Virginia State University Professor Nominated For Pulitzer Prize
VSU celebrates Dr. Latorial Faison for her powerful poetry collection that has garnered national recognition.
VSU celebrates Dr. Latorial Faison for her powerful poetry collection that has garnered national recognition.
Virginia State University is proud to announce that Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Languages & Literature, Dr. Latorial Faison, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for her new book, Nursery Rhymes in Black.
Dr. Faison was nominated by the University of Alaska Press, which published the book after it was named the winner of the 2023 Permafrost Poetry Book Prize. The book was released on July 15, 2025.
“It’s an honor to have my new book, Nursery Rhymes in Black, nominated for the Pulitzer,” Dr. Faison said. “This collection is deeply tied to the heart and history of who I am as a Black woman in America. I am grateful to trailblazers like Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, and Nikki Giovanni, whose voices carved the path, kept the light on, and made this moment possible.”
Nursery Rhymes in Black is a poetic recollection of race, roots, culture, and identity. Blending tradition, memory, and resistance, the book reimagines familiar childhood rhymes through the lens of Black history and Dr. Faison's lived experience.
The book has received acclaim from some of the most esteemed voices in literature, including Dr. Joanne Gabbin, founder of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, as well as Judy Juanita, Glenis Redmond, Trudier Harris, and Cedric Tillman, who praised Dr. Faison's work for its powerful and nuanced portrayal of Black life and family.
A proud VSU alumna, Dr. Faison has authored more than sixteen books, including Mother to Son, 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History, and The Missed Education of the Negro: An Examination of the Black Segregated Education Experience of Southampton County, 1950–1970.
The Pulitzer Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in American literature. Dr. Faison's Pulitzer Prize nomination highlights the significance of her literary contribution and affirms VSU's commitment to nurturing voices that illuminate Black life, memory, and resilience for the next generation.
Winners of the 2026 Pulitzer Prizes are expected to be announced in early May 2026.