Congratulations to the 2020 Washington State Book Awards winners!
Winners selected are outstanding books published by Washington authors in 2019. This is the 54th year of the program, formerly called the Governor’s Writers Awards.
An award is given based on the strength of the publication’s literary merit, lasting importance and overall quality to an author who is a current resident of Washington state and has maintained residence here for at least three years or previously lived in Washington state for at least five years.
Picture Books
- “Flora Forager ABC” by Bridget Beth Collins, of Seattle (Little Bigfoot)
Books for Young Readers
- “Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together” by Clare Hodgson Meeker, of Friday Harbor (Lerner Publishing Group)
Books for Young Adult Readers
- “Slay” by Brittney Morris, of Seattle (Simon & Schuster)
Biography/Memoir
- “The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story” by Aaron Bobrow-Strain, of Walla Walla (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Creative Nonfiction
- “Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility, and Democracy ” by Eric Liu, of Seattle (Sasquatch Books)
Fiction
- “Deep River” by Karl Marlantes, of Duvall (Atlantic Monthly Press)
General Nonfiction
- “The Big Thaw: Ancient Carbon, Modern Science, and a Race to Save the World” by Eric Scigliano, of Seattle (Braided River / Mountaineers Books)
Poetry
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- “Nightingale” by Paisley Rekdal, formerly of Seattle now lives in Salt Lake City, UT (Copper Canyon Press)
Judges for the awards included independent booksellers.
Adult titles:
- Kerry Halls, manager, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane
- Kalani Kapahua, off-site events manager, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
- Zola Mumford, reference and instruction librarian, North Seattle College Library
- Betsey Stahler, collection development manager, NCW Libraries
- Jenna Zarzycki, adult services librarian, King County Library System
Youth titles:
- Tamar Clarke, Teen Services Coordinator, Whatcom County Library System
- Christopher Robert, Librarian, Seattle Public Schools
- Janelle Smith, owner, Wishing Tree Books, Spokane