Roxane Gay Wins PEN USA’s Freedom to Write Award

Everybody's favorite bad feminist has just won one hell of an award: the PEN USA's Freedom to Write Award. For any number of nearly endless reasons, Gay was chosen because she "demonstrated exceptional courage in the defence of free expression."

Gay first rose to prominence this past year with the release of her essay collection, Bad Feminist. She has also written the acclaimed collection Ayiti and the novel An Untamed State. As a recognizable and respected voice in the writing community, Gay has continually used her writing to fight on behalf of the LGBT community, women, people of color, and anybody who has ever felt marginalized.

Whether it's on a website she writes for, one of the classes that she teaches, or even on Twitter, Gay has proven that she's a true ally to all. Her voice is singular, and one that the world needs.