The Carl Brandon Society is pleased to announce the winners of our 2019 Parallax and Kindred Awards. “After a hiatus of several years, we’re very proud to once again highlight outstanding works of speculative fiction written by BIPOC authors—the Parallax—and focused on racial issues—the Kindred,” said CBS steering committee member K. Tempest Bradford.
The winner of the 2019 Carl Brandon Parallax Award is Pet by Akwaeke Emezi from Random House Children’s Books. The 2019 Carl Brandon Kindred Award winner is “Doll Seed” by Michele Tracy Berger published in FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. “The jury considers works published in the preceding year. So, these winners were published in 2019 and selected in 2020,” explained Carl Brandon steering committee member Candra K. Gill. “Both authors will receive a $1000 cash prize in addition to the physical award.”
The honors list for the 2019 Parallax Award is “Mister Dog” by Alex Jennings, “Kali_Na” by Indrapramit Das, “The Freedom of the Shifting Sea” by Jaymee Goh, “Harvest” by Rebecca Roanhorse, A Spectral Hue by Craig Laurence Gidney, and David Mogo: God Hunter by Suyi Davies Okungbowa.
The honors list for the 2019 Kindred Award is Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender, “Blood Is Another Word for Hunger” by Rivers Solomon, “Burn the Ships” by Alberto Yáñez, and “A Brief Lesson” in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse.
2019 jury members were Jacqueline A. Gross, Julia Rios, J.G. Stewart, and Yang-Yang Wang.
Details of the upcoming online presentation ceremony will be forthcoming soon.
For jury statements on the awards’ winners and honors lists and a list of previous winners, please visit carlbrandon.org/awards. Nominations for the 2020 Parallax and Kindred Awards are now open; access the nominations form there also.
–The Carl Brandon Society Steering Committee
Nominations open again–our awards are back!
Here’s the Official Press Release:
$1000 LITERARY AWARDS REINSTITUTED
The Carl Brandon Society is proud and happy to announce the reinstitution of the Carl Brandon Brandon Parallax and Kindred Awards. These two literary awards are given annually to outstanding works of speculative fiction. The Carl Brandon Parallax Award goes to the best speculative fiction created by a person of color in the preceding calendar year. The Carl Brandon Kindred Award goes to the work of speculative that best explores and expands our understanding of race in the preceding calendar year; its creator may be of any racial or ethnic background. Each award includes an award plaque, a check for US$1000, and the opportunity to participate in the award ceremony.
UPDATED: Nominations for works to be considered for the 2019 Parallax and Kindred Awards are open as of March 6, 2020, and they now close May 8, 2020. Nomination forms are electronic only, and are available via a link on the awards page on our website or directly here. The first Carl Brandon Parallax and Kindred Awards were presented 2006 for Walter Mosley’s novel 47 and Susan Vaught’s novel Stormwitch, respectively. The Awards continued through 2011; for a complete history, please visit the awards page.
Founded in 1999, the Carl Brandon Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction. We administer the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund and operate a list serve supporting the growing presence of People of Color in the imaginative genres.
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Please nominate! Please share the grand news of the awards’ return widely!
Beacon press seeks artist for graphic novel of Octavia Butler’s Kindred
Via racalicious:
For many years, Beacon Press, a nonprofit book publisher since 1854, has had the privilege of publishing Octavia Butler’s Kindred, the story of a modern black woman transported through time to the antebellum South. Octavia Butler died tragically in 2006; those familiar with her life and work know how singular and important her legacy remains. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the novel, and Beacon is deeply honored to announce a collaboration with the Butler estate to produce a graphic adaptation of Kindred. The press is currently inviting proposals from cartoonists who appreciate Octavia Butler’s legacy, and reflect her commitment to social justice in their own work.
Those interested in discussing a proposal should email the editor of the Graphic Books list, Allison Trzop, at atrzop AT beacon DOT org. The deadline is March 16.
