Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 52 (2019) Fellowship
Wayétu Moore
ウェイエトゥ・ムーア
Wayétu Moore
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1985-01-01 （Liberia）
- Nationality
- Liberian, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Monrovia, Liberia → Houston, Texas, United States → New York, New York, United States
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Publisher, Social entrepreneur
- Active Years
- 2011-
- Influenced By
- Octavia Butler, Toni Morrison, Isabelle Allende, Ben Okri, Salman Rushdie, Patricia Jabbeh Wesley
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York University (Tisch School of the Arts) | Tisch School of the Arts | Theater | — | — | United States |
| Howard University | Undergraduate (Journalism) | Journalism | BA | — | United States |
| University of Southern California | MFA program (Creative Writing) | Creative Writing | MFA | — | United States |
| Teachers College, Columbia University | Teachers College | Anthropology and Education | MA | — | United States |
New York University (Tisch School of the Arts)
Tisch School of the Arts
/ Theater
Country:
United States
Attended Tisch for theater before transferring to Howard University to study journalism
Howard University
Undergraduate (Journalism)
/ Journalism
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Received a BA in journalism
University of Southern California
MFA program (Creative Writing)
/ Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Holds an MFA in creative writing
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College
/ Anthropology and Education
Degree:
MA
Country:
United States
MA in anthropology and education
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Lannan Literary Fellowship | — | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2020 | The New York Times Notable Book | The Dragons, The Giant, The Women | — | The New York Times | 選出 |
| 2020 | Time Magazine 10 Best Nonfiction Books | The Dragons, The Giant, The Women | — | Time Magazine | 選出 |
| 2020 | Publishers Weekly Top 5 Nonfiction Books | The Dragons, The Giant, The Women | — | Publishers Weekly | 選出 |
| 2018 | Multiple Best Books of 2018 lists | She Would Be King | — | Publishers Weekly / Booklist / Entertainment Weekly / BuzzFeed | 選出 |
Lannan Literary Fellowship
2019
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞
The New York Times Notable Book
2020
Work:
The Dragons, The Giant, The Women
Organization:
The New York Times
Result:
選出
Time Magazine 10 Best Nonfiction Books
2020
Work:
The Dragons, The Giant, The Women
Organization:
Time Magazine
Result:
選出
Publishers Weekly Top 5 Nonfiction Books
2020
Work:
The Dragons, The Giant, The Women
Organization:
Publishers Weekly
Result:
選出
Multiple Best Books of 2018 lists
2018
Work:
She Would Be King
Organization:
Publishers Weekly / Booklist / Entertainment Weekly / BuzzFeed
Result:
選出
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
She Would Be King
2018 Magical realism (novel)Set in early Liberian history, the novel uses magical realism to follow protagonists with superhuman abilities as they navigate nation-building, love, family expectations, and moral choices, intertwining history and myth.
History and memoryColonialism and migrationMagical realismLove and family
The Dragons, The Giant, The Women
2020 Memoir (nonfiction)A memoir recounting Moore's childhood experience during the Liberian Civil War, chronicling the family's escape, resilience, and the network of women who aided their survival.
War and traumaMigration experienceFemale solidarityFamily resilience
Children's books (selected)
2011 Children's literatureA series of children's picture books published through One Moore Book, set in Liberia, Haiti, and other countries, aiming to provide culturally relevant stories for underrepresented children.
MulticulturalismSelf-recognitionLiteracy and education
Bibliography
- She Would Be King (2018)
- The Dragons, The Giant, The Women (2020)
- 1 Peking (children's book)
- A Gift for Yole (children's book)
- I Love Liberia (children's book)
- J is for Jollof Rice (children's book)
- Jamonghoie (with Wiande Moore-Everett; children's book)
- Kukujumuku (children's book)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Use of magical realismLyrical prose grounded in historical narrativeInterweaving personal experience with collective memory
- Recurring Motifs
- Magical elementsImmigration and refugee experienceFemale relationshipsFamily narratives
Legacy
Wayétu Moore has brought Liberian history and personal experience to a wide audience through her fiction and memoir, and through founding One Moore Book in 2011 has advanced representation in children's literature and promoted literacy. Her work has received critical acclaim and multiple recognitions.
In Popular Culture
- She Would Be King was selected on multiple best-of lists and was chosen as an American Library Association Book Club pick
- The memoir The Dragons, The Giant, The Women was named a notable book by major publications
Quotes
-
Maybe [it will] give a new perspective to the African war story that isn't about some aid worker who came in and saved us, and we weren't in a refugee camp. This was my dad doing what he could to make sure we were safe, my mom risking everything to go back, and this network of women soldiers that created a business trafficking people's families out of the country when no one was allowed out of the country at the time.
Source: Wayétu Moore (pre-publication interview) (2020)
Trivia
- Founded One Moore Book in 2011 with her siblings to publish culturally relevant children's books.
- Opened One Moore Bookstore in Monrovia in 2015, one of the first bookstores in Liberia focused on recreational reading.
- Fled the Liberian Civil War as a child; those experiences inform much of her writing.
- Of mixed Vai, Gola and Americo-Liberian ancestry.
- Spouse: Bolobowei Amaso.