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This is a list of writers' halls of fame. Institutions in at least five U.S. states have each created a program explicitly named as a "Hall of Fame" for writers, and there are at least two national-level programs focused on genres of writing also named as halls of fame. In addition, there are a number of annual awards for authors programs not using "Hall of Fame" in their name but which are likewise focused on complete, life-long bodies of work; the cumulative lists of awardees of these, especially if systematic and publicized by the awarding body, may be considered to constitute a hall of fame and to be included here.
The goals of these programs are generally to increase public awareness of important writers, especially those associated with a given geographical area or literary genre, and to honor the authors included. These are given for achievements of substantial collected works of writing, not for individual novels, scripts, poems, or other individual works. This list does not include certain awards naming promising "Early" or "Mid-Career" authors, or aiming to further authors' development (such as the Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes (2011) that gives large financial sums "to provide writers the opportunity to focus on their work independent of financial concerns"). Nor does this list include "lifetime achievement awards" which are occasionally but not systematically awarded by an awards program (for example the Academy Awards' Academy Honorary Award or Special Achievement Academy Award which might honor a screenwriter's lifetime achievements).
Unlike the Nobel Prize in Literature (1901), persons may be named after their death, in some of these. Unlike the Pulitzer Prizes for literature or journalism, or the Newbery Medal for children's literature, these awards are not focused upon a single work published.
Unlike, say the Academy Awards, the writers nominated might not be present at an awards ceremony for many of these. The award is an honor that may be appreciated, but nominees might not be expected or pressured to attend. The University of Georgia Libraries' example is one where living author arwardees would be invited to campus to give a speech, and creators of the program hoped it would attract donors.[1]
John D'Agata, in his book Halls of Fame: Essays (2001) commented on the phenomenon of halls of fame. Per a review of the book, "In these refreshingly bold, creative, and incisive essays, John D'Agata journeys the endless corridors of American's myriad halls of fame and faithfully reports on what he finds there. In a voice all his own, he brilliantly maps his terrain in lists, collage, and ludic narratives."[2]
Halls of fame for writers which appear to meet these criteria include (ordered by year of founding):
- ^ Skip Hulett (Fall 2012). "The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame". The Georgia Review. 66 (3): 422-31.
It was hoped by the University of Georgia Libraries that the program "would attract donors by bringing living authors to campus and celebrating those of the past; also the ceremony and exhibits, ideally growing each year, could draw in funds for the Libraries' much-needed new buildings and its endowments, along with opening up possibilities for cultural programs and attracting additional writers (or their estates) who might choose to house their archives."
- ^ d'Agata, John (2001). Halls of Fame: Essays. ISBN 9781555973148. Retrieved September 5, 2022. This is a solitary review, likely not independent of the publisher, at Google Books.