Honoring the finest books on popular music from around the world, the 2023 Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award is now accepting submissions at rockhall.lnk.to/Gleason. The prize is proudly presented by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, and the Pop Conference. The deadline to apply is January 18, 2023.
Underwritten by Jann S. Wenner in honor of Rolling Stone magazine cofounder Ralph J. Gleason, the award honors books that showcase passionate writing and scholarship across lines of criticism, journalism, and academia—the combination that marked pioneer music critic Gleason’s work up until his death in 1975.
“After successfully reviving the Ralph J. Gleason award last year, we are excited to open the submissions for the 2023 award and celebrate literary voices that reflect the diversity of rock & roll and popular music,” said Jason Hanley, Vice President of Education and Fan Engagement, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“This award honors new culture-shaping storytellers who share Gleason’s passion for music and its ability to build connections between people, bring important voices to the forefront, and make significant societal change.”
A shortlist of the best music books of 2022 will be unveiled in April 2023 at the Pop Conference in New York City, with winners to be announced in the early fall. The winners will share the prize of $10,000.
On December 9th, the Rock Hall will host a virtual Author Series event with Daphne A. Brooks, whose book Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound earned the 1st place prize in 2022. This program will air on the Rock Hall’s YouTube channel.
To apply and to read more about eligibility and rules, visit rockhall.lnk.to/Gleason. To learn more about Pop Con, the premier music-writing and popular-music-studies conference, visit https://popconference.org/.
The Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award advisory board is chaired by writer Holly George-Warren, and includes writers RJ Smith (Chuck Berry: An American Life), Carl Wilson (Slate), Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music/NYU Chair Jason King, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame VP of Education Jason Hanley, and academics Kimberly Mack (University of Toledo) and Eric Weisbard (University of Alabama). Judges will rotate yearly. This year’s judges are Anthony DeCurtis, Sasha Geffen, Daniel Goldmark, Tammy Kernodle, and Kira Thurman.
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