The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award 2025 longlist was announced on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award recognizes outstanding works of fiction that capture a distinctly “American Voice.” Established in 2016, it honors fiction published in the previous calendar year and includes a $25,000 cash prize. The award aims to celebrate modern voices that reflect contemporary American experiences, much like Twain’s iconic work, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Previous winners include Dawnie Walton and Jesmyn Ward.
The 2025 edition has a jury of novelist and memoirist Esmeralda Santiago, 2023 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award recipient Alice McDermott, National Book Award-winning author Phil Klay, Twain scholar Lawrence Howe, and critic and short story writer Rand Richards Cooper. They announced the longlist which features the following writers of African descent;
- Big Jim and the White Boy, David F. Walker
- Devil is Fine, John Vercher
- Dixon, Descending, Karen Outen
- Entitlement, Rumaan Alam
- James, Percival Everett
- Sky Full of Elephants, Cebo Campbell
The shortlist will be announced in August, followed by the finalists in September. The winner will be honored at a special celebration in Hartford in November.
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