The winners of the 83rd annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, sponsored by the Cleveland Foundation and honoring "literature that confronts racism and examines diversity," are:
Fiction: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Nonfiction: Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News by Kevin Young
Poetry: In the Language of My Captor by Shane McCrae
Lifetime achievement: N. Scott Momaday
"The new Anisfield-Wolf winners deepen our insights on race and diversity," said Henry Louis Gates Jr., who chaired the jury. "This year, we honor a lyrical novel haunted by a Mississippi prison farm, a book of exceptional poetry on what freedom means in captivity and a breakthrough history of the hoax that speaks to this political moment. All is capped by the lifetime achievement of N. Scott Momaday, the dean of Native American letters."
Cleveland Foundation president and CEO Ronn Richard commented: "With every passing year, it becomes even more clear that Edith Anisfield Wolf was a civil rights advocate well ahead of her time. Her passionate commitment to social justice is as important now as it was in the first half of the 20th century, and we are thrilled to raise up our 2018 winners as a reflection of her ideal. Their books serve as striking examples of how the written work can tackle racism and diversity from many perspectives--while simultaneously bringing us closer together."
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The Writers' Trust of Canada has named the five finalists for the C$25,000 (about US$19,390) Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing, which recognizes "a book of literary nonfiction that captures a political subject of relevance to Canadian readers and has the potential to shape or influence thinking on Canadian political life." The winner will be announced May 9 in Ottawa. This year's finalists are:
Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King's Secret Life by Christopher Dummitt
All We Leave Behind: A Reporter's Journey into the Lives of Others by Carol Off
Out Standing in the Field: A Memoir by Canada's First Female Infantry Officer by Sandra Perron
Robert Bond: The Greatest Newfoundlander by Ted Rowe
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City by Tanya Talaga