Literary Arts is thrilled to announce this year’s Oregon Book Award winners!
Winners were announced live at the 2025 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony, hosted by Omar El Akkad, at Portland Center Stage at The Armory on Monday, April 28, 2025.
KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION
Kimberly King Parsons of Portland
We Were the Universe
(Knopf/Penguin Random House)
Judges: Kevin Brockmeier, Lauren Grodstein, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
STAFFORD/HALL AWARD FOR POETRY
charity e. yoro of Portland
ten-cent flower & other territories
(First Matter Press)
Judges: Mary-Alice Daniel, Brian Teare, Mai Der Van
ANGUS L. BOWMER AWARD FOR DRAMA
Brianna Barrett of Portland
Still Harvey Still
Judges: Angela Jackson-Brown, Megan Gogerty, Jessica Huang
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR AWARD FOR GENERAL NONFICTION
Rebecca Clarren of Portland
The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance
(Viking Books/Penguin Random House)
Judges: Chris Feliciano Arnold, Chloé Cooper Jones, Yunte Huang
SARAH WINNEMUCCA AWARD FOR CREATIVE NONFICTION
Jaclyn Moyer of Corvallis
On Gold Hill: A Personal History of Wheat, Farming, and Family, from Punjab to California
(Beacon Press)
Judges: Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, Lars Horn, Susan Kiyo Ito
LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT & MIDDLE GRADE LITERATURE
Makiia Lucier of Portland,
Dragonfruit
(Clarion Books/HarperCollins Publishers)
Judges: Sheela Chari, Justin A. Reynolds, Ted Sanders
ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Anne Broyles of Portland,
I’m Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People
(Holiday House)
Judges: Richard Ho, Angela Joy, Kaz Windness
Click here to view all titles from the 2025 Oregon Book Awards finalists and winners.
Thirty-five titles from Oregon writers and authors were chosen as finalists by panels of out-of-state judges from a total of 212 submitted titles. These authors represent the richness of Oregon’s literary community and exemplify the power of storytelling to illuminate the human experience. Since 1987, Literary Arts has honored over 900 Oregon writers and publishers and distributed over $1 million in fellowships and award monies through the Oregon Book Awards and Fellowships program. Literary Arts created The Brian Booth Writer’s Fund to ensure a future funding source for these programs for Oregon writers.
SPECIAL AWARDS
In addition to recognizing the finest achievements of Oregon authors in several genres, Literary Arts recognizes individuals and organizations who have made a significant impact to Oregon’s literary culture. This year, the following individuals are being recognized:
The Walt Morey Young Readers
Literary Legacy Award
Jelani Memory of Portland, Founder, A Kids Co.
The Stewart H. Holbrook
Literary Legacy Award
Laura Moulton of Portland, Founder, Street Books
About Literary Arts
Literary Arts is a nonprofit literary organization founded in 1984 and based in Portland, OR. Our mission is to engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation with great literature. Programs include Portland Arts & Lectures, Portland Book Festival, Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, writing classes, readers seminars, and programs for youth including Writers in the Schools, College Essay Exchange, and youth slam poetry programming. Our radio show and podcast, The Archive Project, can be heard on NPR affiliate station OPB Sundays at 7:00 p.m., or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more at literary-arts.org.
