Congratulations to Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, whose debut novel A Kind of Freedom has been nominated for a National Book Award for Fiction!
National Book Award fiction judges Alexander Chee, Dave Eggers, Annie Philbrick, Karolina Waclawiak and Chair Jacqueline Woodson have named A Kind of Freedom one of ten books nominated this year.
If that news isn’t quite enough to move this debut to the top of your to-be-read pile, A Kind of Freedom was also a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice following a rave review in those pages.
People magazine recently gushed, “Brilliantly juxtaposing World War II, the ’80s and post-Katrina present, Sexton follows three generations of a black New Orleans family as they struggle to bloom amid the poison of racism. The author’s deep knowledge of her city and unerring ear for dialogue help bring her unforgettable characters to life.”
The Washington Post calls the novel a “moving debut… ingeniously told,” The San Francisco Chronicle also highly recommended the book—and that’s just the beginning of what you’ll read and hear about Margaret Wilkerson Sexton this fall.
Kirkus calls Natashia Deón a “powerful new voice in American fiction,” and recognizes Grace as one of the best fiction books of 2016. Read the full review here.
Tod Goldberg, author of Gangsterland, received the 2016 Silver Pen Award from the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. Read more about the announcement here.
Authors Abby Geni (The Lightkeepers) and Rebecca Kauffman (Another Place You’ve Never Been) make the 2016 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Long List. Read article here.
Joshua Mohr, Steven Nightingale, and Peter Coyote nominated for 2016 Northern California Book Awards
Lauret Savoy‘s book Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape has been shortlisted for Stanford University Libraries’ 2016 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. The prize commemorates the life, legacy, and intentions of William Saroyan and is intended to encourage new or emerging writers. View the full shortlist here.
Congratulations Lauret!
The Southern Independent Booksellers Association announced the shortlist for 2016 Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, and Wendell Berry‘s book Our Only World: Ten Essays is a finalist for the Death of Santini Nonfiction Prize. The winners will be announced on July 4.
Congratulations Wendell!
The 2016 Colorado Book Awards named Steven and Joyce Singular‘s book The Spiral Notebook: The Aurora Theater Shooter and the Epidemic of Mass Violence Committed by American Youth a finalist in the Creative Nonfiction category. The Colorado Book Awards honors outstanding Colorado authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers. View the full list of finalists here.
Congratulations Steven and Joyce!
Ann Pancake‘s story collection Me and My Daddy Listen to Bob Marley: Novellas and Stories was named a finalist for the 2015 Weatherford Award for Best Appalachian Books in the fiction category. See the full list of winners and nominees here.
Congratulations Ann!
