The 2019 Georgia Author of the Year Awards was held Saturday, June 15th at Westside Cultural Arts Center. There were 110 nominees in 14 categories.
Over 200 authors and literary enthusiasts attended the banquet and ceremony. We would like to congratulate the GAYA winners and finalists for their outstanding literary achievements.
Please find below a list of the award recipients in order by category.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Janisse Ray (You may read writer and poet Christopher Martin’s tribute to her here)
POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Anya Krugovoy Silver
Category: BIOGRAPHY
Winner: Ruby Lal, Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan
Finalist: Mary Schmidt Campbell, An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden
Category: CHILDREN’S BOOK
Winner: Deborah Wiles, A Long Line of Cakes
Finalist: Shanda McCloskey, Doll-E 1.0
Category: DETECTIVE/MYSTERY
Winner: Karin Slaughter, Pieces of Her
Finalist: Roger Johns, River of Secrets
Category: ESSAY COLLECTION
Winner: André Joseph Gallant, A High Low Tide: The Revival of a Southern Oyster
Finalist: Megan Volpert, Straight into Darkness: One Tom Petty Redemption Song
Category: FIRST NOVEL
Winner: Xhenet Aliu, Brass
Finalist: Spencer Wise, The Emperor of Shoes
Category: HISTORY
Winner: Joseph Crespino, Atticus Finch: The Biography
Finalist: Phil Hudgins and Jessica Phillips, Travels with Foxfire: Stories of People, Passions, and Practices from Southern Appalachia
Category: LITERARY FICTION
Winner: Roberta George, The Day’s Heat
Finalist: Tayari Jones, An American Marriage
Category: MEMOIR
Winner: Kelly Beard, An Imperfect Rapture
Finalist: James C. Abbot, Jr. The Burdens of Aeneas
Category: POETRY CHAPBOOK
Winner: Julia Caroline Knowlton, The Café of Unintelligible Desire
Finalist: Cynthia Robinson Young, Migration
Category: POETRY FULL-LENGTH BOOK
Winner: Mario Chard, Land of Fire
Finalist: Travis Denton, My Stunt Double
Category: ROMANCE
Winner: Sally Kilpatrick, Oh My Stars
Finalist: Ricki Schultz, Switch and Bait
Category: SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Winner: Sabrina Orah Mark, Wild Milk
Finalist: Andy Plattner, Dixie Luck
Category: SPECIALTY BOOK
Winner: Todd Richards, Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes
Finalist: Jimmy Carter, The Paintings of Jimmy Carter
Category: YOUNG ADULT
Winner: Rachael Allen, A Taxonomy of Love
Finalist: Will Walton, I Felt A Funeral, In My Brain