The Writers League of Texas has named the winners of its 30th annual awards.
“Everything that we do at the Writers’ League of Texas is about supporting and championing Texas writers and nothing is more emblematic of that than these annual book awards,” said Becka Oliver the League’s executive director. “This year especially, it’s an honor for us to be able to shine a bright light on these writers and… also the power of storytelling to transport us, challenge us, and guide us through even the most difficult of times.”
FICTION
Winner: “We Are All the Same in the Dark” by Julia Heaberlin
Finalists: “Crooked Hallelujah” by Kelli Jo Ford, “Simon the Fiddler” by Paulette Jiles, “Trust Me “by Richard Santos, “The Jetsetters” by Amanda Eyre Ward
Discovery Prize Winner: “Above Us the Milky Way” by Fowzia Karimi
NONFICTION
Winner: “The Dragons, the Giant, the Women” by Wayétu Moore
Finalists: “After the Last Border” by Jessica Goudeau, “The Museum of Whales You Will Never See” by A. Kendra Greene, “Perilous Bounty” by Tom Philpott, “Phallacy” by Emily Willingham
Discovery Prize Winner: “Pain Studies” by Lisa Olstein
POETRY
Winner: “Year of the Dog” by Deborah Paredez
Finalists: “Your New Feeling Is the Artifact of a Bygone Era” by Chad Bennett, “Simple Machines” by Jehanne Dubrow, “Anyone’s Son” by David Meischen, “Pandemia & Other Poems” by Edward Vidaurre
Discovery Prize Winner: “Maps of Injury” by Chera Hammons
MIDDLE GRADE / YOUNG ADULT
Winner: “Tigers, Not Daughters” by Samantha Mabry
Finalists: “BenBee and the Teacher Griefer” by K.A. Holt, “Dragon Ops” by Mari Mancusi, “The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street” by Cory Putnam Oakes, “A Wish in the Dark” by Christina Soontornvat
Discovery Prize Winner: “Mary and the Trail of Tears” by Andrea L. Rogers
PICTURE BOOK
Winner: “William Still and His Freedom Stories” by Don Tate
Finalists: “All of a Sudden and Forever” by Chris Barton, “Hard Work, but It’s Worth It” by Bethany Hegedus, “Huddle Up! Cuddle Up!” by Bethany Hegedus, “The Blunders” by Christina Soontornvat
Discovery Prize Winner: “For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World” by Michael W. Waters
