A legacy of healing, literature, and justice
On August 6, 2025, the McKnight Foundation named Carolyn Holbrook the recipient of its prestigious Distinguished Artist Award, honoring the writer, educator, and literary activist for her decades-long impact on Minnesota’s cultural and artistic landscape. Known for her deep commitment to nurturing marginalized voices and creating spaces of healing through storytelling, Holbrook’s recognition is a testament to the power of literature as a vehicle for justice, self-discovery, and community transformation.
Holbrook describes this award as an affirmation; one of a woman who has built literary communities from the ground up, mentored hundreds of writers, and chronicled the pain and beauty of Black life in Minnesota with the honesty of a griot and the heart of a mother.
“If I must say anything, I want people to know that it’s never too late to start. I didn’t publish my first book until I was in my 50s. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s too late.”
Born in Ann Arbor, MI, but long home to the Twin Cities, Holbrook’s path into writing was anything but easy. Becoming a single mother of five by the time she was in her mid thirties, she rebuilt her life after leaving a violent marriage, raising her children while discovering the transformative power of writing. That writing would later become a lifeline, not just for her, but for countless others.
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I just knew I had stories in me. I started writing to understand my own life, to heal, and somehow, it became a calling.”
Holbrook’s writing is richly personal and politically potent. Her 2020 memoir, “Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify,” is both an elegy and a testimony. The book weaves together stories of trauma, racism, family, and healing with the clarity of someone who has lived many lives. It went on to win the 2021 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir and Creative Nonfiction, cementing Holbrook’s place as a leading literary voice in the Midwest.
“Storytelling saved me, and it saves others, too. When you write your truth, you liberate yourself and give others permission to do the same.”
This belief has guided her founding of three organizations: The Whittier Writers’ Workshop in 1981, SASE: The Write Place in 1993, and More Than a Single Story in 2016. Born out of frustration with the tokenism she witnessed in literary spaces, Holbrook’s vision was simple but radical: create spaces where writers of color could talk to each other without being framed by whiteness. “We needed spaces to speak to one another, to be whole and multifaceted.”
Since its founding, More Than a Single Story has blossomed into a beloved institution, hosting panels, workshops, and mentoring programs. In partnerships with libraries, The Givens Collection, In Black Ink and others, emerging and established writers of color are encouraged to share not only their work, but their wisdom, struggles, and dreams. Holbrook, ever the quiet anchor, has remained at the center, guiding with a gentle but unwavering hand.
“We are more than what the dominant narratives say we are. I wanted to build something that showed our fullness, our brilliance, and especially… excellence.”
The McKnight Foundation echoed this in its announcement, noting Holbrook’s unique ability to cultivate community and foster creativity among underrepresented writers. Their recognition acknowledges her as a bridge between generations, between genres, and between art and activism.
Holbrook’s reach is expansive and persisting. Her impact reverberates through generations. She has taught creative writing at Hamline University and Minneapolis College, The Loft Literary Center as well as in community venues.
“When I teach young people, I’m not just teaching writing. I’m offering a mirror. I want them to see their own worth and their own power through their own stories.”
In her 80s now, Holbrook remains unwavering in her commitment to transformation through words. When asked what this award means to her at this stage in her life, she said:
“It feels like a blessing. Not just for me, but for every person who’s ever been told their voice doesn’t matter. This award tells us it does,” she exclaimed. “The literary world has not been kind to Black women… We’ve had to carve our own paths. And we still do.”
Despite her many accolades which include the Minnesota Book Awards Kay Sexton Award and the MN Book Award in Memoir and Creative Nonfiction, Holbrook says the Distinguished Artist Award is not one she ever expected to receive. She said that after spending so much of her literary life lifting others up rather than promoting her own work, she grew comfortable as a vessel–behind the scenes.
However, the award is well deserved, and she says for the first time–she will get to experience both restorative and creative rest, removed from demand, and rooted in intention. A pause she shared she’s longed for.
“If I can do anything, it’s to make sure the door stays open for those coming behind me,” she says. “That’s what I’ve always wanted.”
As Minnesota celebrates Carolyn Holbrook’s legacy, the reverberations of her work continue to unfold… in classrooms, on bookshelves, in community spaces, and in the lives of those who have found healing through her voice.
For more information, visit www.carolynleeholbrook.com
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses at jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com