Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize

The Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize is an annual award presented by the New Literary Project to recognize mid-career writers of fiction.[1][2] "Mid-career writer" is defined by the project as "an author who has published at least two notable books of fiction, and who has yet to receive capstone recognition such as a Pulitzer or a MacArthur."[3] The prize, which carries a monetary award of $50,000, was established in 2017 and is administered by the New Literary Project, a collaboration of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation of Lafayette, California and the Department of English of the University of California, Berkeley.[4]

Each year the longlist of finalists for the prize – who are selected by publishers, agents, authors, and author representatives – is announced in the fall of the year before, and the shortlist in early spring of the presenting year. The winner of the award is then announced in late spring. The winner gives reading in the San Francisco Bay area and receives a two-week residency in Lafayette and Berkeley. Shortlisted finalists receive $2,000.[4]

The prize is named after author Joyce Carol Oates,[3] and has been referred to as the Simpson Family Literary Prize and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. Joyce Carol Oates is an honorary member of the project's board of directors, and has served several times as their artist-in-residence.[1] The choice of a prize for a mid-career writer was a considered one. Joseph Di Prisco, the project's founding chairman says "There are too damn many 'emerging writer' prizes — what about emerged writers? ... Ninety-five percent of publishers’ catalogs are made up of writers in the middle of their careers, but unless you're J. K. Rowling or Stephen King, you're not on the best-seller lists. You need support."[1]

The New Literary Project was founded in 2015 by the Lafayette Library, the UC Berkeley English Department, and the Contra Costa County Library.[4] Its purpose is to foster fiction writing through educational outreach in schools and universities, and to celebrate and support authors.[5]

Recipients

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Prize winners and finalists
Year Author Title Result Ref.
2017 T. Geronimo Johnson Welcome to Braggsville Winner [6]
2018 Anthony Marra The Tsar of Love and Techno Winner [6]
Ben Fountain Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Finalist [7]
Samantha Hunt The Dark Dark
Karan Mahajan The Association of Small Bombs
Martin Pousson Black Sheep Boy: A Novel in Stories
2019 Laila Lalami The Moor's Account Winner [6]
Rachel Kushner The Mars Room Finalist [8]
Valeria Luiselli Lost Children Archive
Sigrid Nunez The Friend
Anne Raeff Winter Kept Us Warm: A Novel
Amor Towles A Gentleman in Moscow
2020 Daniel Mason The Winter Soldier Winner [1][9]
Chris Bachelder The Throwback Special Finalist [10][11]
Maria Dahvana Headley The Mere Wife
Rebecca Makkai The Great Believers
Peter Orner Maggie Brown & Others
Dexter Palmer Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen
Kevin Wilson Nothing to See Here
2021 Danielle Valore Evans The Office of Historical Corrections Winner [12]
Jenny Offill Weather Finalist [13][14]
Darin Strauss The Queen of Tuesday
Lysley Tenorio The Son of Good Fortune
2022 Lauren Groff Matrix Winner [15][16]
Christopher Beha The Index of Self-Destructive Acts Finalist [17][18]
Percival Everett The Trees
Katie Kitamura Intimacies
Jason Mott Hell of a Book
2023 Manuel Muñoz The Consequences Winner [19]
Rabih Alameddine The Wrong End of the Telescope Finalist [20]
Clare Beams The Illness Lesson
James Hannaham Didn't Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta
David Means Two Nurses, Smoking
2024 Ben Fountain Devil Makes Three Winner [6][21]
Jamel Brinkley Witness Finalist [22][23]
Patricia Engel The Faraway World
Idra Novey Take What You Need
Bennett Sims Other Minds and Other Stories

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kosman, Joshua (2020-05-12). "Bay Area author and psychiatrist Daniel Mason wins $50,000 Joyce Carol Oates Prize". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  2. ^ Staff (March 5, 2020) "2020 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Finalists" Archived 2020-04-21 at the Wayback Machine Locus
  3. ^ a b "Joyce Carol Oates Prize" Archived 2021-12-16 at the Wayback Machine New Literary Project
  4. ^ a b c Staff (November 14, 2019) "2020 Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize Longlist Finalists Announced" Simpson Literary Project
  5. ^ https://www.newliteraryproject.org/) Archived 2021-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b c d "Joyce Carol Oates Prize". The New Literary Project. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  7. ^ "2018 JCO Finalists". New Literary Project. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  8. ^ "2019 JCO Finalists". New Literary Project. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  9. ^ "Awards: Joyce Carol Oates; Helen Bernstein". Shelf Awareness . 2020-05-13. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  10. ^ Yee, Katie (2020-03-05). "Here's the shortlist for the $50,000 Joyce Carol Oates Prize". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  11. ^ Schaub, Michael (2020-03-04). "Joyce Carol Oates Prize Shortlist Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2022-01-07. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  12. ^ "Awards: Ondaatje Shortlist; Joyce Carol Oates Winner". Shelf Awareness. 2021-04-27. Archived from the original on 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  13. ^ "Awards: Oates Finalists; Blue Peter Book Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2021-03-11. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  14. ^ Schaub, Michael (2021-03-10). "Finalists for Joyce Carol Oates Prize Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  15. ^ "Awards: Oates Winner; Jhalak Shortlists". Shelf Awareness. 2022-04-20. Archived from the original on 2022-06-24. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  16. ^ Firetog, Emily (2022-04-20). "Lauren Groff has won the 2022 Joyce Carol Oates Prize". Literary Hub. Archived from the original on 2023-09-29. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  17. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-03-07). "Finalists for Joyce Carol Oates Prize Announced". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  18. ^ "Awards: Joyce Carol Oates, PEN/Faulkner Fiction Finalists". Shelf Awareness. 2022-03-04. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  19. ^ Schaub, Michael (2023-04-18). "Manuel Muñoz Wins Joyce Carol Oates Prize". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  20. ^ "Awards: Joyce Carol Oates Finalists". Shelf Awareness. 2023-03-10. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  21. ^ "Awards: Joyce Carol Oates Winner". Shelf Awareness. 2024-05-09. Archived from the original on 2024-05-12. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  22. ^ "Awards: PROSE Winners; Women's Non-Fiction Shortlist; Joyce Carol Oates Finalists". Shelf Awareness . 2024-03-28. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
  23. ^ Schaub, Michael (2024-03-26). "Finalists for Joyce Carol Oates Prize Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
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