The James Beard Foundation has announced its 2024 Media Award nominees, and The University of Tulsa’s Switchyard magazine has received two nominations in the categories of Food Coverage in a General Interest Publications and Foodways. “The Beard Awards are the Oscars of the food industry,” said Switchyard editor Ted Genoways, “so to receive two nominations for our special Food Issue is an incredible honor.”
Switchyard’s first nomination is in the category of Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication, which recognizes excellence in food and/or drink writing, reporting, and presentation in a general interest site or print publication, with judges evaluating each entry for overall breadth and depth of coverage. Other nominees in this category include Garden & Gun and The Bitter Southerner.
Switchyard also received a nod for the Foodways category for Jori Lewis’ essay “Tell Me Why the Watermelon Grows.” This award recognizes the importance of culture and history in food journalism. Lewis won a James Beard Award last year for her book “Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History.” Her essay for Switchyard has also been selected for the next volume of Best American Food and Travel Writing.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 8, 2024.
In the meantime, the next issue of Switchyard will be released at Switchyard at Mayfest, May 8-11, 2024, in the Tulsa Arts District. This is the second year for the Switchyard literary and music festival and will focus on rural America. Speakers include New York Times bestselling authors Timothy Egan, Monica Potts, Jeff Sharlet, and activists Bill McKibben and Jane Kleeb, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott.
Switchyard at Mayfest tickets begin at just $10 per event. The university offers an all-event VIP pass for $100, which also includes access to VIP areas of Mayfest as well as tickets to two concerts at Cain’s Ballroom: Waxahatchee on May 8 and The Great Divide on May 11. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit switchyardmag.com or tulsamayfest.org.
Switchyard is an award-winning magazine and podcast of literature and ideas sponsored by The University of Tulsa. The magazine features eye-opening essays, moving fiction, soul-stirring poetry, and honest, thought-provoking conversation, with the goal of digging into the past and dreaming of rich, new futures.
The James Beard Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture and champion a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability. Established over 30 years ago, the foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities.