December 13, 2009
The Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, announces the winners and finalists of the 2009 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for their outstanding contribution to literature in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry.
The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award recognizes and honors before the national community of Black writers the work of their peers, thus, speaking to the world at large and the nominated writers, about the profound significance, necessity, and genius of Black writers and the stories they tell. A panel of published authors in each genre reviewed submissions and selected one winner from each category.
The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2009 Recipients are:
- Fiction
WINNER: Uwem Akpan
Say You’re One of Them (Little, Brown and Company)
FINALIST: Jeffery Renard Allen
Holding Pattern (Graywolf Press)
FINALIST: Jesmyn Ward
Where the Line Bleeds (Bolden Books)
- Non Fiction
WINNER: Frank Wilderson
Incognegro (South End Press)
FINALIST: Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Beautiful Struggle (Spiegel & Grau)
FINALIST: Paula J. Giddings
Ida: Sword Among Lions (Amistad)
- Poetry
WINNER: Myronn Hardy
The Headless Saints (New Issues Poetry & Prose)
Hurston/Wright is the nation’s resource center for writers, readers, and supporters of Black literature. And thanks to the generosity of organizations such as Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Group USA, we provide services and guidance for Black writers and readers at every stage of their development. Our annual programs include the nation’s only multi-genre summer residency workshop for writers of African descent with a tuition free component for high school students; the first national award presented to published writers of African descent by their peers; an award for excellence to Black college writers; community awards to businesses, educators or cultural leaders that have demonstrated their commitment to African American literature; and a three week tuition-free writers workshop for high school students followed by monthly classroom and online instructions during the academic school year.
Once again we wish to give special thanks to our many supporters who include Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Group USA, Maryland State Senator David C. Harrington, The Morris & Gwendloyn Cafritz Foundation, Prince George’s County Council Member Andrea Harrision, and a host of individual donors for their generous support. For more information about Hurston/Wright visit our website at www.hurstonwright.org.
Mahogany Books
September 4, 2009
The Venus Pen by Tanya Hodges
Late last fall, EbonyJet.com announced the online only re-launch of the popular Gertrude Johnson Williams Short Story Fiction Competition, a project initially started in 1990 by JPC’s founder, John H. Johnson. The competition was named in tribute to Mr. Johnson’s mother, Gertrude Johnson Williams, an avid fan of reading and supporter of the literary arts.
The response was, in a word, overwhelming. Hundreds of entries streamed in within hours of announcing the contest, with the bulk showing up just prior to the final deadline.
In the past, a small group of noted judges made an initial cut from the entries, and the editors of Ebony selected the final winners. This time we decided to reverse the process. Eric Easter and Terry Glover of EbonyJet.com made the preliminary cuts to the semi-finalist round, and a team of star authors including mystery writer Walter Mosley, novelist Trey Ellis, author Sandra Jackson-Opoku and Ebony senior writer Joy Bennett (daughter of Lerone Bennett, Jr.) scored the final selections.
The final competition was tight, with only fractions of a score separating the final winner from the five finalists. But in the end the story with the highest score was The Venus Pen, by Alabama amateur writer and substitute teacher, Tanya Hodges.
The text of the story appears in the July issue of Ebony Magazine.
Ebony Jet
January 2, 2009
Here are the nominees and winners (in bold) from the 2008 African American Literary Awards Show
Fiction
- Eric Jerome Dickey – PLEASURE
- Victoria Christopher Murray – Too Little Too Late
- Karen E. Quinones Miller – Passin
- Kimberla Lawson Roby – One In A Million
Science Fiction
- Tananarive Due – Blood Colony
- Stefanie Worth – Where Souls Collide
- LA Banks – Bad Blood (Crimson Moon Novels)
- Brandon Massey – The Other Brother
Magazine – Non Literary
- (Oprah) Magazine
- Uptown Magazine
- Black Enterprise
- Upscale Magazine
Magazine – Literary
- Booking Matters
- SLR
- Mosaic Literary
- Harlem World
Mystery
- Walter Mosley – The Tempest Tales
- Jean Holloway – Ace Of Hearts
- Angela Henry – Diva’s Last Curtain
- Valerie Wilson Wesley – Of Blood and Sorrow: A Tamara Hayle Mystery
Romance
- Francis Ray – Only You (St. Martin’s Press)
- Brenda Jackson – Her Little Black Book (St. Martin’s Griffin)
- Trice Hickman – Unexpected Interruptions
- Beverly Jenkins – Jewel (Avon Books)
Christian Fiction
- Kendra Norman Bellamy – Battle of Jericho
- Dwan Abrams – Divorcing The Devil (Urban Books)
- Sherri Lewis – My Soul Cries Out (Urban Books)
- Jacqueline Thomas – Jezebel (NAL Hardcover)
Street Fiction
- J.M. Benjamin – Ride Or Die Chick
- Jason Poole – Victoria’s Secret
- Mikal Malone – Pitbulls In A Skirt
- Dutch – Dutch: The Finale
Erotica
- Zane – Honey Flava
- Allison Hobbs – Climax
- Risque – The Sweetest Taboo: A Novel
- Hazel Mills – Bare Necessities: Sensuous Tales of Passion
Biography/Memoir
- C. Vivian Stringer – Standing Tall
- DaShaun “Jiwe” Morris – War of the Bloods in My Veins: A Street Soldier’s March Toward Redemption
- Felicia “Snoop” Pearsons – Grace After Midnight: A Memoir
- Stacey Patton – That Mean Old Yesterday
Non-Fiction
- Mayme Hatcher Johnson – Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson
- Lily Ratliff – The Life of a Lily: Growing in His Strength, Blooming in His Love
- Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins – The Bond
- Tony Dungy – Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, & Priorities of a Winning Life
Children’s /Young AdultBooks
- Denene Milner & Mitzi Miller – Hotlanta No. 1
- Sharon M. Draper – November Blues
- Stephanie Perry Moore – Pressing Hard: Perry Sky Jr. Series #2
- L. Divine – Frenemies
Poetry
- Valerie Washington – Soul Passion
- Alice Walker – Why War Is Never a Good Idea
- Jill Scott – The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours: The Poetry of Jill Scott
Self-Help
- Hill Harper – Letters To A Young Sister
- Dawn Marie Daniels & Candace Sandy
- Terrie M. Williams – Black Pain
- Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint – Come on People
Cookbooks
- G. Garvin – Make It Super Simple
- Willey Mullins – Salad Makes The Meal
- Wilbert Jones – Smothered Southern Foods
Humorist Award of the Year (Stand Up Comic)
- Sherri Sheppard
- Katt Williams
- Steve Harvey
- Mike Epps
Comedy Book Author of the Year
- Pat G’Orge-Walker – Somewhat Saved
- Finesse Mitchell – Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much: A Brother’s Take on Dating and Mating for Sistas
- Tamara A. Johnson-George – Player HateHer: How to Avoid the Beat Down and Live in a Drama-Free World
- Henri Edmonds – The Georgia Avenue Bus
Break-out Author Of The Year
- Darn Oldham – Scent Of An Angel
- Carleen Brice – Orange Mint and Honey: A Novel
- Terrance Dean – Hiding In Hip Hop
- Dutch – Dutch: The Finale
Short stories/Anthologies
- Stacy Hawkins Adams, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Linda Hudson-Smith – THIS FAR BY FAITH
- Renee Alexis, Sydney Molare and Fiona Zedde – Satisfy Me Again -
- Zane – Succulent: Chocolate Flava II
- Tracy Price-Thompson, TaRessa Stovall, Elizabeth Atkins and Desiree Cooper- Other People’s Skin: Four Novellas
Comic Strip
- Keith Knight – The K Chronicles
- Ray Billingsley – Curtis
- Robb Armstrong – Jump Start
- Stephen Bentley – Herb & Jamaal
Author of the Year - Female
- Victoria Christopher Murray – Too Little Too Late
- Nikki Turner – Black Widow: A Novel (Nikki Turner Original)
- Diane McKinney-Whetstone – Trading Dreams at Midnight- Harper Collins
- Virginia DeBerry & Donna Gant – Gotta Keep on Tryin’
Author Of the Year – Male
- Eric Jerome Dickey – Pleasure
- Walter Mosley – The Tempest Tales
- Shannon Holmes – Bad Girlz 4 Life
- J.D. Mason – You Gotta Sin to Get Saved
Self-published Author of the Year
- Brittani G. Williams – Sugar Walls
- Elissa Gabrielle – The Triumph Of My Soul
- Shani Greene-Dowdell – Mocha Chocolate: Taste A Piece of Ecstasy
- Dutch – Dutch: The Finale
Independent Publishing House of the Year
- KNB Publications
- The Cartel Publications
- Urban Books
- Xpress Yourself Publishing
Publishing House of the Year
- Simon & Schuster
- Random House
- Kimani Press
- HarperCollins
Book Club of the Year
- OOSA
- Sugar & Spice
- The Virtuous Women Book Club
- Black Expressions
Television Writer of the Year
- Angela Nissel – Scrubs
- Shonda Rhimes – Grey’s Anatomy
- Mara Brock Akil – The Game
- Ali LeRoi – Everybody Hates Chris
Screenwriter of the Year
- Tyler Perry – Meet The Browns
- Malcolm D. Lee – Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
- David E. Talbert – First Sunday
The African American Literary Awards Show
June 6, 2008
The third annual Glyph Comics Awards (GCAs), honoring the best in black comics and creators, will once again take place at the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC) in Philadelphia. The Awards Committee is pleased to announce this year’s nominees, as judged by the following:
- Rich Watson, GCA Committee Chair and writer for PopCultureShock.com
- Cheryl Lynn Eaton, comics journalist and founder of the Ormes Society
- Prof. William Foster, comics historian and lecturer
- Tony Isabella, comics writer and columnist
- Katherine Keller, editor-in-chief, Sequential Tart
The nominees for the 2008 Glyph Comics Awards are:
Story of the Year
Hunter’s Moon, James L. White, writer, Dalibor Talajic and Sebastian Cardoso, artists
Nat Turner: Revolution, Kyle Baker, writer and artist
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow, James Sturm, writer, Rich Tommaso, artist
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, Percy Carey, writer, Ronald Wimberly, artist
Welcome to Tranquility, Gail Simone, writer, Neil Googe, artist
Best Writer
Percy Carey, Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm
Dwayne McDuffie, Fantastic Four
Gail Simone, Welcome to Tranquility
James Sturm, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow
James L. White, Hunter’s Moon
Best Artist
Kyle Baker, Nat Turner: Revolution
Olivier Coipel, Thor
Georges Jeanty, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Ronald Wimberly, Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm
Best Male Character
Emmet Wilson, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow; James Sturm, writer, Rich Tommaso, artist
Luke Cage, New Avengers; Brian Michael Bendis, writer, Leinil Francis Yu, artist
MF Grimm, Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm; Percy Carey, writer, Ronald Wimberly, artist
Nat Turner, Nat Turner: Revolution; Kyle Baker, writer and artist
The Spectre, Tales of the Unexpected; David Lapham, writer, Eric Battle & Prentis Rollins, artists
Best Female Character
Amanda Waller, Checkmate; Greg Rucka, writer, Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson, artists
Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Martha Washington, Martha Washington Dies; Frank Miller, writer, Dave Gibbons, artist
Saida Nri, Adrenaline; Tyler Chin-Tanner, writer, James Boyle & Fabio Redivo, artists
Thomasina Lindo, Welcome to Tranquility; Gail Simone, writer, Neil Googe, artist
Rising Star Award
Marguerite Abouet, Aya
Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman, Monster Attack Network
Mark Haven Britt, Full Color
Klio, SPQR Blues
Korby Marks, Stormbringers
Best Reprint Publication
Aya, Drawn & Quarterly; Chris Oliveros, publisher, Helge Dascher, translator
Beyond Premiere HC, Marvel; Tom Brevoort, editor
It Rhymes With Lust, Dark Horse; Mike Richardson, publisher
Storm Premiere HC, Marvel; Axel Alonso, editor
Stormwatch: Post Human Division V1, DC/Wildstorm; Ben Abernathy, editor
Best Cover
Blade #5, Marko Djurdjevic, illustrator
Highwaymen #1, Brian Stelfreeze, illustrator
JSA Classified #28, Steve Uy, illustrator
Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, Ronald Wimberly, illustrator
Special Forces #2, Kyle Baker, illustrator
Best Comic Strip
Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Candorville, Darrin Bell, writer and artist
Funny Cartoon of the Week, Kyle Baker, writer and artist
The K Chronicles, Keith Knight, writer and artist
Watch Your Head, Cory Thomas, writer and artist
Once again, fans will be able to vote for their favorite black comic in the poll for the Fan Award for Best Comic. This year’s nominees are:
Fantastic Four: The New Fantastic Four, Dwayne McDuffie, writer, Paul Pelletier & Rick Magyar, artists
JSA Classified #28, Fabian Nicieza, writer, Steve Uy, artist
New Warriors #1-6, Kevin Grevioux, writer, Paco Medina & Juan Vlasco, artists
Squadron Supreme: Hyperion vs. Nighthawk, Marc Guggenheim, writer, Paul Gulacy, artist
Stormwatch: Post Human Division, Christos Gage, writer, Doug Mahnke and Andy Smith, aritsts
write-in choice
The poll is now up at the ECBACC website (http://ecbacc.com/wordpress/?page_id=76) and will remain open until March 31, 2008.
ECBACC 2008 will take place May 16-17 at Temple University’s Anderson Hall in Philadelphia. For more information about the GCAs, e-mail Rich Watson at cptsisko318@aol.com.
About the Glyph Comics Awards:
The Glyph Comics Awards recognize the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color from the preceding calendar year. While it is not exclusive to black creators, it does strive to honor those who have made the greatest contributions to the comics medium in terms of both critical and commercial impact. By doing so, the goal is to encourage more diverse and high quality work across the board and to inspire new creators to add their voices to the field.
The awards are named for the blog Glyphs: The Language of the Black Comics Community at Pop Culture Shock (http://glyphs.popcultureshock.com), started in 2005 by comics journalist Rich Watson as a means to provide news and commentary of comics with black themes, as well as tangential topics in the fields of black science-fiction/fantasy and animation.
About ECBACC:
The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), in association with the Temple University Pan-African Studies Community Education Program, is an annual gathering of comic book creators and retailers who create and sell material that caters to black readers of all ages. In addition to selling their work, they also take part in panel discussions and self-publishing workshops for aspiring creators. The convention is held on the Temple University campus in Philadelphia each May. ECBACC is an outgrowth of the original Black Age of Comics Convention in Chicago, founded by Turtel Onli.
