Category: United States
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Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2026 Nominees Announced
The nominees for the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award were announced in Sweden on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Among the candidates are writers, illustrators, storytellers, reading promoters, and organizations of African descent. Astrid Lindgren was a Swedish author best known for her beloved children’s book series featuring characters such as Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga,…
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Book Digest: Moraa Gitaa, Kamilah Cole, Nikesha Elise Williams, Siphiwo Mahala
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Moraa Gitaa, Kamilah Cole, Nikesha Elise Williams, Siphiwo Mahala, and Siyabonga Njica. The Case of the Jinxed Giraffe by Moraa Gitaa Publisher: Redhot AfricaGenre: FictionLanguage: EnglishWhere to find it: Storymoja Africa Moraa Gitaa Moraa Gitaa is a Kenyan novelist, born in Mombasa. She is also a…
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PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 2026 Longlist Announced
Carrie R. Moore, Addie E. Citchen, and S.A. Cosby are on the longlist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction 2026, announced on Monday, February 2, 2026. The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, first awarded in 1981, is presented annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year’s best works of fiction by living US…
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Migwi Mwangi wins Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize 2026
Migwi Mwangi was announced the winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize 2026 on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. Agnes Lynch Starrett (1893–1983) was an educator, author, and the first director of the University of Pittsburgh Press. A Pitt alumna and English professor, she compiled the university’s sesquicentennial history, Through One Hundred and Fifty Years…
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Jesmyn Ward is Prix Montluc Résistance et Liberté 2026 Finalist
Jesmyn Ward’s novel is a finalist for the Prix Montluc Résistance et Liberté 2026. The announcement was made on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Prix Montluc Résistance et Liberté honors an author—French or foreign—whose work questions modern methods of fighting oppression or represents an act of resistance itself. The prize, which includes a €5,000 award, was…
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Rickey Fayne on PEN/Hemingway Award 2026 Longlist
Rickey Fayne’s novel The Devil Three Times is on the longlist for the 2026 PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, announced on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel is awarded annually to a full-length novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book…
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US National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 Finalists Announced
The US National Book Critics Circle announced its 2025 award finalists on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. Here are the writers of African descent who made the cut. Since 1974, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has honored the best books published in English in the United States across six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry,…
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PEN America Elects Dinaw Mengestu As President
PEN America has elected novelist Dinaw Mengestu as its new president on Wednesday, December 17. He will begin a two-year term, succeeding author and LGBTQ+ activist Jennifer Finney Boylan. PEN America champions free expression, uniting writers and readers to defend the freedom to write and speak out against censorship, both in the U.S. and globally,…
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US National Book Critics Circle Awards 2025 Longlists Announced
The US National Book Critics Circle has announced its 2025 award longlists. The lists were revealed from December 15 to 19, 2025. Since 1974, the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has honored the best books published in English in the United States across six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism. Finalists are nominated…
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Book Digest: Amon Chizema, Yejide Kilanko, Brionni Nwosu, Marvellous Michael Anson
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Amon Chizema, Yejide Kilanko, Brionni Nwosu, and Marvellous Michael Anson. The Land Remembers by Amon Chizema Publisher: Troubador PublishingPublication Date: November 28, 2025Genre: FictionLanguage: EnglishWhere to find it: Troubador Publishing Amon Chizema Amon Chizema, who was born and bred in Zimbabwe, is a Professor of Corporate…
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Maaza Mengiste Supports PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025
Maaza Mengiste has lent her voice to PEN International’s Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2025 campaign by writing a letter of solidarity to Venezuelan journalist and activist Rory Branker. The Day of the Imprisoned Writer is an annual initiative established by PEN International to show solidarity with writers, poets, journalists, and publishers who are jailed,…
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Book Digest: Esther Karin Mngodo, Serubiri Moses, Tochi Onyebuchi, Christopher John Farley
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Esther Karin Mngodo, Serubiri Moses, Tochi Onyebuchi, and Christopher John Farley. The Witness of Nina Mvungi by Esther Karin Mngodo Publisher: Hanging Loose PressDate: December 1, 2025Genre: FictionLanguage: English (translated from Kiswahili)Where to find it: Itasca Books Esther Karin Mngodo Esther Karin Mngodo was born in…
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N.K. Jemisin Named Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) named N.K. Jemisin the latest recipient of its Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award on Sunday, November 16, 2025. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, founded in 1965, is a non-profit organization that supports writers through advocacy, promotion, and resources, and hosts the annual Nebula Awards.…
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Literary Magazines: Hummingbird, Transition, Fiyah, Isele
New editions of Hummingbird Journal, Transition Magazine, Fiyah Magazine, and Isele Magazine are available for your reading pleasure. The Hummingbird Journal The Hummingbird Journal is a digital literary and arts journal based in Ghana, dedicated to amplifying the voices of Ghanaian and African writers and artists. It publishes a range of work, including poetry, prose,…
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US National Book Award 2025 Winners Announced
Omar El Akkad, Roxane Gay, and Patricia Smith won at the US National Book Awards 2025 in New York, USA, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The US National Book Awards are literary awards from the Northern American nation’s National Book Foundation, established in 1936. They are conferred on fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young…