Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award
inaugural recipient - 2025
CYRÉE JARELLE JOHNSON
Cyrée Jarelle Johnson (he/him) is a poet, rootworker, diviner, and clinical herbalist from Piscataway, New Jersey. He is the author of several books, chapbooks, and zines including WATCHNIGHT (Nightboat Books, 2024) and SLINGSHOT (Nightboat Books, 2019). He runs balm in gilead herb shop in Kingston,
“In a world where disabled writers are more likely to be written about by caretakers than published themselves,” Cyrée Jarelle Johnson says, “I’m grateful to be the first recipient of the Kenny Fries Award so I can continue to commit to my work.”
Kenny says, “I chose Cyrée Jarelle Johnson as the inaugural award recipient because his poems explode the boundaries of language, subject, and form. His poems give us the opportunity to encounter those we usually do not meet in the pages of our poetry. He gives space to a wide array of people, places, and politics.
“After reading his work, I invited him to be part of “Disability Poetics,” the series of video readings and interviews with disabled poets I curated. I was riveted by his reading of ‘Eating the Other’ and our ensuing discussion.”
DISABILITY POETICS VIDEO FEATURING CYRÉE JARELLE JOHNSON
Photo: Sabrina Kee, 2025
“As a ‘pioneer’ of Disability Literature, as I age I’ve become increasingly concerned about the legacy of Disability Arts. My hope is this annual award will assist a disabled writer of a younger generation to become more widely known both in the Disability Arts community as well as in the arts world at large.”
ABOUT THE Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award
Acclaimed writer and Disability Arts pioneer Kenny Fries has launched the Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award to provide recognition and visibility to the next generation of disabled and/or Deaf writers. The inaugural recipient of this annual award was announced on September 22, 2025, Fries’s 65th birthday.
This marks not only Kenny’s 65th birthday, but also the beginning of an annual tradition to support and celebrate a next generation of disabled and/or Deaf writers.
Fries has established the Kenny Fries Literary Trust to administer the award each year. While alive, Fries will personally select the disabled and/or Deaf recipient. Upon his passing or inability to continue, the Trust’s executors will assume that responsibility.
DONATIONS & INQUIRIES
To support the Kenny Fries Disabled Writer Literary Award through donations, please contact Kenny Fries Literary Trust at kenny@kennyfries.com.