Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s novel When We Were Birds was declared the winner of the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award 2023 on Thursday, September 28, 2023.
The Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, founded in 2017, is for a novel written in English and published the previous year in the UK. It is awarded annually to a compelling novel, of any genre – from romance and thrillers, to historical, speculative, and literary fiction – with brilliant characterisation and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realised. Goldsboro Books is a bookstore founded by David Headley and Daniel Gedeon in 1999; they have branches in London and Bristol, UK. Abi Daré was on the shortlist in 2021.
The award this year was judged by Goldsboro Books staff led by David Headley, Goldsboro Books co-founder and MD. They announced the shortlist for this year’s award on July 27 before Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s novel When We Were Birds was named the winner on Saturday. The book was praised by the judging team as being “radiant and powerful”.
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo tweeted, “Yayy! Go, little book 🦜”
Banwo receives £2,000 and a handmade glass bell.
Leave a Reply