9 of 25 Finalists Published or Written in NYC


The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) is proud to congratulate the NYC Finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards. Categories for the National Book Awards include Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. In total, 9 of the 25 Finalist titles were written or published in NYC. The winners in all categories will be announced live at the National Book Awards Ceremony on November 16 in NYC.

MOME celebrates these Finalists to spotlight NYC’s role as the preeminent home of the book publishing industry, and to make connections between NYC’s publishing businesses, artists, and smaller literary organizations. NYC’s ecosystem of publishing houses, talented authors, iconic bookstores, and libraries has long fostered the creation of some of the world’s most renowned literature.

Finalists for the 2022 National Book Awards, written or published in NYC are:

Fiction

Author: Tess Gunty 
Title: The Rabbit Hutch 
Education: NYU 
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Author: Sarah Thankam Mathews 
Title: All This Could Be Different 
Resides: Brooklyn 
Publisher: Viking Books

Author: Alejandro Varela 
Title: The Town of Babylon 
Resides: Brooklyn 
Publisher: Astra House

Nonfiction

Author: Meghan O’Rourke 
Book: The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness 
Hails: Brooklyn 
Publisher: Riverhead Books

Poetry

Author: John Keene 
Title: Punks: New & Selected Poems 
Education: NYU 
Publisher: The Song Cave

Author: Sharon Olds 
Title: Balladz 
Resides: NYC 
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Author: Jenny Xie 
Title: The Rupture Tense 
Resides: New York 
Publisher: Graywolf Press

Translated Literature

Translator: Mark Polizzotti 
Title: Kibogo 
Resides: Brooklyn 
Publisher: Archipelago Books

Translator: Damion Searls 
Title: A New Name: Septology VI-VII 
Hails: New York 
Publisher: Transit Books

You can see the full list of Finalists at nationalbook.org/awards.

The National Book Awards, presented by the National Book Foundation, are considered one of the world’s most prestigious literary prizes, and have taken place in New York City since its inaugural event at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in 1950. Throughout its history, the National Book Awards have repeatedly honored renowned authors who live and work in New York, such as Robert Caro and Jacqueline Woodson.