Washington State Book Awards 2021!

Linda Johns/ September 10, 2021/ Books, Washington authors, Washington State Book Awards

We are delighted to announce the eight winners and 35 finalists for the 2021 Washington State Book Awards (for books published in 2021)!  Find the full list of 43 books from Washington authors and illustrators here. And here is a sneak peek at the winners:

The eight award winners are: Jess Walter for “The Cold Millions” (Fiction); E.J. Koh for “The Magical Language of Others” (Biography/Memoir); Clyde Ford for “Think Black” (Creative Nonfiction); Jennifer Haupt as editor for “Alone Together: Love, Grief and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19” (General Nonfiction); Phoebe Bosché, Anna Bálint, and Thomas Hubbard for “Take a Stand: Art Against Hate, a Raven Chronicles Anthology” (Poetry); Jennifer Longo for “What I Carry” (Young Adult Literature);. Sara Kapit for “Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!” (Books for Young Readers), and Jennifer K. Mann for “The Camping Trip” (Picture Book).

This is the 55th year for the state awards program, which was previously called the Governor’s Writers Awards. An award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance, and overall quality to an author who is a current resident of Washington state. 

Our goal for the Book Awards program has always been to celebrate Washington authors. This year we are thrilled to highlight many voices of Washington writers that truly capture this moment in time, from Alone Together, an essay collection about living through the COVID era with work from 21 Washington authors to Raven Chronicles’ Take a Stand: Art Against Hate, featuring pieces by more than 35 Washington authors. Seismic, a finalist in the General Nonfiction category, features work by 11 authors on how literary culture influences social change.

This year’s awards also honor Cassandra Tate, author of Unsettled Ground (General Nonfiction finalist), who died in June 2021. Tate, a journalist and historian, authored more than 200 essays for HistoryLink.

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