RJFWA Women Writers Receive 2026 Literary Honors
Rachel Aviv (’10) was named a 2026 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Feature Writing for her piece “Second Life,” which appeared in The New Yorker. Ebony Flowers (’17) received a 2026 Howard Foundation Fellowship, and Helen Phillips (’09) won the 2026 Climate Fiction Prize.
(l-r): Rachel Aviv (photo: Molly Zacher), Ebony Flowers (photo: Cate Barry), Helen Phillips (photo: Andy Vernon-Jones)
Rachel Aviv (’10) is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes about psychology, medical ethics, and criminal justice, among other subjects. She is the author of You Won’t Get Free of It and Strangers to Ourselves, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Ebony Flowers (’17) is an award-winning cartoonist and educator. She is an Assistant Professor in Creative Writing, Fiction in the Department of English at Wake Forest University.
Helen Phillips (’09) is the author of six books, including, most recently, the novel Hum. Her novel The Need was longlisted for the National Book Award. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and she teaches at Brooklyn College.
