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Hurston/Wright Foundation · award year

Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2023

The 2023 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award went to A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times by Meron Hadero (Debut Fiction), Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham (Fiction) and By Hands Now Known by Margaret A. Burnham (Historical Nonfiction), with winners in 3 more categories. 25 books were finalists across 6 categories.

Winners

Debut Fiction

  1. A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times by Meron Haderosource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannahamsource (opens in a new tab)

Historical Nonfiction

  1. By Hands Now Known by Margaret A. Burnhamsource (opens in a new tab)

Memoir Nonfiction

  1. Inciting Joy by Ross Gaysource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Concentrate by Courtney Faye Taylorsource (opens in a new tab)

Speculative Fiction

  1. Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments by T.L. Huchusource (opens in a new tab)

Finalists

Debut Fiction

  1. Finding La Negrita by Natasha Gordon-Chipemberesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Nightcrawling by Leila Mottleysource (opens in a new tab)

Fiction

  1. Mother Country by Jacinda Townsendsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. People Person by Candice Carty-Williamssource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdezsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Islands by Dionne Irvingsource (opens in a new tab)

Historical Nonfiction

  1. Antagonistic Cooperation: Jazz, Collage, Fiction, and the Shaping of African American Culture by Robert O’Meallysource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Claude McKay: The Making of a Black Bolshevik by Winston Jamessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. We Refuse to Forget: A True Story of Black Creeks, American Identity, and Power by Caleb Gaylesource (opens in a new tab)

Memoir Nonfiction

  1. Black Boy Smile by D. Watkinssource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery by Harrison Mooneysource (opens in a new tab)
  3. This Boy We Made by Taylor Harrissource (opens in a new tab)

Poetry

  1. Best Barbarian by Roger Reevessource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Null Landing by Isaiah A. Hinessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Plans for Sentences by Renee Gladmansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness by Robin Coste Lewissource (opens in a new tab)
  5. We Are Not Wearing Helmets by Cheryl Boyce-Taylorsource (opens in a new tab)

Speculative Fiction

  1. Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchisource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Last Dreamwalker by Rita Woodssource (opens in a new tab)

About the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award

Winners and finalists from the Foundation's Legacy Awards page (finalist lists by year plus the winners tables), read from the 13 Feb 2026 web.archive.org snapshot because the live site blocks automated requests. Year is the award year (books published the year before). Finalist lists for older years omit the winner, so winners come from the winners tables; 2025 winners come from the page's 2025 winner list, which names authors only, matched to their finalist titles. Categories follow the page: Fiction (General Fiction), Debut Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, plus Contemporary Fiction (2006), split Nonfiction categories (2022-2024), Speculative Fiction (2023-2024) and Creative Anthology (2024). Debut Fiction was not awarded 2009-2015 or 2019; Poetry was first awarded in 2007. The 2024 Creative Anthology winner, Sing a Black Girl's Song, is Ntozake Shange's work edited by Imani Perry, whom the page credits. Typos fixed: The Guyanese Wander(er), Victor La(V)alle.

Organization: Hurston/Wright Foundation. Years are award years, which can differ from publication years. Official site (opens in a new tab)

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