The Department of Literatures in English celebrates the winners of the 2024 Philip Freund Prize for Creative Writing in recognition of excellence in publication: Andrew Boryga, Aisha Abdel Gawad, C. Michelle Lindley, Amanda Moore

The alumni prize is supported by the Philip Freund '29 endowment and comes with a $5000 award and an invitation to participate in the Freund Prize Reading in the fall semester.

The 2024 Freund Prize Reading will take place on Thursday, September 26 at 5:00 p.m. in Rhodes-Rawling Auditorium, Klarman Hall KG70. Recipients will read from their award-winning work. Books by the authors will be available for purchase thanks to Ithaca's local cooperative bookstore Buffalo Street Books, and a book signing will follow the reading.

More about the 2024 Freund Prize recipients:

Andrew Boryga (BA ‘13), Novelist & Journalist

Andrew Boryga (he/him) grew up in the Bronx and now lives in Miami with his family. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic, and been awarded prizes by Cornell University, The University of Miami, The Susquehanna Review, and The Michener Foundation. He attended the Tin House Writer’s Workshop and has taught writing to college students, elementary school students, and incarcerated adults. Victim is his debut novel. 

C. Michelle Lindley (MFA ‘22), Writer

C. Michelle Lindley (She/Her) is a writer from California. Her work can be found in Conjunctions, The Georgia Review, and elsewhere. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow for 2024 and has an MFA in Creative Writing from Cornell University. Her debut novel, The Nude, is available now.

Amanda Moore (MFA ‘01), Poet & Educator

Amanda Moore’s (she/her) debut collection of poetry, Requeening, was selected for the National Poetry Series by Ocean Vuong and published by HarperCollins/Ecco in 2021. Her poems and essays have appeared in journals and anthologies including Best New Poets, ZZYZVA, Ploughshares, LitHub, and Poets & Writers. An editor and reader for Women’s Voices for Change and Bull City Press, Amanda also runs writing workshops and community classes, translates poems by contemporary Costa Rican women, and teaches high school English. She lives by the beach in the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco.

We are proud to partner with Buffalo Street Books at this event. Buffalo Street Books is Ithaca’s community-owned cooperative bookstore, dedicated to re-imagining the ways an independent bookstore can serve its community. Sigrid Nunez's' books are available online, in store, and on site at the reading. Show your student ID at BSB and get 10% off every day!

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Masking is encouraged.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. The venue is wheelchair accessible and equipped with assistive listening technology. If you need additional accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us as soon as possible.

For more information about this event visit english.cornell.edu/zalaznickor email englishevents@cornell.edu. 

This event is presented by the Department of Literatures in English / Creative Writing Program at Cornell University.