2019 Winners & Finalists

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Janisse Ray

POSTHUMOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Anya Krugovoy Silver

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 

CHILDREN’S BOOK
Winner: Deborah Wiles, A Long Line of Cakes
Finalist:  Shanda McCloskey, Doll-E 1.0

DETECTIVE/MYSTERY 
Winner: Karin Slaughter, Pieces of Her
Finalist: Roger Johns, River of Secrets

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

FIRST NOVEL
Winner: Xhenet Aliu, Brass
Finalist: Spencer Wise, The Emperor of Shoes

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

LITERARY FICTION 
Winner: Roberta George, The Day’s Heat
Finalist: Tayari Jones, An American Marriage

MEMOIR
Winner: Kelly Beard, An Imperfect Rapture
Finalist: James C. Abbot, Jr. The Burdens of Aeneas

POETRY CHAPBOOK
Winner: Julia Caroline Knowlton, The Café of Unintelligible Desire
Finalist: Cynthia Robinson Young, Migration

POETRY FULL-LENGTH BOOK
Winner: Mario Chard, Land of Fire
Finalist:  Travis Denton, My Stunt Double

ROMANCE
Winner: Sally Kilpatrick, Oh My Stars
Finalist: Ricki Schultz, Switch and Bait

SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Winner: Sabrina Orah Mark, Wild Milk
Finalist: Andy Plattner, Dixie Luck

SPECIALTY BOOK
Winner: Todd Richards, Soul: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes
Finalist: Jimmy Carter, The Paintings of Jimmy Carter 

YOUNG ADULT
Winner: Rachael Allen, A Taxonomy of Love 
Finalist: Will Walton, I Felt A Funeral, In My Brain