Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence is an annual national literary award designed to recognize rising African-American fiction writers. First awarded in 2007, the prize is underwritten by donors of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation in honor of the literary heritage provided by author Ernest J. Gaines, with the winner receiving a cash award ($15,000 as of 2020) "to support and enable the writer to focus on writing."[1] It has been described as "the nation's biggest prize for African-American writers".[2]
Past winners[edit]
Year | Author | Title | |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Olympia Vernon | A Killing in This Town | [5] |
2008 | Ravi Howard | Like Trees, Walking | |
2009 | Jeffrey R. Allen | Holding Pattern: Stories | |
2010 | Victor LaValle | Big Machine | [6] |
2011 | Dinaw Mengestu | How to Read the Air | [7] |
2012 | Stephanie Powell Watts | We Are Taking Only What We Need | [8] |
2013 | Attica Locke | The Cutting Season | [9] |
2014 | Mitchell S. Jackson | The Residue Years | [10] |
2015 | T. Geronimo Johnson | Welcome to Braggsville | |
2016 | Crystal Wilkinson | The Birds of Opulence | |
2017 | Ladee Hubbard | The Talented Ribkins | |
2018 | Jamel Brinkley | A Lucky Man | [11] |
2019 | Bryan Washington | Lot | [12][13] |
2020 | Gabriel Bump | Everywhere You Don't Belong | |
2021 | Nathan Harris | The Sweetness of Water | [14] |
2022 | Jacinda Townsend | Mother Country | [15] |
Panel of judges[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "About the Award". The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ Bass, Erin Z. (September 22, 2014). "A Lesson on Ernest Gaines". Deep South Magazine. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Winners". The Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ "Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence - Award Winning Books". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ Memmott, Carol (2007-02-14). "New voices: Ravi Howard - USATODAY.com". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ Davis, Kristy. "O's 2011 Summer Reading List | Big Machine", "Oprah.com", June 13, 2011.
- ^ Hatley, James. "Making Gaines" Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, 225, Louisiana, May 22, 2012.
- ^ Waddington, Chris (2015). "Nation's biggest prize for African-American writers goes to Stephanie Powell Watts". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ Waddington, Chris. "Novelist Attica Locke wins biggest U.S. award for African-American writers". NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune. Louisiana. October 29, 2013.
- ^ Brasted, Chelsea (January 23, 2015). "Mitchell S. Jackson accepts Ernest J. Gaines Award for his debut, 'The Residue Years'". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Chevel (January 23, 2019). "Jamel Brinkley wins Ernest J. Gaines Award recognizing African-American fiction writers". USA Today. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ Johnson, Chevel (January 30, 2020). "Houston writer Bryan Washington to receive Gaines Award". AP News. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bryan Washington wins Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence". The Advocate. 2019-11-16. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ Smyth, Lois; Verma, Mukul (2021-11-15). "The Sweetness of Water Wins 2021 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence". AALBC.com. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-11-30). "Jacinda Townsend Wins the Ernest J. Gaines Award". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-12-01.