EC Osondu has been announced as the winner of the BOA Short Story Fiction Prize 2019 today, August 20, 2019, for his short story Alien Stories.
BOA Editions is a United States publisher of poetry and other literary works founded by the late poet, editor, and translator A. Poulin Jr in 1976. BOA Editions identifies, cultivates, and publishes both new and established poets and selects authors of unique literary talent. One of its programs is the BOA Short Story Fiction Prize founded in 2010 where writers submit stories and the best of these are compiled into an anthology.
The 2019 BOA Editions winner has been announced; it is EC Osondu for his short story Alien Stories.
Award judge Peter Conners said of the winning story, “with nimble dexterity and startling originality, E.C. Osondu shifts from Africa to America to outer space, uniting us all as ‘aliens’ within a complex and interconnected universe.”
EC Osondu is the author of the short story collection Voice of America and the novel This House is Not For Sale. In addition to the BOA Short Fiction Prize, he is a winner of the Caine Prize, a Pushcart Prize, and a Pushcart Special Mention, among other awards.
Speaking about his win Osondu said, “thank you, BOA Editions, for opening your arms and giving a home to Alien Stories. (It is) Particularly poignant because these are for the most part stories about characters who seesaw between finding a home and being cast out. Thank you for helping Alien Stories make its way into the often alienating world in which we live today.”
The United States-based Nigerian goes home with a US$1,000 honorarium and is featured in the BOA Editions anthology.
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