Leslie Marmon Silko, author portrait
© Courtesy of Leslie Marmon Silko

Leslie Marmon Silko

Leslie Marmon Silko was born in New Mexico in 1948 to a family whose ancestry includes Mexican, Laguna Indian, and European forebears. She is the author of ten books of fiction, poetry, and memoir, including Ceremony, Storyteller, Almanac of the Dead, Gardens in the Dunes, and The Turquoise Ledge. Considered by many as one of the most important contemporary Native American writers, Silko's honors include a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" fellowship, the Christopher Lightfoot Walker Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for significant contribution to American literature, and the Robert Kirsch Award from the Los Angeles Times for lifetime achievement by a writer whose work focuses on the American West. She has been named a Living Cultural Treasure by the New Mexico Endowment for the Humanities Council, and has also received the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas Lifetime Achievement Award.
Storyteller
Ceremony

Books

Storyteller
Ceremony

What is a “Classic?” Educator’s Guide Now Available

In honor of their 75th anniversary, Penguin Classics has partnered with #DisruptTexts, a renowned education organization that works to create a more inclusive, representative and equitable language arts curriculum for K-12 students. Facilitated by Penguin Random House (PRH) Education, this partnership includes a number of new initiatives focused on connecting with, and supporting, educators through

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The Penguin Classics and Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contests

Each year, Penguin Random House Education hosts two scholarship essay contests for high school students: The Signet Classics Essay Contest and the Penguin Classics Essay Contest. The Signet Classics Scholarship Essay Contest, established in 1996, is open to qualifying high school juniors and seniors. In 2018-2019, students were asked to respond to questions about The

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