching and deeply personal for many in the LGBTQ+ community. Her works—"Bad Feminist", "Hunger", "Difficult Women", and "Ayiti"—have become touchstones for readers seeking honest, complex explorations of identity, trauma, gender, and sexuality. Gay’s writing is celebrated for its frankness and its ability to create space for the lived experiences of marginalized people, including Black, queer, disabled, and economically diverse communities .
Her editorial imprint, Roxane Gay Books under Grove Atlantic, is dedicated to publishing works by writers located at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities—expanding representation and challenging the literary status quo . In addition to her editorial work, Gay is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, host of the podcast The Roxane Gay Agenda, and curator of The Audacious Book Club. She also publishes The Audacity*newsletter and, alongside her wife Debbie Millman, co-owns the literary magazine The Rumpus .
David Steinberger, Chair of the Board of Directors at the National Book Foundation, praised Gay’s “intentional and artful” efforts to create opportunities for writers, readers, and emerging publishing professionals of all backgrounds. “We will continue to reap the benefits of her achievements for generations,” Steinberger said, reflecting the lasting impact of Gay’s advocacy for inclusivity and the dismantling of gatekeeping in publishing .
Gay’s imprint and visibility have amplified the work of LGBTQ+ writers and those from other underrepresented backgrounds, helping them access publishing platforms often closed to marginalized communities. These efforts have not only diversified the literary landscape but have also inspired a new generation of creators to share their stories unapologetically .
As the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick from 2022 to 2025, Gay has influenced academic and cultural discourse around intersectionality, gender, and race. Her approach—rooted in a belief that literary spaces should reflect the full spectrum of human experience—has resonated with LGBTQ+ audiences, many of whom see themselves reflected in her work and advocacy .
Previous Literarian Award honorees include literary icons such as Maya Angelou and Dave Eggers, underscoring the distinction and significance of Gay’s recognition . For Gay, the award is a humbling acknowledgment of decades spent “arc towards a greater good,” as she described upon learning of the honor. She has repeatedly stated that, while she does not consider herself an activist, she is “always striving to create spaces and opportunities for those who need them most” .
Gay’s career has been defined by risk-taking and vulnerability, from exploring themes of fatness and trauma in "Hunger" to dissecting feminist contradictions in "Bad Feminist". Her willingness to engage with challenging issues—and to share her own lived experience—has made her a role model for many, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community .
The 76th National Book Awards ceremony promises to be a significant moment for Gay and for the broader literary community. Jacqueline Woodson, herself a National Book Award winner and an advocate for diversity in literature, will present Gay with the Literarian Award, highlighting the interconnectedness of efforts to foster inclusive literary spaces .
Gay’s continued work—including her publishing, editorial, and public speaking roles—ensures that her legacy will endure. For LGBTQ+ writers, readers, and allies, her recognition is both a celebration and a call to action: to keep pushing for representation, equity, and the full inclusion of every voice in American literature.
