Ta-Nehisi Coates to Present W. Paul Coates the Literarian Award at 2024 National Book Awards

W. Paul Coates is being honored for his extensive contributions to literary society. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 4, the publisher and community activist, 78, was named the recipient of the 2024 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community. Coates will be presented with the Literarian Award by author and National Book Award Winner, his son, author, journalist and activist Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Dr. Maya Angelou, Terry Gross, Kyle Zimmer, the literary organization Cave Canem, Doron Weber, Oren J. Teicher, Carolyn Reidy, Nancy Pearl, Tracie D. Hall and most recently, Paul Yamazaki, are among the past recipients.

The official ceremony will take place on Nov. 20 at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner, the National Book Foundation said in a press release. 

“Over the course of his career, W. Paul Coates has recovered and discovered countless essential works of Black literature, and readers everywhere have reaped the benefits of his passion and care for the written word,” said David Steinberger, chair of the board of directors of the National Book Foundation. 

“Since the 1970s, Coates has modeled what it means to be a community-focused independent publisher and tireless advocate for Black diasporic writers and books,” Steinberger continued. “The foundation is proud to count him among the former members of our board of directors, and it is our great pleasure to recognize Coates’s tremendous contributions to the American literary community at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony.”

Before Coates, who is also the founder of Black Classic Press and BCP Digital Printing, got his start in the literary world, he was a member of the United States Army and served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967.

After serving, the West Philadelphia, Penn. native joined the Black Panther Party’s community breakfast program and also worked with other community programs, providing access to healthcare, clothing and housing assistance for those in need. Several years later, Coates established the George Jackson Prison Movement — a prison literacy program that provided incarcerated individuals with access to progressive Afrocentric reading material.

“As a librarian, publisher and community activist, W. Paul Coates has been instrumental in preserving the legacy of remarkable writers and elevating works that have shaped our personal and collective understanding of the Black experience within the borders of the United States and around the globe,” Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said via the press release.

“Coates has demonstrated for more than 40 years the importance of reading the past and nourishing the creative imagination of present and future writers of the Black diaspora,” she continued. “We are honored to celebrate his extraordinary career with the 2024 Literarian Award.”Literature.

For more information about the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner and to register for the broadcast, visit the National Book Foundation.