Award-winning writer Pico Iyer is 2024’s Robert Kirsch Award winner which recognizes a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. Iyer is the author of more than a dozen books on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism. His recent memoir, “Aflame: Learning from Silence,” explores the power of calm and helps readers find deeper peace of mind. His acclaimed work also includes “The Half Known Life,” “Video Night in Kathmandu,” “The Lady and the Monk,” “The Global Soul,” “The Open Road” and “The Art of Stillness.” He contributes regularly to countless publications and has received numerous accolades throughout his career.
The 2024 Innovator’s Award winner is Amanda Gorman, the award-winning writer and activist, and the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Gorman has used her platform to raise awareness on a host of issues from climate change and social justice to literacy. She speaks out against book bans and highlights the importance of representation and education. Her organization One Pen One Page promotes literacy through free creative writing programs for underserved youth. Her latest picture book, “Girls on the Rise,” celebrates the power of girls and highlights how girls have shaped history and why they should march boldly into the future.
Journalist Emily Witt is the winner of the 2024 Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for “Health and Safety: A Breakdown,” which chronicles her experience with psychedelics and Brooklyn’s underground party scene during the first Trump presidency. The memoir offers Witt’s life as a lens into America from 2016 to 2020, and exposes a country in the throes of ongoing trauma — it is keenly observed and unapologetically told. Sponsored by the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the award honors exceptional work and encompasses fiction, travel writing, memoir and diary.
The Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Achievement in Audiobook Production is given in collaboration with Audible. Established in 2023, the prize focuses on performance, production and innovation in storytelling, and recognizes a person or an ensemble cast.
