Erika Dickerson-Despenza wins 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

News
Written By Emmie Newitt
Erika Dickerson-Despenza

Erika Dickerson-Despenza has won the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play cullud wattah.

Dickerson-Despenza is a Black, queer feminist poet-playwright and cultural-memory worker from Chicago, Illinois who has won numerous awards for her work over the last 20 years. 

Her recent award, the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, was given the prize in a virtual ceremony presented by award-winning playwright Marsha Norman. Actor Paapa Essiedu announced the winning play, which comes with an award of $25,000 and a signed and numbered print by artist Willen de Kooning. 

Two special commendations were given to Kimber Lee’s The Water Palace and Ife Olujobi’s Jordans, with each writer awarded $10,000.

The winning afro-surrealist play cullud wattah, follows three generations of Black women living through the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, was originally set to open at the Public Theater in New York in 2020. It was postponed indefinitely by the pandemic. 

Emmie Newitt

Emmie is a Learning Support Assistant in a primary school and online content creator from the East Midlands, but her heart most definitely lies within the theatre. She trained in Dance and this is where her love for writing began. Emmie launched her own blog, Carpe Diem Emmie, in 2014 and it continues to be a thriving hub for the best in the East Midlands, especially when it comes to the art scene there. Emmie is a self-confessed theatre obsessive and is thrilled to be part of the West End Best Friend team!

https://www.carpediememmie.co.uk/
Previous

Live world premiere of musical PUBLIC DOMAIN to play in West End next month
Next

HERE COME THE BOYS transfers to the London Palladium