LeVar Burton Named Inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion
By John Maher
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LeVar Burton, the actor and longtime host of
Reading Rainbow, has been named the inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion, a new annual commendation that will "recognize devoted literary advocacy and a commitment to inspiring new generations of readers and writers," the PEN/Faulkner Foundation said in a release. Burton will be honored in a virtual celebration on May 10, when this year’s PEN/Faulkner Award winner—its 40th—will be announced.
“I come from a family for whom service to others is the highest possible calling,” Burton said. “Whatever efforts I have made toward advancing the cause of literacy, give honor to my mother, Erma Gene Christian, my first teacher and from whom I have inherited my love for books and reading. As we move forward out of a time when alternative facts and mendacious propaganda shaped public opinion, the work you do through the PEN/Faulkner Award, and your committed investment in DC schools, has never been more important. I couldn’t be more honored to be the inaugural PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion.”