Tony Tulathimutte Named First Recipient of the Jack Galef Literary Arts Award

This new literary prize, established by the estate of Jack Galef, an alumnus of the workshop, aims to support both emerging and underrecognized writers. With a value of $150,000, it stands as one of the largest literary awards in the United States.

Tulathimutte, who earned his MFA from Iowa in 2012 and currently serves as a visiting faculty member at the workshop, gained notable recognition for his debut novel, Private Citizens, published in 2016. The book received acclaim from New York Magazine, which referred to it as “the first great millennial novel,” portraying the lives of four Stanford graduates amid the looming Great Recession. His 2024 short story collection, Rejection, has also garnered praise, with fellow writer Carmen Maria Machado calling it “unrelentingly brutal and gut-bustingly funny.” This collection was longlisted for the National Book Award.

In response to receiving the award, Tulathimutte expressed his gratitude, stating, "I feel enormously lucky and grateful to be the inaugural recipient of the Jack Galef Award. I hope I can prove that supporting writers is worthwhile." He emphasized the challenges many writers face in achieving financial stability while pursuing their craft.

The Jack Galef Literary Arts Award will be awarded every two years to either a promising younger writer or an established author whose work has not received adequate recognition. Selections will be made by a committee of workshop faculty. Lan Samantha Chang, director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, remarked on the significance of the award, stating, "It is a privilege for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop to present the Jack Galef Literary Arts Award. We are delighted to award the inaugural prize to an iconic writer of pathbreaking fiction."

Jack L. Galef II, who graduated from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1967, had a prolific career, teaching at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and had his poetry featured in notable publications such as The New Yorker, Esquire, and The Paris Review. Jane Van Voorhis, assistant vice president at the UI Center for Advancement, underscored the intent behind the award, aiming to uplift writers with great potential who may not have yet received recognition.