Celebrating Excellence: Highlights from the Last Five Years of BCALA Literary Award Winners
- Dec 21, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 7
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards stand as a powerful tribute to the depth, innovation, and cultural resonance of African American literature. Honoring distinguished works in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and beyond, the BCALA Awards are affirmations of voice, vision, and artistic excellence.
For writers seeking to enter this esteemed arena, a close study of previous winners offers an invaluable advantage. Examining the thematic boldness, narrative originality, and social impact of past honorees provides a clear sense of what earns distinction in this highly competitive field. These works serve as touchstones, modeling the kind of literary achievement that not only moves readers but expands the scope of African American storytelling.
What follows is a curated list of BCALA Literary Award winners from the past five years, offering aspiring applicants a roadmap to success. These texts reflect a wide range of forms, genres, and voices, yet they share a common thread: each one speaks with urgency, authenticity, and an unflinching commitment to truth. Use these works not only as inspiration but as insight into what it means to write with excellence, intention, and lasting impact.
2024 BCALA Literary Award Winners
The 2024 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards continued their tradition of honoring outstanding works by African American authors across multiple categories. These awards recognize literary excellence, cultural relevance, and bold contributions to the canon of Black literature.
Fiction Award
The Trees by Percival Everett
A darkly comic and sharply intelligent novel that weaves a provocative narrative around the legacy of racial violence in America. Everett’s fearless storytelling blends satire with historical critique, making The Trees a standout in contemporary fiction.
Nonfiction Award
South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation by Imani Perry
Perry’s deeply reported and lyrical exploration of the American South interrogates identity, memory, and belonging. This work blends history, memoir, and cultural analysis, offering an unflinching portrait of the region’s complexities.
First Novelist Award
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
A powerful debut that traces generations of women in one Memphis family, this novel captures themes of trauma, resilience, and legacy. Stringfellow’s poetic prose and emotional depth mark her as a significant new voice in fiction.
Poetry Award
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
This arresting debut collection by the Somali British poet explores migration, girlhood, motherhood, and belonging. Shire’s imagery is raw, intimate, and unforgettable, solidifying her reputation as one of the most vital poets of her generation.
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation
Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings by Randall Kenan
This posthumous collection captures the breadth and brilliance of Kenan’s voice, blending essays, fiction, and cultural commentary that celebrate Black life, queerness, and the Southern experience with wit and intellectual power.
2023 BCALA Literary Award Winners
The 2023 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards celebrated a dynamic range of literary voices whose work reflects the richness and urgency of the African American experience. From historical fiction to investigative nonfiction, debut novels to acclaimed poetry, this year’s winners exemplify the excellence, depth, and social resonance the awards were established to honor.
Fiction Award
Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Inspired by true events, this compelling novel follows a Black nurse in 1970s Alabama who uncovers a devastating injustice in the healthcare system. Take My Hand explores medical racism, autonomy, and the moral courage required to confront systemic abuse.
Nonfiction Award
His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Through deeply reported journalism and humanizing narrative, this biography of George Floyd examines the social, economic, and political forces that shaped his life and death. The book serves as a powerful reckoning with racial injustice in the United States.
First Novelist Award
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Wilkerson’s debut novel spans continents and generations as it unravels a family’s hidden history following the death of a matriarch. With lyrical storytelling and nuanced characters, Black Cake offers a rich exploration of identity, inheritance, and resilience.
Poetry Award
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire
Recognized in both 2023 and 2024 for its remarkable impact, Shire’s debut continues to resonate. Her poems explore displacement, femininity, trauma, and healing with a raw, mythic intensity that redefines the boundaries of contemporary poetry.
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation
Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings by Randall Kenan
This expansive posthumous collection of essays and fiction offers a profound window into Kenan’s literary brilliance. Spanning themes of Southern life, queerness, and Black cultural identity, the volume affirms his lasting contribution to American letters.
2022 BCALA Literary Award Winners
The 2022 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards honored a bold and resonant slate of works that captured the complexity, beauty, and endurance of the African American experience. These award-winning titles reflect not only literary excellence but a profound engagement with history, identity, and the urgent questions of our time.
Fiction Award
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
A sweeping generational epic, Jeffers’ debut novel is both intimate and expansive, exploring race, legacy, and the long shadow of American history. Its lyrical narrative and historical breadth earned it recognition as both the Fiction Award winner and First Novelist honoree, a rare and remarkable dual achievement.
Nonfiction Award
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Building upon the groundbreaking New York Times project, this anthology reframes American history by placing the legacy of slavery at its center. Featuring essays, poetry, and fiction by a diverse roster of Black voices, the book challenges foundational myths and offers a more honest national narrative.
First Novelist Award
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Awarded in both the Fiction and First Novelist categories, Jeffers' debut exemplifies the literary power and cultural resonance the BCALA seeks to uplift.
Poetry Award
The Renunciations by Donika Kelly
In this searing and tender collection, Kelly explores survival, reclamation, and the body’s capacity for transformation. Her poetry confronts personal and generational trauma with clarity, mythic vision, and emotional grace.
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation
Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019
Edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, this collaborative history spans 400 years of African American life through the voices of 90 writers. Each contributor pens a five-year segment, offering a kaleidoscopic yet cohesive portrait of resistance, resilience, and cultural impact.
2021 BCALA Literary Award Winners
The 2021 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards recognized a diverse and influential group of authors whose works probe the intricacies of identity, justice, and memory. This year's winners span a range of genres and styles, unified by their literary excellence and cultural significance.
Fiction Award
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Bennett’s acclaimed novel explores themes of racial passing, family bonds, and personal reinvention through the story of twin sisters whose lives diverge drastically. Rich in nuance and intensely character-driven, The Vanishing Half examines the cost of self-erasure in pursuit of freedom.
Nonfiction Award
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
In this timely and poignant reflection, Glaude channels Baldwin’s voice to grapple with America’s enduring racial crisis. Blending biography, political commentary, and personal meditation, the book offers a call to moral reckoning and collective responsibility.
First Novelist Award
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Reid’s debut novel sharply critiques performative allyship, privilege, and the racial dynamics of domestic work and digital culture. With wit and layered social insight, Such a Fun Age sparked national conversation and established Reid as a bold new voice in fiction.
Poetry Award
Felicity by Mary Oliver
This posthumous recognition honors Oliver’s final collection, a luminous meditation on love, presence, and the sacred found in the everyday. Though more commonly associated with nature writing, Oliver’s poetry continues to resonate with readers across generations.
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
Based on decades of investigative reporting and interviews, this definitive biography presents a sweeping and intimate portrait of Malcolm X. Completed by Tamara Payne after her father’s death, the book stands as a monumental contribution to both historical scholarship and American letters.
2020 BCALA Literary Award Winners
The 2020 Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Awards celebrated a robust lineup of authors who explored injustice, identity, resilience, and imagination across genres. Each award highlights voices that not only demonstrate literary mastery but also challenge readers to engage with urgent and enduring questions about the Black experience.
Fiction Award
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
A harrowing novel based on the real-life horrors of a reform school in Jim Crow–era Florida, Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work examines abuse, injustice, and the haunting aftermath of institutional violence. The Nickel Boys cements Whitehead’s legacy as a literary force illuminating America’s darkest truths.
Nonfiction Award
Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope by Albert Woodfox
In this unforgettable memoir, Woodfox recounts his wrongful imprisonment and 40 years in solitary confinement as one of the Angola Three. His story is a testament to human endurance, political awakening, and the power of dignity in the face of dehumanization.
First Novelist Award
A Particular Kind of Black Man by Tope Folarin
Folarin’s coming-of-age debut navigates the complexities of cultural identity, immigration, and familial expectation through the eyes of a Nigerian American boy in Utah. The novel explores the dissonance between self-perception and social labels with poetic insight.
Poetry Award
1919 by Eve L. Ewing
Drawing on the 1919 Chicago race riots, Ewing blends archival research with imaginative lyricism to explore the legacy of racial violence and Black resistance. The collection is both a historical reckoning and a visionary act of reclamation.
Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
James’ genre-defying fantasy novel, inspired by African mythology, reimagines the hero’s journey through a brutal and hallucinatory epic. Its bold narrative structure and immersive world-building mark a landmark achievement in speculative fiction and Black storytelling.
The Growing Impact of the BCALA Literary Awards
The 2025 BCALA Literary Awards once again proved why these honors matter deeply. This year’s winners included The Trees by Percival Everett (Fiction), South to America by Imani Perry (Nonfiction), Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow (First Novelist), and Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire (Poetry), with an extraordinary publishing citation awarded to Black Folk Could Fly: Selected Writings by Randall Kenan. The awards were announced at the 2025 ALA Conference in Philadelphia, spotlighting work that challenges, confronts, and ultimately expands the canon.
In a move that speaks directly to where publishing is headed, BCALA also partnered this year with the Indie Author Project to increase the prize for their Self-Publishing eBook Award to $5,000—a significant shift that recognizes the power and legitimacy of indie authorship in today’s literary landscape.
Since 1994, the BCALA awards have celebrated books that tell the truth—unflinchingly, beautifully, and with purpose. And in the last two years, that mission has only grown stronger. With five primary categories (plus special citations) honoring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and debut voices, these awards showcase not just the breadth of talent but also the depth and dimensionality of Black storytelling.
If you're a writer wondering where your voice fits, pay close attention. The BCALA awards are a blueprint for what bold, necessary literature can look like today. And a reminder that your story, told your way, just might be next.
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