Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau has been named one of the recipients of the Windham-Campbell Prize, which celebrates established and emerging literary talent across fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. Morisseau is one of eight recipients, each of whom will receive $175,000 to support their work (a $10,000 increase from previous years).
Morisseau made her Broadway debut as the book writer on “Ain’t Too Proud.” Her play “Skeleton Crew” ran at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during the 2021-2022 season. However, Morisseau has a storied history in theater; select other words include “Paradise Blue,” “Detroit ’67” and “Pipeline.”
Established in 2013, the Windham-Campbell Prizes are administered by Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Winners are selected by a panel of judges who remain anonymous. Writers from anywhere in the world, who write in English and have at least one published book or one produced play, are eligible for the prize. The judges consider writers who have been put forth by an invited group of nominators, who are themselves writers, academics, critics, librarians, booksellers, editors, theater producers and directors selected for their experience in the literary field.
Along with Morisseau, playwright Jasmine Lee-Jones received a prize for drama. Lee-Jones is now the youngest-ever recipient of the award at age 24. Her debut play, “seven methods of killing kylie jenner,” ran at the Public Theater in January.
“With all going on in the world, it is beyond joyous to learn that my work and voice matters and I’m being encouraged to continue on!” Morisseau said in a statement. “As an artist, the ability to continue to make a living telling stories is vital to my growth and mission in life and awards like these help to make a pathway for my creativity and passion to thrive. It’s thrilling and inspiring!”
The other award winners include U.S fiction writers Percival Everett and Ling Ma, nonfiction writers Susan Williams of the U.K. and Darran Anderson of Ireland/U.K. and poets Alexis Pauline Gumbs of the U.S. and dg nanouk okpik of Iñupiaq-Inuit.
