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© Chia Messina

James McBride

James McBride is an accomplished musician and author of the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, the #1 bestselling American classic The Color of Water, and the bestsellers Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna. He is also the author of Kill ’Em and Leave, a James Brown biography. A recipient of the National Humanities Medal in 2016, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.

Books

The Aspen Words Literary Prize Announces its 2024 Shortlist

The Aspen Words Literary Prize is an “annual award for an influential work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture,” according to the official website. The 2024 Shortlist showcases five fiction works, honoring two Penguin Random House titles: Chain-Gang All Stars, by Nana Kwame

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The PEN/Faulkner Foundation Shares Its 2024 Fiction Award Longlist

On February 6, The PEN/Faulkner Foundation announced the longlist for the 2024 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, honoring “the best published works of fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year,” according to the foundation. Four Penguin Random House titles received spots on the list of ten books. Five finalists from the longlist will be

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Congratulations to Our Kirkus Prize Finalists!

According to the Kirkus Prize website, “The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the decades of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at

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