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Seattle, WA, April 2, 2025 The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee is honored to announce the winners of the 2020 Parallax and Kindred Awards. “Despite the considerable delay in our announcement,” said Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee member Nisi Shawl, “we are excited to honor the writers our jurors selected after rigorous review and discussion.”

The Carl Brandon Parallax Awards are given to outstanding works of speculative fiction created by self-identified people of color. This award includes a $1,000 cash prize. Past winners include Akwaeke Emezi, Andrea Hairston, and Karen Lord, to name a few.

The winners of the 2020 Carl Brandon Parallax Award are The Space Between Worlds, by Micaiah Johnson, from Del Rey, an imprint of Penguin Random House, for the long form category and “The Genetic Alchemist’s Daughter,” by Elaine Cuyegkeng, included in Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, from Omnium Gatherum Media for the short form category.

The 2020 Carl Brandon Kindred Award winners are Deathless Divide, by Justina Ireland, from Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, for the long form category and “Exile’s End,” by Carolyn Ives Gilman, from Reactor Magazine, for the short form category.

“The jury considers works published in the preceding year. So these winners were published in 2020, the jury deliberated in 2021, and then the pandemic complicated matters  for us,” explained Carl Brandon steering committee member Yang-Yang Wang. “All winning authors will receive a $1,000 cash prize in addition to the physical award.”

The honors list for the 2020 Parallax Award is Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn, “12 Worlds Interrupted by the Drone,” by Fargo Tbakhi, A Phoenix Must Burn, edited by Patrice Caldwell, and “A Guide for Working Breeds,” by Vina Jie-Min Prasad.

The honors list for the 2020 Kindred Award includes Ring Shout, by P. Djèlí Clark, and “Sunless Halls,” by Donyae Coles.

The 2020 Carl Brandon Society Parallax and Kindred Awards jury members were Evelyn Teng, Emily Teng, Julia Rios, Maria Velazquez, and Chloe Wiggins.

We are grateful to the Short Story Club for the donation that made it possible for us to expand our awards to recognize short stories and novels separately, and to our other donors who help us continue that separate recognition.

About the Carl Brandon Society:

Founded in 1999, the Carl Brandon Society works to foster understanding and recognition of the contributions of people of color to the speculative fiction genre. Through awards, scholarships, and programming, the Society advocates for greater diversity in speculative literature.

Media Contact:
Carl Brandon Society
Email: info@carlbrandon.org
Website: www.carlbrandon.org

We’re pleased to announce that volunteers from Oregon literacy nonprofit SMART Reading will be on hand at the BIPOC Book Fair to offer assistance to kids and teens in attendance in choosing books based on their interests. In addition, parents, teachers, and other adult attendees will get the opportunity to learn more about SMART Reading’s programs, the organization’s Children’s Book Bank, and opportunities for kids, schools, and volunteering.

The BIPOC Book Fair features books for kids ages 3 to 17 from all genres–including adventure, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, non-fiction, and more–all written by BIPOC authors with BIPOC characters. In addition to books available for sale, children and teens attending the book fair will select a book of their choice to take home free. (Get your tickets here!)

“SMART Reading is excited to partner with the BIPOC Children’s Book Fair,” says SMART Reading Program Director, Rashelle Chase-Miller. “Our mission is to bring the magic of a shared book to kids, and we believe that all children deserve access not only to quality literature, but to books that reflect and affirm their identities, families, communities and cultures. We look forward to helping children explore and find books to love at the Book Fair, and to sharing about our programs with families and community members!”

“Ensuring that every child can take home a book regardless of finances was a high priority for me in putting together this book fair,” says K. Tempest Bradford, author and Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee President. “I also felt that it was really important to give kids agency in choosing the book they want instead of having specific titles in a free pile. When I learned that SMART Reading has the same values around helping kids build their own personal libraries I knew they had to be involved.”

We hope to sell all the books the fair has to offer, but we anticipate some will be left over by the end of the event.  We’re raising funds so that CBS can purchase and donate any extra books to the Children’s Book Bank at SMART Reading, local schools, and other literacy programs.

Books will be sold by Sistah Scifi, the first Black-owned bookstore focused on science fiction and fantasy in the United States.

Attendees will be able to meet and get autographs from award-winning local BIPOC authors:

• Nisi Shawl (Speculation)
• David F. Walker (Naomi: Season One and Season Two)
• Anita Crawford (Old to Joy)
• Diana Ma (Heiress Apparently and The Unbeatable Lily Hong)
• Brian W. and Josie A. Parker (The Wonderous Science and Crow in the Hollow) 
• K Tempest Bradford (Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion)

BIPOC Book Fair Details:

• When: December 23rd from 12 – 4PM
• Where: Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232
• Tickets: $5/person for attendees ages 3 and older – Order Online
  • Families who cannot afford the ticket price may request a fee waiver.
• A limited number of tickets will be available at the door.
• Masks are required for all attendees.