The 2018 Georgia Author of the Year Awards was held this past Saturday, June 16th, at the Kennesaw State University Continuing Education Center. There were 124 nominees in 13 categories.
Over 200 authors and literary enthusiasts attended the banquet and ceremony. We would like to congratulate the GAYA winners, finalists, and honorable mention for their outstanding literary achievements.
Please find below a list of the award recipients in order by category.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sharan Strange
POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Thomas Lux
Category: CHILDREN’S BOOK
Winner: Vickie McEntire, Little Bird & Myrtle Turtle
Finalist: Dan Carlton, Ollie and the Wise Old Owl
Category: DETECTIVE/MYSTERY
Winner: Roger Johns, Dark River Rising
Finalist: Maggie Toussaint, Dadgummit
Category: FIRST NOVEL
Winner: Peter McDade, The Weight of Sound
Finalist: Christopher Swann, Shadow of the Lions
Category: HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
Winner: Dawn Peterson, Indians in the Family: Adoption and the Politics of Antebellum Expansion
Finalist: Mehrsa Baradaran, The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap
Category: INSPIRATIONAL
Winner: Deborah Malone, Blooming in Broken Places
Finalist: Candace L. Long, The Ancient Path to Creativity and Innovation: Where Left and Right Brains Meet
Category: LITERARY FICTION
Winner: Man Martin, The Lemon Jell-O Syndrome
Finalist: Anna Schachner, You and I and Someone Else
Honorable Mention: Daren Wang, The Hidden Light of Northern Fires
Category: MEMOIR
Winner: Christopher Martin, This Gladdening Light: An Ecology of Fatherhood and Faith
Finalist: Stephen Corey, Startled at the Big Sound: Essays Personal, Cultural, and Literary
Category: POETRY CHAPBOOK
Winner: Jane Simpson, On the Porch, Under the Eave
Finalist: K. B. Kincer, After the Transplant
Category: POETRY FULL-LENGTH BOOK
Winner: Andrea Jurjević, Small Crimes
Finalist: Danielle Hanson, Ambushing Water
Category: ROMANCE
Winner: Sally Kilpatrick, Bless Her Heart
Finalist: Marilyn Baron, The Alibi
Category: SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Winner: Michael Bishop, Other Arms Reach Out to Me: Georgia Stories
Finalist: D. B. Martin, Terror Tales Vol. 1
Category: SPECIALTY BOOK
Winner: Jason Thrasher, Athens Potluck
Finalist: Jimmy Carter, The Craftsmanship of Jimmy Carter
Category: YOUNG ADULT
Winner: Aaron Levy, Blood Don’t Lie
Finalist: McCall Hoyle, The Thing with Feathers