Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, and Celeste Rita Baker were revealed to be the winners in their categories at the World Fantasy Awards 2021 on November 7, 2021.
The World Fantasy Awards have been awarded annually for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year, organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, since 1975. Kacen Callender, Rivers Solomon, Nisi Shawl, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and Sheree Renée Thomas were finalists in 2020.
Doing the judging duties for 2021 were Tobias Buckell, Siobhan Carroll, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Brian Evenson, and Patrick Swenson. This panel has announced the winners of the awards and the writers of African descent who won in their categories were;
Best Novel
Trouble the Saints, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Tor)
Best Novella
Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)
Best Short Fiction
Glass Bottle Dancer, Celeste Rita Baker (Lightspeed 4/20)
Responses to the win were varied. Tochi Onyebuchi responded with the Tweet, “SIRI, PLAY THE LLOYD BANKS VICTORY FREESTYLE.”
Alaya Dawn Johnson said, “Huge congratulations to all the WFA winners! I want to say that I am a) absolutely bowled over, was not expecting this and b) my fellow nominees are all KNOCKOUT writers, truly brilliant, must reads.”
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