The Writers’ League of Texas (WLT), the largest literary arts organization in Texas with a forty-year history of supporting writers, has announced the Winners, Finalists, and Discovery Prize Winners for its WLT Book Awards, which celebrates books published in 2020 by Texas authors.

This is the WLT’s 30th year of celebrating these awards.  Since 1991, the WLT has showcased the accomplishments of Texas writers annually with this award. To be eligible, the author must be from or have lived for more than three years in Texas and the book must have a publication date within the calendar year being celebrated. For books published in 2020, Winners, Finalists, and Discovery Prize Winners were named in five categories with a total of thirty Texas writers honored. The Winners in each category receive a $1,000 cash prize and a commemorative award. The Discovery Prize Winners in each category receive a $250 cash prize.

The full list of 2020 WLT Book Awards Winners, Finalists, and Discovery Prize Winners are below and can be found on the WLT website here.

FICTION:

Winner:

We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin

Finalists:

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford, Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Jiles, Trust Me by Richard Santos, The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward

Discovery Prize Winner:

Above Us the Milky Way by Fowzia Karimi

NONFICTION

Winner:

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women by Wayétu Moore

Finalists:

After the Last Border by Jessica Goudeau, The Museum of Whales You Will Never See by A. Kendra Greene, Perilous Bounty by Tom Philpott, Phallacy by Emily Willingham

Discovery Prize Winner:

Pain Studies by Lisa Olstein

POETRY:

Winner:

Year of the Dog by Deborah Paredez

Finalists:

Your New Feeling Is the Artifact of a Bygone Era by Chad Bennett, Simple Machines by Jehanne Dubrow, Anyone’s Son by David Meischen, Pandemia & Other Poems by Edward Vidaurre

Discovery Prize Winner:

Maps of Injury by Chera Hammons

MIDDLE GRADE / YOUNG ADULT:

Winner:

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

Finalists:

BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by K.A. Holt, Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi, The Second-Best Haunted Hotel on Mercer Street by Cory Putnam Oakes, A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

Discovery Prize Winner:

Mary and the Trail of Tears by Andrea L. Rogers

PICTURE BOOK:

Winner:

William Still and His Freedom Stories by Don Tate

Finalists:

All of a Sudden and Forever by Chris Barton, Hard Work, but It’s Worth It by Bethany Hegedus, Huddle Up! Cuddle Up! by Bethany Hegedus, The Blunders by Christina Soontornvat

Discovery Prize Winner:

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters

“Everything that we do at the WLT is about supporting and championing Texas writers and nothing is more emblematic of that than these annual book awards. This year especially, it’s an honor for us to be able to shine a bright light on these writers and their wonderful books. Today’s announcement is a much-needed opportunity to celebrate not only these authors’ accomplishments but also the power of storytelling to transport us, challenge us, and guide us through even the most difficult of times.

This announcement and this chance to celebrate Texas authors means the world to us every year, of course, but we know that authors who published books in 2020 faced some extraordinary challenges and we are extra pleased to be able to shine a light on their achievements today.” Becka Oliver, Executive Director, Writers’ League of Texas