The Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ) named Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora the winner of the 2018 Parnassus Award.
A cover from the journal Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora
Edited by Professor of English Duriel Estelle Harris and printed at Illinois State University’s Publication Unit, Obsidian is an international journal dedicated to the work of peoples and ideas that have migrated across the globe from Africa.
The Parnassus Award honors significant literary, editorial achievement that constitutes an unusually high realization of the creative arts journal’s mission in combination with application of the highest standards of learned editorial practice.
“The judges were impressed by the quality of the poetry, short fiction, criticism, and the visual arts in Obsidian,” noted CELJ Vice President John Duvall, who announced the award at the annual Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention in Chicago. “They particularly commended the vitality and vision of the issue Speculating Futures: Black Imagination and the Arts. The perspectives offered here consistently disrupt the expected, question the accepted, and disturb the complacent.”
Honored with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Obsidian offers a platform for globalization and diversity, in line with the University’s core values in Educate Connect Elevate: Illinois State–The Strategic Plan for Illinois’ First Public University 2018-2023.
For additional information on Obsidian, visit the website at Illinois State.
