Los Angeles Times Announces Winners of 44th Annual Book Prizes
Hosted by Times Columnist LZ Granderson, the evening ceremony recognized outstanding literary achievements in 13 categories
The Los Angeles Times tonight announced the winners of the 44th annual Book Prizes in a ceremony at USC’s Bovard Auditorium. The Times’ Book Prizes recognize outstanding literary achievements and celebrate the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers.
Winners were announced in 13 categories for works published last year, including the new prize for achievement in audiobook production, presented by Audible. Additionally, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley was honored with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement and Access Books received the Innovator’s Award for its work renovating school libraries and ensuring that underserved students and communities have access to quality literacy resources. A complete list of this year’s Book Prizes winners follows.
2023 Book Prizes Winners
- Achievement in Audiobook Production (presented by Audible): Dion Graham and Elishia Merricks, “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin): A Memoir,” Macmillan Audio
- Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction: Shannon Sanders, “Company: Stories,” Graywolf Press
- Biography: Gregg Hecimovich, “The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative,” Ecco/HarperCollins
- Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose: Claire Dederer, “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,” Knopf
- Current Interest: Roxanna Asgarian, “We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America,” Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Fiction: Ed Park, “Same Bed Different Dreams: A Novel,” Random House
- Graphic Novel/Comics: Emily Carroll, “A Guest in the House,” First Second
- History: Joya Chatterji, “Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century,” Yale University Press
- Mystery/Thriller: Ivy Pochoda, “Sing Her Down: A Novel,” MCD
- Poetry: Airea D. Matthews, “Bread and Circus: Poems,” Scribner
- Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction: Tananarive Due, “The Reformatory: A Novel,” Saga Press
- Science & Technology: Eugenia Cheng, “Is Math Real? How Simple Questions Lead Us to Mathematics’ Deepest Truths,” Basic Books
- Young Adult Literature: Amber McBride, “Gone Wolf,” Feiwel & Friends
For more information about the Book Prizes, including the complete list of 2023 finalists and past winners; eligibility and judging information; and how to make a tax-deductible donation in support of the annual literary awards, go to latimes.com/BookPrizes.
The Book Prizes ceremony is a prologue to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, the nation’s largest literary festival, which will bring together more than 550 writers, experts and storytellers, hundreds of exhibitors and an estimated 155,000 attendees. The 29th annual Festival of Books is presented in association with USC. Festival news and updates are available on the event website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles (#bookfest).
