If there’s a single figure who represents every good thing about the DMV’s literary scene, it’s Richard Peabody. Whether through his mentoring and teaching (at the University of Maryland, University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins, and elsewhere); his shepherding of countless authors into the pages of Gargoyle Magazine; or his championing of DC women writers via multiple anthologies published by his own Paycock Press, he has left a mark on the area’s creative community that isn’t just indelible, it’s unparalleled.

That’s why Peabody — who is also the author of myriad works of prose and poetry — will receive the Independent’s Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2026 Washington Writers Conference.

The award, presented annually by the Independent’s board of directors, recognizes “a DC-based or -focused person who has made a long-term, significant contribution to the readers and writers of the Washington, DC, area and beyond, especially in ways that encourage others to contribute to and grow a literary community rich in independent thought and boundless curiosity.”

Past recipients are former Maryland poet laureate Grace Cavalieri; bestselling biographer Kitty Kelley; celebrated poet E. Ethelbert Miller; prolific author Paul Dickson; longtime Washington Post reporter/editor Eugene L. Meyer; author, teacher, and co-founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation Marita Golden; and author and co-founder/first president of the Independent David O. Stewart.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented by noted poet, novelist, and playwright Rose Solari during the 2026 Washington Writers Conference on Saturday, May 2nd, in Rockville, MD.