FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2024
Contact: Gemma Givens
press@thedialogue.org
Washington, DC – Marie Arana, Peruvian American author, critic, and journalist will receive the Distinguished Leadership for the Americas Award for Contributions to Literature and Inter-American Understanding at the IX Annual Leadership for the Americas Awards Gala on October 1, 2024, at the Organization of American States (OAS). Awards are presented each year to individuals or organizations committed to the Dialogue’s mission of advancing democratic governance, shared prosperity, and social equity in the Western Hemisphere. This annual event brings together diverse leaders from across the Americas whose exceptional contributions have been instrumental in addressing the most pressing challenges facing the region.
Arana is the award-winning author of LatinoLand: A Portrait of America’s Largest and Least Understood Minority, American Chica (finalist in 2001 for the National Book Award), Silver, Sword, and Stone (winner of the 2019 American Library Association best nonfiction book), and Bolivar: American Liberator (winner of the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize). Arana has held prominent positions in the literary world, including executive roles at Harcourt Brace and Simon & Schuster publishing houses, a judge for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and editor in chief of Book World at The Washington Post. She served as the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and has recently appeared on the PBS program History with David Rubenstein. Her writing focusing on the Americas and the Latino experience in the US is also featured in The Washington Post and The New York Times.
“Arana’s work explores the historical themes that characterize and connect the Americas while intertwining them with her life story. Her books provide in-depth analyses of the cultural, political, and economic forces shaping the region, while exploring the nuanced experiences of Latino communities in the United States,” said Inter-American Dialogue President and CEO, Dr. Rebecca Bill Chavez.
Previous honorees include, Djamila Ribeiro, Coordinator of the Plural Feminisms Institute, Pierpaolo Barbieri, CEO and Founder of Ualá & Executive Director of Greenmantle, Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Laureate and former President of Colombia and Luiza Trajano, Chairwoman of Magazine Luiza & Chair of Grupo Mulheres do Brasil.
Notes to Editors
The Inter-American Dialogue engages our network of global leaders to foster democratic governance, shared prosperity, and social equity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Together, we shape policy debate, devise solutions, and enhance cooperation within the Western Hemisphere.
For inquiries, please contact gala@thedialogue.org or +1-202-822-9002. For sponsorship opportunities, please contact ldibos@thedialogue.org.
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