St. Louis Literary Award

09/04/2026

How can art teach us to pay closer attention—to ourselves, to one another, and to the world around us?

The Center for Literary and Creative Arts is pleased to support “Learning to Pay Attention: Art, Reflection, and the Formation of Integrated Lives,” a conversation bringing together educators from Saint Louis University and Loyola Academy to explore how encounters with art can deepen attention, reflection, and our sense of responsibility to others.

The program is part of SLU’s Integrated Lives Initiative, which explores questions of meaning and purpose through the relationship between contemplation and action.

Wednesday, September 9 | 5:30 p.m.
Boileau Hall, Saint Louis University
Free and open to the public. Parking is available, and appetizers will be served.

We hope you’ll join us!

08/27/2026

We’re kicking off the 2027 St. Louis Literary Award programming with this year’s Campus Read: Marilynne Robinson’s “Jack.”
We are especially excited about this selection because “Jack” is set in St. Louis in the 1940s, giving us an opportunity not only to read one of Robinson’s remarkable novels, but also to explore connections to our city’s history — particularly questions of race, religion, love, and the social boundaries of the period.

Free copies are now available to students, faculty, and staff at Louis University through Libraries, and we’ll have more Campus Read programming throughout the year leading up to Robinson’s visit in April to receive the 2027 St. Louis Literary Award.

The Campus Read is one of the programs of the for Literary & Creative Arts at Saint Louis University, part of the Louis University College of Arts and Sciences.

Many thanks to Maggie Rotermund and NewsLink for helping us get the word out!

The 2027 St. Louis Literary Award programming will be kicking off with the Campus Read novel, Marilynne Robinson's "Jack."

06/08/2026

We are so happy to announce Marilynne Robinson as the recipient of the 2027 annual St. Louis Literary Award!✍️📖✨

06/08/2026

Saint Louis University and the Center for Literary and Creative Arts (CLCA) are thrilled to announce that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson will receive the 2027 St. Louis Literary Award.

One of the most important and influential writers of our time, Robinson is the author of Gilead, Housekeeping, Home, Lila, and Jack, along with numerous acclaimed works of nonfiction exploring literature, democracy, faith, education, memory, and American life.

“Her writing has shaped generations of readers through its moral and intellectual depth, spiritual inquiry, and extraordinary attention to memory, community, grace, and the complexities of American life,” said Edward Ibur, executive director of the CLCA St. Louis Literary Award Programs.

Robinson will visit St. Louis on April 1, 2027, to receive the award at The Sheldon Concert Hall, with additional public programming and a campus craft talk at Saint Louis University's Cook Hall on April 2.

We are deeply honored to welcome Marilynne Robinson to St. Louis.

Read more: https://www.slu.edu/news/2026/june/2027-literary-award.php

04/24/2026

A huge congrats to Scarlet, Katie, and Elianna for their fantastic work in our competitions this year. Their writing is beyond impressive and we are so proud of them!

04/18/2026

A new chapter for the arts at Saint Louis University.
https://www.slu.edu/news/2026/april/center-literary-creative-arts.php

The Center for Literary and Creative Arts (CLCA), led by Katrina Thompson Moore, Ph.D. and Edward Ibur, M.Ed., has officially launched in the SLU College of Arts & Sciences—a space designed to bring together creative work across disciplines and connect it more intentionally with the St. Louis community.

At its core, the CLCA is about people gathering around ideas—books, performances, exhibitions, and conversations. It builds on programs already central to SLU, including the St. Louis Literary Award, the Campus Read, student competitions, and a new Youth Literary Initiative, while opening the door to broader collaborations across campus and throughout the region.

The focus is on building stronger connections, more shared experiences, and more opportunities for students, faculty, and the broader community to engage with the literary and creative arts in meaningful ways.

More to come soon.

04/13/2026

What a week.

We were honored to welcome Jhumpa Lahiri to Saint Louis University as the 2026 recipient of the St. Louis Literary Award—two days of conversation, reflection, and real connection across campus and the St. Louis community.

This year’s programs also marked an important step forward with the continued launch of the Center for Literary and Creative Arts (CLCA), which is helping bring these conversations into closer dialogue with students, faculty, and partners across the region.

We’re grateful to everyone who made it such a meaningful few days—and especially to our students, who continue to be at the heart of this work.

Thank you to Jhumpa Lahiri for her generosity, insight, and presence.

Read more:
https://www.slu.edu/news/2026/april/literary-award.php

04/09/2026

Join us today in the Cook Hall auditorium at the Chaifetz School of Business on the SLU campus for one more opportunity to catch one of the world's great contemporary writers in conversation! Free and open to the public...

04/08/2026

Get to know a bit about our brilliant moderators for the upcoming Literary Award events this week…and if you haven’t already, you can purchase tickets for the Literary Award Ceremony here:

https://www.thesheldon.org/events/detail/saint-louis-literary-award-honoring-jhumpa-lahiri?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleARCxtdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacR3Pr8l848Gr3A4YGmdndP0ubKboilM86ips8JYOp-EElphHTDr3Dr6zwpdA_aem_A7OkBoTnGMU73gE0VCSx-Q

04/08/2026

Don’t miss out on this beautiful performance from SLU’s very own students and faculty! Tonight at the Literary Award Ceremony!

For more information and to purchase tickets click here: https://www.thesheldon.org/events/detail/saint-louis-literary-award-honoring-jhumpa-lahiri?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleARCxtdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacR3Pr8l848Gr3A4YGmdndP0ubKboilM86ips8JYOp-EElphHTDr3Dr6zwpdA_aem_A7OkBoTnGMU73gE0VCSx-Q