Introducing our 2024 Winners and Finalists…

Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Anthony Grooms sitting in front of a white wood panel wall.

Alt. Text: Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Anthony Grooms sitting in front of a white wood panel wall.

Biography

Winner: The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker by Mark Beaver

Finalist: Jumpman: The Making and Meaning of Michael Jordan by Johnny Smith

GAYA Biography Winner Mark Beaver standing in front of a black rock.

Alt. Text: GAYA Biography Winner Mark Beaver standing in front of a black rock.

The book cover for The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker, which depicts a mirrored image of two women each praying in front of a cross.

Alt. Text: The book cover for The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker, which depicts a mirrored image of two women each praying in front of a cross.

Children’s Book

Winner: You So Black by Theresa Tha Songbird

Finalist: Elodie Meets Guber the Ghost by P. E. Waring and Illustrated by Matea Anic

GAYA Children’s Book Winner Theresa Tha Songbird sitting on a maroon sofa.

Alt. Text: GAYA Children’s Book Winner Theresa Tha Songbird sitting on a maroon sofa.

The book cover for You So Black, which depicts two black individuals looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Alt. Text: The book cover for You So Black, which depicts two black individuals looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Detective/Mystery & Science Fiction

Winner: Murder in Drury Lane by Vanessa Riley

Finalist: Crypto: A John Wesley O'Toole Novel by William Rawlings

GAYA Detective/Mystery & Science Fiction Winner Vanessa Riley standing in front of a pink and white marble wall.

Alt. Text: GAYA Detective/Mystery & Science Fiction Winner Vanessa Riley standing in front of a pink and white marble wall.

The book cover for Murder in Drury Lane, which reads the title in white text and a gold fence barricading a gray building.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Murder in Drury Lane, which reads the title in white text and a gold fence barricading a gray building.

First Novel

Winner: Red Clay Suzie by Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Finalist: The Bystanders by Dawn Major

GAYA First Novel Winner Jeffrey Dale Lofton sitting on a black backdrop and looking to his left.

Alt. Text: GAYA First Novel Winner Jeffrey Dale Lofton sitting on a black backdrop and looking to his left.

The book cover for Red Clay Suzie, which shows a black tractor and painted green grass with pink, red, and yellow flowers.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Red Clay Suzie, which shows a black tractor and painted green grass with pink, red, and yellow flowers.

History

Winner: Oconaluftee: The History of a Smoky Mountain Valley by Elizabeth Giddens

Finalist: Poor Atlanta: Poverty, Race, and the Limits of Sunbelt Development by LeeAnn Lands

GAYA History Winner Elizabeth Giddens standing against a gray background.

Alt. Text: GAYA History Winner Elizabeth Giddens standing against a gray background.

The book cover for Oconaluftee: The History of a Smoky Mountain Valley, which depicts a golden sunset cascading over a dark green mountain range.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Oconaluftee: The History of a Smoky Mountain Valley, which depicts a golden sunset cascading over a dark green mountain range.

Inspirational

Winner: Captured By Love by Lee Ellis

Finalist: Hello Anxiety My Old Friend by Natalie Kohlaas

GAYA Inspirational Winner Lee Ellis standing in front of a white fence, which blocks off the surrounding woods.

Alt. Text: GAYA Inspirational Winner Lee Ellis standing in front of a white fence, which blocks off the surrounding woods.

The book cover for Captured by Love, which depicts a red heart-shaped lock against a light blue and white background.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Captured by Love, which depicts a red heart-shaped lock against a light blue and white background.

Literary Fiction & Short Story Collection

Winner: Bengal Hound by Rahad Abir, Edited by Kimberley Lim

Finalist: One Blood by Denene Millner

Alt. Text: GAYA Literary Fiction & Short Story Collection Winner Rahad Abir standing in front of trees with orange leaves.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Bengal Hound, with the title in yellow letters with a teal shadow and an orange background.

Memoir

Winner: More Than I Imagined: What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew by John Blake

Finalist: The Way from Me to Us by Mike Coleman

GAYA Memoir Winner John Blake standing against a gray gradient background.

Alt. Text: GAYA Memoir Winner John Blake standing against a gray gradient background.

The book cover for More Than I Imagined, with a photo of a boy on the orange side, and a photo of a woman on the turquoise side.

Alt. Text: The book cover for More Than I Imagined, with a photo of a boy on the orange side, and a photo of a woman on the turquoise side.

Poetry Chapbook

Winner: LIFE OF THE MIND by Julia Knowlton

Finalist: Cold Remembered: and other poems by David R. Altman

GAYA Poetry Chapbook Winner Julia Knowlton sitting against a blue, white, orange, and yellow patterned brick wall.

Alt. Text: GAYA Poetry Chapbook Winner Julia Knowlton sitting against a blue, white, orange, and yellow patterned brick wall.

The book cover for LIFE OF THE MIND, which displays tan, brown, and red paint swatches against a beige background.

Alt. Text: The book cover for LIFE OF THE MIND, which displays tan, brown, and red paint swatches against a beige background.

Poetry Full-Length Collection

Winner: Tender Headed by Olatunde Osinaike

Finalist: The Anxiety Workbook by Christina Olson

GAYA Poetry Full-Length Collection Winner Olatunde Osinaike standing against a tan wall.

Alt. Text: GAYA Poetry Full-Length Collection Winner Olatunde Osinaike standing against a tan wall.

The book cover for Tender Headed, in which the book’s title is in white text, and is surrounded by brown designs of various men’s heads and bordered by a blue and orange frame.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Tender Headed, in which the book’s title is in white text, and is surrounded by brown designs of various men’s heads and bordered by a blue and orange frame.

Romance

Winner: A Laird without a Past by Jeanine Englert

Finalist: Reunited with the Children's Doc by Susan Carlisle

GAYA Romance Winner Jeanine Englert standing against a tan wall.

Alt. Text: GAYA Romance Winner Jeanine Englert standing against a tan wall.

The book cover for A Laird without a Past, which shows a man and a woman embracing one another on a shore.

Alt. Text: The book cover for A Laird without a Past, which shows a man and a woman embracing one another on a shore.

Specialty

Winner: Black on Black: On Our Resilience and Brilliance in America by Daniel Black

Finalist: Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea: Asian Inspired, Southern Style by Natalie Keng

GAYA Specialty Winner Daniel Black sitting in a brown chair against a black and brown background.

Alt. Text: GAYA Specialty Winner Daniel Black sitting in a brown chair against a black and brown background.

The book cover for Black on Black, in which the title is emphasized in black, brown, peach, and tan text.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Black on Black, in which the title is emphasized in black, brown, peach, and tan text.

Young Adult

Winner: Into the Light by Mark Oshiro

Finalist: Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker

GAYA Young Adult Winner Mark Oshiro standing against a dark gray background.

Alt. Text: GAYA Young Adult Winner Mark Oshiro standing against a dark gray background.

The book cover for Into the Light, which depicts orange flowers, yellow mushrooms, and green leaves blooming from a green head silhouette, which also has a black silhouette of a person inside.

Alt. Text: The book cover for Into the Light, which depicts orange flowers, yellow mushrooms, and green leaves blooming from a green head silhouette, which also has a black silhouette of a person inside.