2021 AALAS NOMINEES
Here are your nominees:
Break-Out Author
Mateo Askaripour - Black Buck
Robert Jones, Jr - The Prophets
Zakiya Dalila Harris - The Other Black Girl
Morgan Rogers – Honey Girl
Nancy Johnson – The Kindest Lie
HISTORICAL
Sadeqa Johnson – The Yellow Wife
Annette Gorden-Reed – On Juneteenth
Nicole Glover – The Conductors
Jewell Parker Rhodes – Magic City
Yvette Long - AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY: THE UNTOLD STORIES
Clint Smith - How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
Poetry
Jasmine Manns – Black Girl, Call Home
Amanda Gorman - The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country
Khalisa Rae - Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat
Renee Daniel Flagler - Asylum
Non-Fiction
Don Lemon - This Is the Fire: What I Say to My Friends About Racism
Tamika Mallory - State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built
Charles Blow – The Devil You Know
Sho Baraka - He Saw That It Was Good: Reimagining Your Creative Life to Repair a Broken World
Wes Moore & Erica L. Green - Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City
Biography/Memoir
Cicely Tyson - Just as I Am: A Memoir
Mike Hill – Open Mike
Nicole Lynn Lewis - Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families
Danielle Henderson – The Ugly Cry
Steven A. King – It’s Really Good To See You
FICTION
Leesa Cross-Smith - This Close to Okay
LT Ladino Bryson - To and Fro: Kelsey’s Journey
Tia Williams – Seven Days In June
Eric Jerome Dickey - The Son of Mr. Suleman
Morgan Jenkins – Caul Baby
SELF-HELP
Luvvie Ajayi Jones - Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual
Tiffany the Budgetnista Aliche - Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole
Bevy Smith – Bevelations
Yvonne Orji - Bamboozled By Jesus: How God Tricked Me into the Life of My Dreams
Elayne Fluker - Get Over 'I Got It': How to Stop Playing Superwoman, Get Support, and Remember That Having It All Doesn’t Mean Doing It All Alone
Short-Stories/Anthologies
Aminatta Forna - The Window Seat: Notes from a Life in Motion
Tarana Burke & Brené Brown - You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience
Samantha Danielle, Glenn R. Murray, Mel Roberson, Leonard Mogul, Olivia DeMoss & Pierre DeBois - Faith, Failure, Success: Stories Along the Entrepreneurial Journey
Bolu Babalola - Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
Tamara Winfrey Harris - Dear Black Girl: Letters From Your Sisters on Stepping Into Your Power
Self-Published Author Of The Year
Steven A. King – It’s Really Good To See You
Cheryl Polote-Williamson - The Art of Influence: Inviting Success into Every Area of Your Life
Dr. Cheryl Wood - You Are Enough: Messages of Inspiration and Empowerment to Live Your Best Life
Derron Rowan – A Mindset Of Change
Sandra Sutton – Girl Made Worthy
Mystery
Walter Mosley – Blood Grove
Valerie Wilson Wesley – Glimmer Of Death (An Odessa Jones Mystery)
Femi Kayode – Lightseekers
Stacey Abrams – When Justice Sleeps
Nekesa Afia - Dead Dead Girls (A Harlem Renaissance Mystery)
Science-Fiction
Rivers Solomon- Sorrowland
Namina Forma - The Gilded Ones
Tracy Deonn - Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle)
Rebecca Roanhorse –Black Sun
Kalynn Bayron - This Poison Heart
Children's Book/Young Adult
Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, & Nicola Yoon - Blackout
Debbie Rigaud – Simone Breaks All The Rules
Tami Charles - MUTED
Joya Goffney - Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - Ace of Spades
Author Of The Year Male
Michael Eric Dyson - Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America
Eric Jerome Dickey - The Son of Mr. Suleman
Charles Blow – The Devil You Know
Frederick Joseph - The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
S.A. Crosby - Razorblade Tears
Author Of The Year – Female
Brenda Myers-Powell & April Reynolds - Leaving Breezy Street
ReShonda Tate Billingsley – A Little Bit Of Karma
Raven Leilani – Luster
Brit Bennett - The Vanishing Half
Tia Williams – Seven Days In June
Cookbook
Rodney Scott - Rodney Scott's World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day: A Cookbook
Deborah VanTrece - The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul Food with Global Flavors
Pepper Teigen - The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes from Everyone's Favorite Thai Mom
Rosie Mayes - I Heart Soul Food: 100 Southern Comfort Food Favorites
ROMANCE
Brittainy Cherry – The Mixtape
Brenda Jackson – Follow Your Heart
Rochelle Alers – the Beach House
Kianna Alexander - After Hours Attraction / His Perfect Fake Engagement
Elle Wright - The Way You Love Me
COMEDY
Quinta Brunson - She Memes Well: Essays
Talia Hibbert - Act Your Age, Eve Brown: A Novel (The Brown Sisters, 3)
Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar - YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO LACEY: CRAZY STORIES ABOUT RACISM
STREET/URBAN FICTION
Shameek A Speight - THE DAUGHTER OF BLACK ICE 2
Joy Deja King - Toxic
K’WAN - Animal V: Executioner's Song
SLMN - The Purple Don: An Illuminati Novel
King Coopa J - Kane 3: Trust Issues
PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AWARD
BROWN GIRL BOOKS
SIMON & SCHUSTER
GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING
ATRIA BOOKS
ST. MARTIN PRESS
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER
Peace In The Storm
Third World Press
Broadside Lotus Press
Black Classic Press
220 Communications
BOOKCLUB OF THE YEAR
MOCHA GIRLS READ – HARLEM
SUGAR AND SPICE BOOK CLUB
SISTAH CIRCLE BOOK CLUB
BROWNSTONE BOOK CLUB
SISTERS COMING TOGETHER
LITERARY MAGAZINE
INTELLECTUAL INK Magazine
FIYAH Magazine
MOSAIC Literary Magazine
Black Fox Literary Magazine
WRITTEN
NON-LITERARY MAGAZINE
ESSENCE
UPTOWN MAGAZINE
THE NETWORK JOURNAL
MONARCH MAGAZINE
BLACK ENTERPRISE
Voting will start on Monday, August 9th at 3pm. I will post the voting link here.The 17th Annual African American Literary Awards Show will happen on Saturday, October 2nd....it will happen virtually.
Any questions, please email me at: yvette@literaryawardshow.com