During the second annual Harper’s Magazine Awards Ceremony, held on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the Morgan Library & Museum, author Natasha Trethewey spoke about the impact of John Edgar Wideman on her career. She recalled first reading Wideman’s 1992 novel Sent for You Yesterday, the third book in his Homewood Trilogy, which earned him a PEN/Faulkner Award.
Trethewey described how she sought Wideman’s mentorship while preparing for an MFA at the University of Massachusetts. After a discouraging comment from a poetry professor, she found in Wideman a supportive teacher who urged her to write “what you have to write.” The advice, she said, was a turning point that gave her permission to explore her identity and personal history through poetry.
She highlighted Wideman’s work on the intertwined stories of Emmett Till and his father, Lewis Till, in his book Writing To Save a Life, noting how it taught her the importance of giving voice to those often silenced. Trethewey also recalled hearing Wideman read his novel The Cattle Killing at UMASS, an experience that underscored the role of writers in confronting personal and public histories.
Wideman, a prolific author of more than twenty books across fiction, memoir and nonfiction, has been recognized as a master of language and a key figure in shaping the American literary canon. His receipt of the Lewis H. Lapham Award for Literary Excellence at the ceremony underscored his enduring influence.