U.S. (2021)
In June 2021, we launched All Ways Black, an initiative showcasing and celebrating the many facets of the Black experience.
Debuting on instagram, All Ways Black (@allwaysblack) is a separate and unique channel designed to specifically connect with Black readers every day and carve out space specifically for our Black authors and books. All Ways Black is a key expression of Amplify Black Stories, an ongoing initiative dedicated to promoting the Black authors and books that are moving culture forward.
We partnered with influencer Cree Myles,founding editor of All Ways Black and the creative force behind last winter’s Black Like We Never Left Read-a-Thon that raised more than $10,000 for the Center for Fiction’s Emerging Writer Program, for an authentic voice for the channel. Cree works alongside the Creative Strategy team to develop editorial content and original programming that highlights the depth and breadth of our stories and creators.
U.S. (2021)
We are committed to ensuring the publishing world is accessible to everyone, and celebrate the three recipients of the newly-created Penguin Random House Scholarship chosen by The New York University Center for Publishing. Christina Lopez, Megan McDonald, and Sophie Schmidt were able to participate in this year’s NYU Summer Publishing Institute (SPI) three-week virtual program, beginning June 7, 2021.
The Center for Publishing Penguin Random House Scholarship was established to foster greater diversity in the publishing industry, and enable college juniors and seniors, as well as recent college graduates, who are interested in pursuing a career in publishing to attend NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute program.
U.S. (2021)
Together with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), we launched the Black Creatives Fund in February 2021, an initiative with a mission of supporting emerging and established Black writers and illustrators. Penguin Random House is the inaugural sponsor of the fund for the 2021 year.
The Black Creatives Fund will feature three initiatives in 2021, including a Revisions Workshop, a mentorship program, and a marketing symposia in partnership with the Brown Bookshelf. The Fund will launch with the six-month Revisions Workshop that will support unpublished Black writers with completed manuscripts and feature esteemed faculty including our authors Nic Stone and Jewell Parker Rhodes.
Twelve writers selected for the workshop will have the opportunity to receive guidance throughout the revision process and submit their manuscript to editors at Penguin Random House for possible publication. All 12 writers will be awarded stipends. Two finalists will receive larger grants, and publishing deals for top performers will be strongly considered.
As longtime partners of WNDB, we are honored to collaborate with them to build this important new pipeline for discovering and elevating Black voices. The Black Creatives Fund is an integral piece of Amplify Black Stories, our year-long campaign to celebrate Black authors and introduce their stories to a diverse group of readers. For more information, please visit the Black Creatives Fund program page.
U.S. (2020)
We are excited to be the inaugural sponsors of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses’ first annual Black Literary Award to support the ongoing work of Black-led presses and presses who champion BIPOC authors. Recipients of CLMP’s award will receive $10,000 grants and will be announced in spring 2021.
At Penguin Random House, we’re committed to fostering a literary landscape that’s truly diverse, where emerging and underrepresented writers are recognized. Grants like the Black Literary Publishing Award help ensure new voices and perspectives are heard. In support CLMP’s 50-year legacy of elevating emerging writers through small, independent publishers, we’re honored to help make it possible for them to launch this important initiative and secure its future.
U.K. (2020)
We teamed up with think tank Runnymede Trust to launch Lit in Colour, a project that aims to diversify school reading lists by developing and providing a culturally diverse curriculum that more accurately represents today’s students and inspires them to read outside of their classes.
An analysis from Penguin Random House U.K. and Runnymede Trust found that 56 of 65 novels and plays on the GCSE English literature specifications are written by white authors. This report reflects recent data from Teach First, which found that pupils could leave school in England without studying a novel or play by a BIPOC author.
Lit in Colour will offer free books, create teaching resources, and invite authors to visit classrooms. The program will also analyze what’s currently being taught in English lessons and identify gaps to fill.
Access to a diverse and representative range of books, authors and characters is critical for all students, and we hope Lit in Colour will help inspire a lifelong love of reading by offering a wider range of voices, cultures, and perspectives on school book shelves.
U.S. (2021)
For the second consecutive year, we will partner with We Need Diverse Books for PRH’s annual Creative Writing Awards Program to widen the applicant pool beyond New York City and invite hundreds of students from across the country to submit their work. Our partnership with WNDB underscores a critical element of the CWA program: to nurture the next generation of literary talent by supporting young writers from a variety of backgrounds. As the publishing industry continues to reckon with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the CWA program is an opportunity for PRH to support students from underrepresented backgrounds and encourage their involvement in the field. This program is one facet of our continued effort to elevate diverse perspectives and increase representation among our authors and staff.
The 2021 competition launches on December 2, and closes on March 2, 2021. Five first-place $10,000 prizes will be awarded in the categories of fiction/drama; poetry; personal essay/memoir; and spoken-word poetry, through the Maya Angelou Award. In recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered in New York City, the competition will award an additional first-place prize to the top entrant from the NYC area. Runners up will also be honored.
Established in 1993, the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards have awarded more than $2.8 million dollars to public high school students for their original compositions. To learn more about the program, please click here.
As Penguin Random House, we hold a collective belief that a diverse range of voices needs to be elevated and heard. Externally, we are committed to using our platform to amplify an even broader range of voices aligning even further with our mission to “create books for everyone.” Internally, we are working to build an inclusive and psychologically safe work environment for all employees.
We are guided by five core pillars that shape our DEI efforts across the business.
Leadership Investment:Hold leaders accountable for implementing PRH’s DEI vision, setting goals, achieving results, and being role models.
Diversity & Representation: Ensure that PRH attracts, sources, and recruits candidates who will help achieve our mission to “create books for everyone” responsibly and with authenticity.
Professional Development: Integrate DEI principles into talent development and retention efforts.
Psychological Safety & Belonging: Create a psychologically safe, inclusive environment through comprehensive Learning & Development programs and concise DEI communication.
Content & Marketplace: Demonstrate a measurable companywide increase in content we’re acquiring, publishing, and promoting from the widest range of contributors with the ultimate goal of publishing books that reflect the world we live in.
While these pillars have advanced our progress in establishing more inclusive business practices, there is still much more important work to do. Together with our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Councils, Employee Resource Groups, and leadership teams, we will continue our ongoing and evolving plan for action to achieve our aspiration of creating an inclusive corporate environment and publishing community.
U.S. (2020)
At Penguin Random House, we believe in and strive to create an environment of belonging and respect for all. We as individuals and as the collective leadership of this company recognize the urgent need to forge a path toward positive change. Black Lives Matter. Black Stories Matter and Black Voices Matter—and as publishers, we commit to using the powers of our creativity and ingenuity to lift those voices up in the world.
A list of anti-racist books and resources can be found here.
ONTARIO (2020)
Penguin Random House Canada is committed to doing our part to create a fairer society, including by promoting equitable access to meaningful and inspiring reading experiences for marginalized readers. In July 2020, we worked together with First Book Canada and the Raptors 905 basketball team to give one thousand copies of five books by Black authors, about Black characters, to two hundred grade five students in the team’s home region of Peel, Ontario. The kids will read one book a week for five weeks for a total of 905 minutes of reading, coming together at the end of each week to talk about what they’ve read with each other, the book’s author, and community leaders including representatives from Brampton’s Festival of Literary Diversity, with Raptors 905 Head Coach Jama Mahlalela leading the conversation. We’re grateful for the opportunity to help this group of young readers keep connected with each other, engaged with stories that reflect their own identities and experiences, and fired up by their imaginations this summer. To learn more about this program, click here.
