- 1985: Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, Before Columbus
- 1991: MacArthur Fellowship (genius grant)
- 1995: PEN Center West Award for Fiction, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
- 2003: Texas Medal of Arts Award
- 2006: PEN/Nabokov Award, Caramelo
- 2015: Dayton Literary Peace Prize Lifetime Achievement Award
Honorary Degrees:
- Columbia College Chicago (2009)
- Knox College (2011)
- University of Michigan (2011)
- Smith College (2018)