Maurice Carlos Ruffin has been a recipient of an Iowa Review Award in fiction and a winner of the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for Novel-in-Progress.
Tailbone (2026) Che Yeun "Che Yeun's debut novel marks the arrival of a bold, assured voice. Unflinching and devastating, Tailbone is a novel best read in one sitting so that it can be immediately reread. Rich in metaphor and social realism, Yeun's Seoul-set tale is also relentlessly propulsive. This story of a young woman's personal awakening is destined to become a literary classic."
Dominion (2025) Addie E Citchens "It's rare that a debut author produces a work of such tenderness and ferocity, but that's what Addie E. Citchens has done in her unforgettable Dominion. Rich with metaphor and thrumming power, it tells a vivid and unforgettable story of two Mississippi Black women. If Citchens didn't exist, the South would invent her. But she does exist and our common literary soil is enriched because of it."
The Edge of Water (2025) Olufunke Grace Bankole "The Edge of Water is a beautifully realized epic tale following the lives of three generations of women across two continents. Bankole expertly explores tenderness and heartache without sentimentality. This is a stunning addition to the canon of diasporic tales."
A Thousand Times Before (2024) Asha Thanki "A Thousand Times Before marks the arrival of a major new author. Thanki weaves a passionate portrayal of the stories mothers pass down through generations as well as the power of story to change our futures. This beautifully written generational epic features compelling characters, a propulsive plot, and readers will be reluctant to leave these women behind."
An Autobiography of Skin (2023) Lakiesha Carr "Full of aching desire and hard won wisdom, An Autobiography of Skin is a work of art. Carr's pages contain the kinds of Black women we see but seldom hear. This book is nothing short of a love letter to the powerful women who comprise the heart of a community."
If I Survive You (2022) Jonathan Escoffery "A magnificent debut collection. It's astonishing what Jonathan Escoffery accomplishes in If I Survive You. These stories are told with such grace, humor, insight, and precision that readers will want to return again and again. Escoffery is a writer to watch, and we lovers of literature are fortunate to have him."
The Other Black Girl (2021) Zakiya Dalila Harris "The Other Black Girl is a brilliant, witty, thought-provoking book readers will find hard to put down. Full of twists, Harris has delivered a riveting account of the power dynamics Black women must navigate."
The House Uptown (2021) Melissa Ginsburg "A magnetic, deftly-crafted tale about the ties that bind family and found-family across generations. Ginsburg is a master of depicting the heartbreaking inner lives of people aching for connection in a world spinning apart."
The Beauty of Your Face (2020) Sahar Mustafah "Mustafah writes with a grace and precision that shows a deep understanding for the ways trauma can distort a life. The Beauty of Your Face is a richly empathetic work about the power of faith, family, and love."
