
Oregon Book Awards
Honoring Oregon’s writers and independent publishers through public recognition and financial support.
The 2024 Oregon Book Awards finalists will be announced in January, 2024.
Literary Arts’ Oregon Book Awards program honors the state’s finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, graphic literature, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers.
“The Oregon Book Awards Ceremony is a reminder that contemporary literature is vital to culture, a way to help us expand and deepen our worldviews.”
Lysley Tenorio, 2017 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony Host
2024 Oregon Book Awards finalists announced in January 2024
Special Awards
Nominate an individual who has made significant contributions to Oregon’s literary culture.
2024 OREGON BOOK AWARDS CEREMONY
The 2024 Oregon Book Awards ceremony takes place April 8, 2024.

Oregon Book Awards Author Tour
In addition to financial support, the program produces the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour to connect local writers and literary organizations in all parts of Oregon. Each year, Oregon Book Awards finalists and winners travel to towns across Oregon for readings, school visits, and free writing workshops.
KEN KESEY AWARD FOR FICTION
Award Winners and Finalists:
Ken Kesey (1935-2001) is best known for his novels One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. He was a finalist for the 1987 Oregon Book Award in Literary Nonfiction for Demon Box and the 1993 Oregon Book Award in Fiction for Sailor Song. The state of Oregon honored him with a Distinguished Service Award in 1978; Literary Arts awarded him the C.E.S. Wood Retrospective Award in 1993.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2021
Vanessa Veselka of Portland, The Great Offshore Grounds (Alfred A. Knopf)
Finalists:
Chelsea Bieker of Portland, Godshot (Catapult Press)
Genevieve Hudson of Portland, Boys of Alabama (Liveright Publishing, W.W. Norton)
Mark Savage of Portland, Fictional Film Club (Deep Overstock)
Lidia Yuknavitch of Milwaukie, Verge (Riverhead Books, Penguin Random House PPG)

2020
Kesha Ajose Fisher of Portland, No God like the Mother (Inkwater Press)
Finalists:
Kimberly King Parsons of Portland, Black Light: Stories (Vintage)
Peter Rock of Portland, The Night Swimmers (Soho Press)
Karen Thompson Walker, The Dreamers (Random House)
Gabriel Urza of Hood River, The White Death: An Illusion (Nouvella)
2019
Leni Zumas of Portland, Red Clocks (Little,Brown)

Finalists:
Patrick deWitt of Portland, French Exit (Ecco)
Nick Dybek of Corvallis, The Verdun Affair (Scribner)
John Larison of Monroe, Whiskey When We’re Dry (Penguin Random House)
Taylor Zajonc of Portland, The Maw (Skyhorse Publishing)

2018
Omar El Akkad of Portland, American War (Knopf)
Finalists:
Wayne Harrison of Springfield, Wrench and Other Stories (New American Press)
Victor Lodato of Ashland, Edgar and Lucy (St. Martin’s Press)
Matthew Robinson of Portland, The Horse Latitudes (Propeller Books)
Lydia Yuknavitch of Portland, The Book of Joan (Harper Collins)
2017
Joyce Cherry Cresswell of Portland, A Great Length of Time (Mountain View Press)
Finalists:
Mo Daviau of Portland, Every Anxious Wave (St. Martin’s Press)
Mary Emerick of Joseph, The Geography of Water (University of Alaska Press)
Scott Nadelson of Salem, Between You and Me (Engine Books)
Gina Ochsner of Keizer, The Hidden Letters of Velta B. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2016
Lidia Yuknavitch of Portland,The Small Backs of Children (HarperCollins)
Finalists:
Arthur Bradford of Portland, Turtleface and Beyond (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)
Gail Chehab of Portland, The Tunnel (Media Aria)
Valerie Geary of Portland, Crooked River (William Morrow)
Molly Gloss of Portland, Falling from Horses (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2015
Cari Luna of Portland, The Revolution of Every Day (Tin House Books)
Finalists:
Smith Henderson of Portland, Fourth of July Creek (Ecco)
Lindsay Hill of Portland, Sea of Hooks (McPherson and Co.)
Amy Schutzer of Portland, Spheres of Disturbance (Arktoi Books)
Willy Vlautin of Scappoose, The Free (Harper Perennial)
2014
Ursula K. Le Guin of Portland, The Unreal and The Real: Collected Stories: Volume 1 and 2 (Small Beer Press)
Finalists:
Whitney Otto of Portland, Eight Girls Taking Pictures (Scribner)
Amanda Coplin of Portland, The Orchardist (Harper Perennial)
Roger Hobbs of Portland, Ghostman (Knopf)
2013
Ismet Prcic of Portland, Shards (Grove/Atlantic)
Finalists:
Brian Doyle of Portland, Bin Laden’s Bald Spot (Red Hen Press)
Carter Sickels of Portland, The Evening Hour (Bloomsbury)
Alexis Smith of Portland, Glaciers (Tin House Books)
Leni Zumas of Portland, The Listeners (Tin House Books)
2012
Patrick deWitt of Portland, The Sisters Brothers (Ecco)
Finalists:
Dan DeWeese of Portland, You Don’t Love This Man (Harper Perennial)
Brian Doyle of Portland, Mink River (Oregon State University Press)
Matthew Stadler of Portland, Chloe Jarren’s La Cucaracha (Publication Studio)
Vanessa Veselka of Portland, Zazen (Red Lemonade)
2011
Willy Vlautin of Portland, Lean on Pete (Harper Perennial)
Finalists:
Emily Chenoweth of Portland, Hello Goodbye (Random House)
K.B. Dixon of Portland, A Painter’s Life (Inkwater Press)
Jane Kirkpatrick of Moro, A Flickering Light (WaterBrook Press)
Scott Sadil of Hood River, Lost in Wyoming (Barclay Creek Press)
2009/2010
Jon Raymond of Portland, Livability: Stories (Bloomsbury)
Finalists:
Miriam Gershow of Eugene, The Local News (Spiegel & Grau)
Gina Ochsner of Keizer, The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight (Portobello Books)
Barbara Pope of Eugene, Cezanne’s Quarry (Pegasus Books)
Leslie What of Eugene, Crazy Love: Stories (Wordcraft of Oregon)
2008
Ehud Havazelet of Corvallis, Bearing the Body (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Finalists:
K.B. Dixon of Portland, The Sum of His Syndromes (Inkwater Press)
Molly Gloss of Portland, The Hearts of Horses (Houghton Mifflin)
Lee Montgomery of Portland, Whose World is This? (University of Iowa Press)
2007 – Novel
Alison Clement of Corvallis,Twenty Questions (Atria Books)
Finalists:
Monica Drake of Portland,Clown Girl(Hawthorne Books)
Robert Hill of Portland, When All Is Said and Done (Graywolf Press)
2007 – Short Fiction
Charles D’Ambrosio, The Dead Fish Museum (Alfred A. Knopf)
2006 – Novel
Justin Tussing, The Best People in the World (HarperCollins)
Finalists:
Laila Lalami, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits (Algonquin Books)
Peter Rock, The Bewildered (MacAdam Cage)
2006 – Short Fiction
Gina Ochsner, People I Wanted to Be (Houghton Mifflin)
Finalists:
Tracy Daugherty, Late in the Standoff (Southern Methodist University Press)
Scott Nadelson, The Cantor’s Daughter (Hawthorne Books)
Geronimo G. Tagatac, The Weight of the Sun (Ooligan Press)
2005 – Novel
Marc Acito of Portland, How I Paid for College (Broadway Books)
Finalists:
Kassten Alonso of Portland, Core (Hawthorne Books)
Phillip Margolin of Portland, Lost Lake (HarperCollins)
Kris Nelscott of Lincoln City, War at Home (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Michael Strelow of Salem, The Greening of Ben Brown (Hawthorne Books)
2005 – Short Fiction
Barry Lopez of Finn Rock, Resistance (Alfred A. Knopf)
Finalists:
David Pinson of Portland, A Moment To Organize My Face (Helicon West)
2004 – Novel
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, Axeman’s Jazz
Finalists:
David Farris of Portland, Lie Still
Michael Curtis Ford of Salem, The Last King
Kris Nelscott of Lincoln City, Stone Cribs
2004 – Short Fiction
Scott Nadelson of Portland, Saving Stanley
Finalists:
Marjorie Sandor of Corvallis, Portrait of My Mother, Who Posed Nude in Wartime
2003 – Novel
Cai Emmons of Eugene, His Mother’s Son
Finalists:
April Henry of Portland, Learning to Fly
Jane Kirkpatrick of Moro, A Name of Her Own
Alan Siporin of Eugene, Fire’s Edge
2003 – Short Fiction
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, It Takes a Worried Man
Finalists:
Douglas Rennie of Portland, Badlands
Lidia Yuknavitch of Corbett, Real to Reel
2002
Gina Ochsner of Keizer, The Necessary Grace to Fall
Finalists:
Kate Bernheimer of Portland, The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold
Peter Rock of Portland, The Ambidextrist
2001
Molly Best Tinsley of Ashland, Throwing Knives
Finalists:
Barry Lopez of Finn Rock, Light Action in the Caribbean
Phillip Margolin of Portland, Wild Justice
Mark Jude Poirier of Portland, Goats
Doe Tabor of Eugene, Do Drums Beat There
2000
Craig Lesley of Portland, Storm Riders
Finalists:
Jody Seay of Portland, The Second Coming of Curly Red
Kathleen Tyau of Gaston, Makai
1999
Ehud Havazelet of Corvallis, Like Never Before
Finalists:
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, The Boy Orator
Sheila Evans of Yachats, Northport
Chuck Palahniuk of Portland, Survivor
1998
Peter Ho Davies, The Ugliest House in the World
Finalists:
Molly Gloss, The Dazzle of Day
Sandra Scofield, Plain Seeing
Floyd Skloot, The Open Door
Gus Van Sant, Pink
1997
Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
Finalists:
Ann Copeland, Season of Apples
Gregg Kleiner, Where River Turns to Sky
Joanna Rose, Little Miss Strange
Sandra Scofield, A Chance to See Egypt
1996
Tracy Daugherty, What Falls Away
Finalists:
Craig Lesley, The Sky Fisherman
Kathleen Tyau, A Little Too Much Is Enough
1995
Chang-rae Lee, Native Speaker
Finalists:
Jennifer C. Cornell, Departures
Ann Packer, Mendocino and Other Stories
1994
Diana Abu-Jaber, Arabian Jazz
Finalists:
Alison Baker, How I Came West, and Why I Stayed
George Herman, Carnival of Saints
Whitney Otto, Now You See Her
Sandra Scofield, More Than Allies
1993
Diane Simmons, Dreams Like Thunder
Finalists:
Annie Dawid, York Ferry
David Duncan, The Brothers K
Ken Kesey, Sailor Song
Kim Stafford, Wind on the Waves
1992
Ursula Le Guin, Searoad
Finalists:
Karen Karbo, The Diamond Lane
Tom Spanbauer, The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon
Kate Wilhelm, Death Qualified
1990
Molly Gloss, The Jump-off Creek
Finalists:
Hillary Johnson, Physical Culture
Craig Lesley, River Song
1989
Hob Broun, Cardinal Numbers
Finalist:
Sharon Doubiago, The Book of Seeing with One’s Own Eyes
1988
Todd Grimson, Within Normal Limits
Finalists:
A.B. Paulson, Watchman Tell Us of the Night
Fred Pfeil, Shine On
1987
Russell Working, Resurrectionists
Finalist:
Rick Borsten, The Great Equalizer
STAFFORD/HALL AWARD FOR POETRY
William Stafford (1914-1993) is the author of more than 50 books and a recipient of the National Book Award for Traveling Through the Dark. After serving as Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress in 1970, he was named Oregon’s Poet Laureate in 1975.
Remembered as the “Emily Dickinson of Oregon,” the reclusive Hazel Hall (1886-1924) lived in Northwest Portland. Her books include Curtains, Walkers, and Cry of Time.
Scroll to see past award winners >

2019
Matthew Minicucci of Portland, Small Gods (New Issues Poetry & Prose)
Finalists:
José Angel Araguz of McMinnville, Until We Are Level Again (Mongrel Empire Press)
Eliza Rotterman of Portland, Dirt Eaters (Tupelo Press)
Wendy Willis of Portland, A Long Late Pledge(Bear Star Press)
Beth Wood of Portland, Ladder to the Light (Mezcalita Press)
2018
Samiya Bashir of Portland, Field Theories (Nightboat Books)
Finalists:
manuel arturo abreu of Portland, transtrender (Quimérica Books)
Allison Cobb of Portland, After We All Died (New Series) (Ahasahta Press)
Stephen Lackaye of Beaverton, Self-Portrait in Dystopian Landscape (Unicorn Press)
Ed Skoog of Portland, Run the Red Lights (Copper Canyon Press)
2017
Joe Wilkins of McMinnville, When We Were Birds (University of Arkansas Press)
Finalists:
Danielle Cadena Deulen of Salem, Our Emotions Get Carried Away Beyond Us (Barrow Street Press)
Alicia Jo Rabins of Portland, Divinity School (The American Poetry Review)
Jennifer Richter of Corvallis, No Acute Distress (Crab Orchard Review & Southern Illinois University Press)
Floyd Skloot of Portland, Approaching Winter (Louisiana State University Press)
2016
Carl Adamshick of Portland, Saint Friend (McSweeney’s)
Finalists:
Jessica Johnson of Portland, In Absolutes We Seek Each Other (New Michigan Press)
Andrew Michael Roberts of Portland, Good Beast (Burnside Review)
Pepper Trail of Ashland, Cascade-Siskiyou (Painted Thrush Press)
John Witte of Eugene, Disquiet (University of Washington Press)
2015
Emily Kendal Frey of Portland, Sorrow Arrow (Octopus Books)
Finalists:
Wendy Chin-Tanner of Portland, Turn (Sibling Rivalry Press)
Endi Bogue Hartigan of Portland, Pool [5 choruses] (Omnidawn)
Zachary Schomburg of Portland, The Book of Joshua (Black Ocean)
Dawn Diez Willis of Salem, Still Life with Judas & Lightning (Airlie Press)
2014
Mary Szybist of Portland, Incarnadine (Graywolf)
Finalists:
Jennifer Boyden of Milton-Freewater, The Declarable Future (University of Wisconsin Press)
Matthew Dickman of Portland, Mayakovsky¹s Revolver (Norton)
Andrea Hollander of Portland, Landscape with Female Figure: New and Selected Poems, 1982-2012 (Autumn House Press)
Ralph Salisbury of Eugene, Like the Sun in Storm (The Habits of Rainy Nights Press)
2013
Zachary Schomburg of Portland, Fjords Vol 1 (Black Ocean)
Finalists:
Jean Esteve of Waldport, Off-Key (Finishing Line Press)
Toni Hanner of Eugene, Gertrude: Poems and Other Objects (Traprock Books)
Alan Peterson of Ashland, Fragile Acts (McSweeney’s)
Carrie Seitzinger of Portland, Fall Ill Medicine (Small Doggies Press)
2012
Carl Adamshick of Portland, Curses and Wishes (Louisiana State University Press)
Finalists:
Geri Doran of Eugene, Sanderlings (Tupelo Press)
Emily Kendal Frey of Portland, The Grief Performance (Cleveland State University Press)
Daniel Skach-Mills of Portland, The Hut Beneath the Pine (Daniel Skach-Mills)
Ursula K. Le Guin of Portland and Roger Dorband of Astoria, Out Here (Raven Studio)
2011
David Biespiel of Portland, The Book of Men and Women (University of Washington Press)
Finalists:
Donna Henderson of Monmouth, The Eddy Fence (Airlie Press)
Henry Hughes of Falls City, Moist Meridian (Mammoth Books)
Jennifer Richter of Corvallis, Threshold (Southern Illinois University Press)
Zachary Schomburg of Portland, Scary No Scary (Black Ocean)
2010/2019
Matthew Dickman of Portland, All-American Poem (American Poetry Review)
Finalists:
Alicia Cohen of Portland, Debts and Obligations (O Press)
Endi Bogue Hartigan of Portland, One Sun Storm (Center for Literary Publishing)
Andrew Michael Roberts of Portland, something has to happen Next (University of Iowa Press)
Crystal Williams of Portland, Troubled Tongues (Lotus Press)
2008
Penelope Scambly Schott of Portland, A Is for Anne: Mistress Hutchinson Disturbs the Commonwealth (Turning Point)
Finalists:
Judith Barrington of Portland, Postcard from the Bottom of the Sea (The Eighth Mountain Press)
Brian Doyle of Portland, Thirsty for the Joy (One Day Hill)
Kate Gray of Portland, Another Sunset We Survive (Cedar House Books)
John C. Morrison of Portland, Heaven of the Moment (Fairweather Books)
2007
Tom Blood of Portland, The Sky Position (Marriage Records Publishing House)
Finalists:
Kathleen Halme of Portland, Drift and Pulse (Carnegie Mellon University Press)
Paul Merchant of Portland, Some Business of Affinity (Five Seasons Press)
Floyd Skloot of Portland, The End of Dreams (Louisiana State Univeristy Press)
2006
Dorianne Laux of Eugene, Facts About the Moon (Norton)
Finalists:
David Axelrod of La Grande, The Cartographer’s Melancholy (Eastern Washington University Press)
Paulann Petersen of Portland, A Bride of Narrow Escape (Cloudbank Books)
Vern Rutsala of Portland, How We Spent Our Time (The University of Akron Press)
Floyd Skloot of Amity, Approximately Paradise (Tupelo Press)
Matt Yurdana of Portland, Public Gestures (University of Tampa Press)
2005
Laton Carter of Eugene, Leaving (The University of Chicago Press)
Finalists:
Judith Barrington of Portland, Horses and the Human Soul (Story Line Press)
Vern Rutsala of Portland, A Handbook for Writers (White Line Press)
Maxine Scates of Eugene, Black Loam (Cherry Grove Collections)
2004
Henry Hughes of Monmouth, Men Holding Eggs
Finalists:
David Biespiel of Portland, Wild Civility
James Grabill of Portland, An Indigo Scent After the Rain
Christopher Johnston of Ashland, Violent Homeland
Lisa M. Steinman of Portland, Carslaw’s Sequences
2003
Rita Ott Ramstad of Brightwood, The Play of Dark and Light
Finalists:
Jane Bailey of Salem, The Fine Art of Postponement
Casey Kwang of Ashland, Copia
Robert McDowell of Talent, On Foot, in Flames
Clemens Starck of Dallas, China Basin
2002
Willa Schneberg of Portland, In The Margins Of The World
Finalists:
Lois Baker of Portland, Man Covered With Bees
Joseph Millar of Eugene, Overtime
Carolyn Reynolds Miller of Salem, Rising and Falling
2001
Floyd Skloot of Amity, The Evening Light
Finalists:
Karen Braucher of Portland, Sending Messages Over Inconceivable Distances
Tom Bremer of Portland, Just Once
Dorianne Laux of Eugene, Smoke
Ralph Salisbury of Eugene, Rainbows of Stone
2000
Judith Montgomery of Portland, Passion
Finalists:
Bill Deemer of Eugene, Variations
Jeff Meyers of Portland, Hereafter
Primus St. John of West Linn, Communion
George Venn of La Grande, West of Paradise
1999
Pimone Triplett of Eugene, Ruining the Picture
Finalists:
casey l.b. kwang of Talent, on blue felix paper
Kim Stafford of Portland, A Thousand Friends of Rain
Clemens Starck of Dallas, Studying Russian on Company Time
1998
Sandra Stone of Portland, Cocktails with Brueghel at the Museum Café
Finalists:
Diane Averill of Beavercreek, Beautiful Obstacles
Michele Glazer of Portland, It Is Hard to Look At What We Came to Think We’d Come to See
James Grabill of Portland, Listening to the Leaves Form
Robert Hill Long of Eugene, The Effigies
1997
Lawson Fusao Inada of Ashland, Drawing the Line
Finalists:
David Biespiel of Portland, Shattering Air
Donna Henderson of Monmouth, Transparent Woman
T.R. Hummer of Eugene, Walt Whitman in Hell
Lisa M. Steinman of Portland, Ordinary Songs
1996
Clemens Starck, Journeyman’s Wages
Finalists:
Barbara LaMorticella, Rain on Waterless Mountain
Carlos Reyes, A Suitcase Full of Crows
Jim Shugrue, Small Things Screaming
1995
James Grabill, Poem Rising Out of the Earth and Standing Up in Someone
Finalists:
Vern Rutsala, Little-known Sports
Floyd Skloot, Music Appreciation
Elizabeth Woody, Luminaries of the Humble
1994
Tom Crawford, Lauds
Finalists:
Henry Carlile, Rain
Jane Glazer, Some Trick of Light
Doug Marx, Sufficiency
Steven Sher, Traveler’s Advisory
Floyd Skloot, Poppies
1993
Lisa M. Steinman, A Book of Other Days
Finalists:
Lois Baker, Tracers
Lawson Inada, Legends from Camp
Peter Jensen, Erik Muller and David Johnson, Confluence
1992
Vern Rutsala, Selected Poems
Finalists:
James B. Hall, Bereavements
Christopher Howell, Sweet Afton
1991
Sharon Doubiago, Psyche Drives the Coast
Finalists:
Diane Averill, Branches Doubled Over with Fruit
Robert A. Davies, Tracks in Oregon
Nan Hannon, Sky River
1990 (two winners)
Primus St. John, Dreamer
Maxine Scates, Toluca Street
1989
Lex Runciman, The Admiration’s
Finalists:
Judith Barrington, History and Geography
John Daniel, Common Ground
Lisa M. Steinman, All That Comes to Light
1988
Ingrid Wendt, Singing the Mozart Requiem
Finalists:
Tom Bremer, A Bird That Changes Trees
Sharon Doubiago, Oedipus Drowned
1987
John Haislip, Seal Rock
Finalists:
Vern Rutsala, Ruined Cities
Literary Nonfiction Awards
Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction
Frances Fuller Victor (1826-1902) spent 35 years traveling throughout Oregon, interviewing pioneers, and writing the history of the Northwest. Her works include The River of the West, Early Indian Wars of Oregon, and All Over Oregon and Washington.
Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction
Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891) left her native Nevada when the federal government relocated the Paiute to a reservation in Malheur, Oregon. The daughter of a Paiute tribal leader, she became an official interpreter to the U.S. military and an outspoken supporter of Native American rights in Washington, D.C. Her influential book, Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, remains a significant historical and political account.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2019 – General Nonfiction

Kenneth R. Coleman of Portland, Dangerous Subjects: James D. Saules and the Rise of Black Exclusion in Oregon (OSU Press)
Finalists:
Katrine Barber of Portland, In Defense of Wyam: Native-White Alliances and the Struggle for Celilo Village (University of Washington Press)
Brook Colley of Phoenix, Power in the Telling: Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, and Intertribal Relations in the Casino Era (University of Washington Press)
Mary DeMocker of Eugene, The Parents’ Guide to Climate Revolution: 100 Ways to Build a Fossil-Free Future, Raise Empowered Kids, and Still Get a Good Night’s Sleep (New World Library)
Noah Strycker of Creswell, Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest
2019 – Creative Nonfiction

Apricot Irving of Corbett, The Gospel of Trees (Simon & Schuster)
Finalists:
manuel arturo abreu of Portland, Incalculable Loss (Institute for New Connotative Action Press)
David Biespiel of Portland, The Education of a Young Poet (Counterpoint Press)
Dionisia Morales of Corvallis, Homing Instincts (OSU Press)
Meaghan O’Connell of Portland, And Now We Have Everything (Little Brown)
2018 – General Nonfiction
Lee van der Voo of Portland, Fish Market (St. Martin’s Press)
Finalists:
G.A. Bradshaw of Jacksonville, Carnivore Minds (Yale University Press)
Peter Ames Carlin of Portland, Homeward Bound (Henry Holt and Company)
Edward Hershey of Portland, The Scorekeeper (Joy Media LLC)
Gary Leiser of Sisters, Prostitution in the Eastern Mediterranean World: The Economics of Sex in the Late Antique and Medieval Middle East (I.B. Tauris)
2018 – Creative Nonfiction
Elena Passarello of Corvallis, Animals Strike Curious Poses (Sarabande Books)
Finalists:
Michael Copperman of Eugene, Teacher: Two Years in the Mississippi Delta (University Press of Mississippi)
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, Let Us Build Us a City (University of Georgia Press)
Aaron Gilbreath of Portland, Everything We Don’t Know (Curbside Splendor Publishing)
Mike Lankford of Bend, Becoming Leonardo: An Exploded View of the Life of Leonardo Da Vinci (Melville Hourse Publishing)
2017 – General Nonfiction
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion (St. Martin’s Press)
Finalists:
Sue Armitage of Portland, Shaping the Public Good: Women Making History in the Pacific Northwest (OSU Press)
Bill Lascher of Portland, Eve of a Hundred Midnights: The Star-Crossed Love Story of Two WWII Correspondents and Their Epic Escape Across the Pacific (William Morrow)
Kathleen Dean Moore of Corvallis, Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change (Counterpoint)
Andi Zeisler of Portland, We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl©, The Buying and Selling of a Political Movement (PublicAffairs)
2017 – Creative Nonfiction
Walidah Imarisha of Portland, Angels With Dirty Faces (AK Press)
Finalists:
Carrie Brownstein of Portland, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl (Riverhead)
Martha Grover of Portland, The End of My Career (Perfect Day Publishing)
2016 – General Nonfiction
David Biespiel of Portland, A Long High Whistle (Antilever Press)
Finalists:
Lily Brooks-Dalton of Portland, Motorcycles I’ve Loved (Riverhead Books)
William Deresiewicz of Portland, Excellent Sheep (Simon & Schuster)
Rosemarie Ostlerof Eugene, Founding Grammars (St. Martin’s Press)
Tim Palmer of Orford, Field Guide to Oregon Rivers (OSU Press)
2016 – Creative Nonfiction
Kate Carroll de Gutes of Portland, Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear (Ovenbird Books)
Finalists:
Barbara Drake of Yamhill, Morning Light (OSU Press)
Brian Doyle of Lake Oswego, Children and Other Wild Animals (OSU Press)
Elizabeth Enslin of Enterprise, While the Gods Were Sleeping (Seal Press)
Nick Jaina of Portland, Get It While You Can (Perfect Day Publishing)
2015 – General Nonfiction
Alex Tizon of Eugene, Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Finalists:
Kristin Ohlson of Portland, The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet (Rodale Press)
Robert Sitton of Portland, Lady In The Dark: Iris Barry and the Art of Film (Columbia University Press)
Cameron Stauth of Portland, In The Name Of God: The True Story of the Fight to Save Children from Faith-Healing Homicide (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s Press)
Noah Strycker of Creswell, The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and What They Reveal About Being Human (Riverhead)
2015 – Creative Nonfiction
Justin Hocking of Portland, The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld (Graywolf Press)
Finalists:
Lisa Ohlen Harris of Newberg, The Fifth Season (Texas Tech University Press)
Floyd Skloot of Portland, Revertigo (University of Wisconsin Press)
2014 – General Nonfiction
Paul Collins of Portland, Duel with the Devil (Crown Publishers)
Finalists:
C. B. Bernard of Portland, Chasing Alaska (Lyons Press)
William J. Bernstein of Portland, Masters of the Word (Grove Press)
R. Gregory Nokes of West Linn, Breaking Chains (OSU Press)
Martin N. Raitiere of Portland, The Complicity of Friends (Bucknell University Press)
2014 – Creative Nonfiction
Jay Ponteri of Portland, Wedlocked (Hawthorne Books)
Finalists:
Scott Nadelson of Salem, The Next Scott Nadelson (Hawthorne Books)
Elena Passarello of Corvallis, Let Me Clear My Throat (Sarabande Books)
Kim Stafford of Portland, 100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do (Trinity University Press)
Sandra Stone of Portland, The Inmost House (Prospect Cove Press)
2013 – General Nonfiction
Kent Hartman of Portland, The Wrecking Crew (St. Martin’s Press)
Finalists:
Nicholas Buccola of McMinnville, The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass: In Pursuit of American Liberty (NYU Press)
Kerry Cohen of Portland, Dirty Little Secrets: Breaking the Silence on Teenage Girls and Promiscuity (Sourcebooks)
Scott Farris of Portland, Almost President (Lyons Press)
Steven Green of Salem, The Bible, the School, and the Constitution (Oxford University Press)
2013 – Creative Nonfiction
Storm Large of Portland, Crazy Enough (Free Press)
Finalists:
Kerry Cohen of Portland, Seeing Ezra (Seal Press)
Aria Minu-Sepehr of Corvallis, We Heard the Heavens Then (Free Press)
Cheryl Strayed of Portland, Wild (Knopf)
Ceiridwen Terrill of Portland, Part Wild (Scribner)
2012 – General Nonfiction
Kenneth J. Ruoff of Portland, Imperial Japan At Its Zenith: The Wartime Celebration of the Empire’s 2600th Anniversary (Cornell University Press)
Finalists:
Glenn Anthony May of Eugene, Sonny Montes and Mexican American Activism in Oregon (Oregon State University Press)
Roger J. Porter of Portland, Bureau of Missing Persons: Writing the Secret Lives of Fathers (Cornell University Press)
2012 – Creative Nonfiction
George Estreich of Corvallis, The Shape of the Eye: Down Syndrome, Family, and the Stories We Inherit (Southern Methodist University Press)
Finalists:
Jennifer Lauck of Portland, Found (Seal Press)
Sarahlee Lawrence of Portland, River House (Tin House Books)
Marjorie Sandor of Corvallis, The Late Interiors (Arcade Publishing)
Lidia Yuknavitch of Portland, The Chronology of Water (Hawthorne Books)
2011 – General Nonfiction
Paul VanDevelder of Corvallis, Savages and Scoundrels (Yale University Press)
Finalists:
Paul Collins of Portland, The Book of William (Bloomsbury)
Tom Krattenmaker, Onward Christian Athletes (Bowman & Littlefield)
Barry Sanders of Portland, Unsuspecting Souls (Counterpoint Press)
Barry Sanders of Portland, The Green Zone (AK Press)
2011 – Creative Nonfiction
John Daniel of Elmira, The Far Corner (Counterpoint Press)
Finalists:
Carol Ann Bassett of Eugene, Galapagos at the Crossroads (National Geographic)
Tom Bissel of Portland, Extra Lives (Pantheon Books)
Lisa Ohlen Harris of Newberg, Through the Veil (Canonpress)
Kathleen Dean Moore of Corvallis, Wild Comfort (Trumpeter Books)
2010/2009 – General Nonfiction
Tracy Daugherty of Corvallis, Hiding Man: A Biography of Donald Barthelme (St. Martin’s Press)
Finalists:
Bonnie Henderson of Eugene, Strand: An Odyssey of Pacific Ocean Debris (OSU Press)
John Laursen of Portland, Wild Beauty (OSU Press)
Donna Matrazzo of Portland, Wild Things: Adventures of a Grassroots Environmentalist (IUniverse)
Jeffrey St. Clair of Oregon City, Born Under a Bad Sky: Notes from the Dark Side of the Earth (AK Press)
2010/2009 – Creative Nonfiction
John Kroger of Salem, Convictions: A Prosecutor’s Battles Against Mafia Killers, Drug Kingpins, and Enron Thieves (Farrar, Strauss, Giroux)
Finalists:
Bibi Gaston of The Dalles, The Loveliest Woman in America: A Tragic Actress, Her Lost Diaries, and Her Granddaughter’s Search for Home (William Morrow)
Debra Gwartney of Finn Rock, Live Through This: A Mother’s Memoir of Runaway Daughters and Reclaimed Love (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Floyd Skloot of Portland, The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer’s Life (University of Nebraska Press)
2008 – General Nonfiction
Steven W. Bender of Portland, One Night in America: Robert Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, and the Dream of Dignity (Paradigm Publishers)
Finalists:
Neil W. Browne of Bend, The World in Which We Occur: John Dewey, Pragmatist Ecology, and American Ecological Writing in the Twentieth Century (University of Alabama Press)
Pamela Smith Hill of Portland, Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life (South Dakota State Historical Society)
Kimberly Jensen of Monmouth, Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War (University of Illinois Press)
Darius Rejali of Portland, Torture and Democracy (Princeton University Press)
2008 – Creative Nonfiction
Lauren Kessler of Eugene, Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s (Viking Adult)
Finalists:
Beren deMotier of Portland, The Brides of March: Memoir of a Same-Sex Marriage (iUniverse, Inc)
Jill Kelly of Portland, Sober Truths: The Making of an Honest Woman (iUniverse, Inc.)
Christopher Van Tilburg of Hood River, Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature (St. Martin’s Press)
2007 – General Nonfiction
Garrett Epps of Eugene, Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Equal Rights in Post-Civil War America (Henry Holt)
Finalists:
Rene Denfeld of Portland, All God’s Children: Inside the Dark and Violent World of Street Families (PublicAffairs)
John Bellamy Foster of Eugene, Naked Imperialism: The U.S. Pursuit of Global Dominance (Monthly Review Press)
Ben Saunders of Eugene, Desiring Donne: Poetry, Sexuality, Interpretation (Harvard University Press)
Kristian Williams of Portland, American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination (South End Press)
2007 – Creative Nonfiction
Lee Montgomery of Portland,The Things Between Us (Free Press)
Finalists:
Jeff Lee Manthos of Corvallis, Steel Beach: My Life As A Naval Aircrewman 1972—1976 (Inkwater Press)
Joel Preston Smith of Portland, Night of a Thousand Stars and Other Portraits of Iraq (Nazraeli Press)
2006 – General Nonfiction
Andrew Bernstein, Modern Passings: Death Rites, Politics, and Social Change in Imperial Japan (University of Hawaii Press)
Finalists:
Edwin L. Battistella, Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others? (Oxford University Press)
Judy Blankenship, Cañar: A Year in the Highlands of Ecuador (University of Texas Press)
William G. Robbins, Oregon: This Storied Land (Oregon Historical Society Press)
Dick Weissman, Which Side Are You On? An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America (Continuum)
2006 – Creative Nonfiction
George Aguilar, When the River Ran Wild! Indian Traditions on the Mid-Columbia and the Warm Springs Reservation (University of Washington Press)
Finalists:
Brian Doyle, The Grail: A Year Ambling & Shambling Through an Oregon Vineyard in Pursuit of the Best Pinot Noir in the World (Oregon State University Press)
Kristin Kaye, Iron Maidens: The Celebration of the Most Awesome Female Muscle in the World (Thunder’s Mouth Press)
2005 – General Nonfiction
James C. Mohr of Eugene, Plague and Fire (Oxford University Press)
Finalists:
Gillian Klucas of Portland, Leadville (Island Press)
William G. Robbins of Corvallis, Landscapes of Conflict (University of Washington Press)
Bob Welch of Eugene, American Nightingale (Atria Books)
2005 – Creative Nonfiction
Kathleen Dean Moore of Corvallis, The Pine Island Paradox (Milkweed Editions)
Finalists:
Diana Abu-Jaber of Portland, The Language of Baklava (Pantheon Books)
Maura Conlon-McIvor of Portland, FBI girl (Warner Books)
Charles D’Ambrosio of Portland, Orphans (Clear Cut Press)
Brian Doyle of Lake Oswego, Spirited Men (Cowley Publications)
2004 – General Nonfiction
Ellen Morris Bishop of Enterprise, In Search of Ancient Oregon
Finalists:
Lauren Kessler of Eugene, Clever Girl
Elinor Langer of Portland, A Hundred Little Hitlers
Jewel Lansing of Portland, Portland
Jeffrey St. Clair of Oregon City, Been Brown So Long It Looked Like Green to Me
2004 – Creative Nonfiction
Karen Karbo of Portland, The Stuff of Life
Finalists:
Brian Doyle of Portland, Leaping
Ariel Gore of Portland, Atlas of the Human Heart
Bette Lynch Husted of Pendleton, Above the Clearwater
2003 – General Nonfiction
Barbara S. Mahoney of Wilsonville, Dispatches and Dictators
Finalists:
Rick Harmon of Portland, Crater Lake National Park
Kim Stafford of Portland, The Muses Among Us
2003 – Creative Nonfiction
Chris Chester of Portland, Providence of a Sparrow
Floyd Skloot of Amity, In The Shadow Of Memory
Finalists:
Carol Ann Bassett of Eugene, A Gathering of Stones
Gabrielle Glaser of Portland, The Nose
Kim Stafford of Portland, Early Morning
(two winners)
2002 – General Nonfiction
Alfred Habegger of Enterprise, My Wars Are Laid Away in Books
Finalists:
K.P. Burke of Salem, Proof through the Night
Paul Collins of Portland, Banvard’s Folly
Karen Karbo of Portland, Generation Ex
Jennifer Lauck of Portland, Still Waters
2001
Chanrithy Him of Eugene, When Broken Glass Floats
Finalists: Larry Colton of Portland, Counting Coup
Lauren Kessler of Eugene, The Happy Bottom Riding Club
Jennifer Lauck of Portland, Blackbird
2000
Marjorie Sandor of Corvallis, The Night Gardener
Finalists:
Judith Barrington of Portland, Lifesaving
Andrew X. Pham of Portland, Catfish and Mandala
1999
William Ashworth of Ashland, The Left Hand of Eden
Finalists:
Diana Coogle of Applegate, Fire from the Dragon’s Tongue
Barbara Drake of Yamhill, Peace at Heart
Barry Lopez of Finn Rock, About This Life
Jeff Taylor of Independence, Tools of the Earth
1998
Lars Nordström of Beavercreek, Making It Home
Finalists:
Richard Peck of Portland, A Morbid Fascination
William G. Robbins of Corvallis, Landscapes of Promise
Quintard Taylor of Eugene, In Search of the Racial Frontier
1997
John Daniel of Elmira, Looking After
Finalist:
Floyd Skloot of Amity, The Night-Side
1996
Garrett Hongo, Volcano
Finalists:
Susan Butruille, Women’s Voices from the Western Frontier
Thomas Hager, Force of Nature
Robert Leo Heilman, Overstory Zero
Kathleen Dean Moore, Riverwalking
1995
Robin Cody, Voyage of a Summer Sun
Finalists:
James Grabill, Through the Green Fire
Marcy Houle, The Prairie Keepers
Alvin M. Josephy, 500 Nations
Quintard Taylor, The Forging of a Black Community
1994
Lauren Kessler, Stubborn Twig
Finalists:
Chris Anderson, Edge Effects
Rick Steber, Oregon Trail
Theodore Stern, Chiefs and Chief Traders
Linda Tamura, The Hood River Issei
1993
John Daniel, The Trail Home
Finalists:
Larry Colton, Goat Brothers
David A. Johnson, Founding the Far West
Jonathan Nicholas, On the Oregon Trail
1992
Richard M. Brown, No Duty to Retreat
Finalists:
Richard Kraus, Brushes with Power
Terence O’Donnell, An Arrow in the Earth
Sallie Tisdale, Stepping Westward
1991
Marcy Cottrell Houle, Wings for My Flight
Mary Ann Humphrey, My Country, My Right to Serve (two winners)
Finalists:
Peter Byrne, Tula Hatti
Robert Grudin, The Grace of Great Things
Kim Stafford, Entering the Grove (commendation)
1990
Robin Carey, Baja Journey
Finalist:
William Merritt, Where the Rivers Ran Backward
1989
Luther S. Cressman, A Golden Journey
Finalists:
Shannon Applegate, Skookum
Ursula Le Guin, Dancing on the Edge of the World
William L. Sullivan, Listening for Coyote
1988
Cynthia Stowell, Faces of a Reservation
Finalists:
Jack Estes, A Field of Innocence
Barry Lopez, Crossing Open Ground
Edward Malin, Totem Poles
Sam McKinney, Reach of Tide, Ring of History
1987
Barry Lopez, Arctic Dreams
Finalists:
Ken Kesey, Demon Box
Kim Stafford, Having Everything Right
Angus L. Bowmer Award for Drama
Angus Bowmer founded the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His enthusiasm and determination led to an increase in festival attendance, from 500 people in 1935 to more than 320,000 by the late 1980s. He directed 30 productions and performed 32 Shakespearean roles in 43 stagings at the festival. This award is given every two years.
Scroll to see past award winners >

2019
Andrea Stolowitz of Portland, Successful Strategies
2017
Cindy Williams Gutiérrez of Portland, Words That Burn
Finalists:
Sue Mach of Portland, The Yellow Wallpaper
Nancy Moss of Portland, Deception
Rich Rubin of Portland, Caesar’s Blood
Andrea Stolowitz of Portland, Berlin Diary
2015
Andrea Stolowitz of Portland, Ithaka
Finalists:
Rich Rubin of Portland, September Twelfth
Sandra Stone of Portland, Absurdist Or, Is It?: 3 Inter-related Plays
George Taylor of Beaverton, Ghosts in the Canvas
Nick Zagone of Portland, Blood on the Books or The Powell’s Play
2013
Andrea Stolowitz of Portland, Antarktikos
Finalists:
Susan Mach of Portland, A Noble Failure
Steve Patterson of Portland, Immaterial Matters
Rich Rubin of Portland, Costa Rehab
C.S. Whitcomb of Wilsonville, Lear’s Follies
2011
Susan Mach of Portland, The Lost Boy
Finalists:
Marc Acito of Portland & C.S. Whitcomb of Wilsonville, Holidazed
Wayne Harrel of Portland, Second Bloom
George Taylor of Beaverton, Good Citizens
Molly Best Tinsley of Ashland, Glacial Genes
2008
Steve Patterson of Portland, Lost Wavelengths
Finalists:
Dori Appel of Ashland, Hat Tricks
Jacklyn Maddux of Portland, Strange Sightings in the Great Southwest
Francesca Sanders of Portland, I Become a Guitar
George Taylor of Beaverton, Renaissance
2006
Richard Moeschl, Arthur’s Dreams
Finalists:
Doug Baldwin, Wrestling with Charlotte
Shelly Lipkin, Sylver Beaches
Keith J. Scales, What Mad Pursuit
Molly Best Tinsley, Fission
2004
Shelly Lipkin of Lake Oswego, Louanne Moldovan &
Sherry Lamoreaux of Portland, Vitriol and Violets
Finalists:
Gay Monteverde of Portland, The Arabian Nights
Steve Patterson of Portland, Altered States of America
2001
Dori Appel of Ashland, Lost and Found
Finalists:
Timothy E. Craig of McMinnville, Oregon Dawn
Charles Deemer of Portland, Seven Plays
Nancy Masaitis of Portland, Awe & Wonder
Barbara Pongracz of Lake Oswego, 3rd Time’s the Charm
2000
Melinda Pittman of Portland, Wonderbroads
Finalists:
Sandra de Helen of Portland, The Bobbsey Twins Go to Hell
William Sharp of Portland, Ain’t Nothin’ But a Bunch of Bull
1999
Dori Appel of Ashland, The Lunatic Within
Finalists:
Dori Appel of Ashland, Mother, Tree, Cat
Bryan Marvis of Oceanside, Dream True
Bryan Marvis of Oceanside, The Loner
1998
Dori Appel of Ashland, Freud’s Girls
Finalists:
Charles Deemer, Bedrooms and Bars
Charles Deemer, Famililly
Dorothy Velasco, Ever the Dragon
1997
Doug Baldwin of Portland, Drawing Down Clio
Finalists:
Wayne Harrel of Portland, Song of the Bow
Merilee Karr of Portland, The Diamond Orchard
1996
D. Roberts, Picasso in the Backseat
Finalists:
Jan Baross, Mata Hari
Susan Mach, Angle of View
Dorothy Velasco, Mother May I
Sharon Whitney, The Amazing Adventures of Coco-Kab
1994
Jessica Litwak, A Pirate’s Lullaby
Finalists:
Rachael Burchard, Alone
Myra Donnelley, Still Life
Greg Tozian, Fort Byron
Sharon Whitney, Rumpelstiltskin
1992
E.J. Westlake, The Disappearance and Death of Amelia Earhart
Finalists:
Nancy Klementowski, After the Light Goes
Steve Patterson, Bombardment
1990
Sharon Whitney, Five Minute Wars
Finalists:
George Evans, Swimming in Grace
Charles van Steenburgh, The Lonely Treble
1989
Dan Duling, Holding Patterns
Finalists:
Jan Baross, The Woman Who Walked with a List
Tad Savinar, The 4 Mickies
1988
Carolyn Gage, The Second Coming of Joan of Arc
Finalists:
Nancy Klementowski, Small Combo Blues
Tad Savinar, Brushfires
GRAPHIC LITERATURE WINNERS
In 2011, with the support of the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Literary Arts established a new award for graphic literature. This award is given every two years.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2018
Nicole J. Georges of Portland, Fetch: How A Bad Dog Brought Me Home
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Finalists:
Jonathan Case of Portland, The New Deal (Dark Horse Comics)
Kelly Sue Deconnick of Portland, Bitch Planet Volume 2: President Bitch (Image Comics)
Barry Deutsch of Portland, Hereville: How Mirka Caught A Fish (Amulet Books)
Paul Tobin of Portland, Bandette: Volume 3: The House of the Green Mask (Dark Horse Comics)
2016
Ariel Cohn and Aron Nels Steinke of Portland
The Zoo Box (First Second Books)
Finalists:
Erika Moen of Portland, Oh Joy, Sex Toy (Erika Moen Comics & Illustration)
Jeff Parker of Portland, Meteor Men (Oni Press)
Elizabeth Rusch and Mike Lawrence of Portland, Muddy Max (Andrews McMeel Publishing)
Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover of Portland, Bandette Volume 2: Stealers Keepers (Dark Horse Comics)
2014
Barry Deutsch of Portland, Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite (Amulet Books)
Finalists:
Steve Duin and Shannon Wheeler of Portland, Oil and Water (Fantagraphics Books)
Natalie Nourigat of Portland, Between Gears (Image Comics)
Joe Sacco of Portland, Journalism (Metropolitan Books)
Craig Thompson of Portland, Habibi (Pantheon)
2012
Joe Sacco Portland Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan Books)
Finalists:
Graham Annable Portland Book of Grickle (Dark Horse Comics)
Aidan Koch Portland The Whale (Gaze Books)
Sarah Oleksyk Portland Ivy (Oni Press)
Greg Rucka Portland Stumptown (Oni Press)
Young Reader Awards
ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Eloise McGraw’s (1915-2000) books for children include The Striped Ships, which received an Oregon Book Award in 1992, and The Moorchild, which received an Oregon Book Award and a Newbery Award in 1997.
Leslie Bradshaw Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature
This award was created in 1999 by friends and family to honor a devoted lover of literature, Leslie Bradshaw (1952-1998). Bradshaw was well known within her community for sharing a passion for reading and love of a good story. She inspired many children at Beaver Acres Elementary School in Beaverton to become engaged with books. (note: beginning with 2023, the Leslie Bradshaw Award includes Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature).
Scroll to see past award winners >

2019 – Children’s Literature
Emily Whitman of Portland,The Turning (Greenwillow Books)
Finalists:
Kate Berube of Portland, Mae’s First Day of School (Abrams Books)
Barbara Herkert of Newport, A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White (Henry Holt and Co.)
Michelle Roehm McCann of Portland, More Girls Who Rocked the World (Aladdin/Beyond Words)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen (Balzer & Bray)

2019 – Young Adult Literature
Shea Ernshaw of Bend, The Wicked Deep (Simon & Schuster)
Finalists:
Fonda Lee of Portland, Cross Fire: An Exo Novel (Scholastic Press)
Shelley Pearson of Portland, Book Smarts & Tender Hearts (Ingram Spark)
Emily Suvada of Portland, This Mortal Coil (Simon & Schuster)
2018 – Children’s Literature
Patricia Bailey of Klamath Falls, The Tragically True Adventures of Kit Donovan (Albert Whitman & Company)
Finalists:
Kurt Cyrus of McMinnville, Shake A Leg, Egg (Beach Lane Books)
Diane Rios of Portland, Bridge of The Gods (She Writes Press)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, The Music of Life (Atheneum Books)
Cynthia Rylant of Portland, Life (Beach Lane Books)
2018 – Young Adult Literature
Laini Taylor of Portland, Strange the Dreamer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Finalists:
Kenn Amdahl of Eugene, Jumper and the Apple Crate (Clearwater Publishing Company)
Kelly Garrett of Portland, The Last to Die (Poisoned Pen Press)
Fonda Lee of Portland, Exo (Scholastic)
Paula Stokes of Portland, This is How it Happened (Harper Teen)
2017 – Children’s Literature
Kate Berube of Portland, Hannah and Sugar (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
Finalists:
Cathy Camper of Portland, Lowriders to the Center of the Earth (Chronicle Books)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, Steamboat School (Disney-Hyperion)
Kathleen Lane of Portland, The Best Worst Thing (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Cynthia Rylant of Portland, The Otter (Beach Lane Books)
2017 – Young Adult Literature
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark (Scholastic)
Finalists:
Amber J. Keyser of Bend, The Way Back from Broken (Carolrhoda LAB)
David Levine of Portland, Arabella of Mars (Tor)
Eliot Treichel of Eugene, A Series of Small Maneuvers (Ooligan Press)
2016 – Children’s Literature
Barbara Kerley of Portland, With a Friend by Your Side (National Geographic Society)
Finalists:
Kim Griswell of Ashland, Rufus Goes to Sea (Sterling Publishing)
Marie and Roland Smith of Wilsonville, T is For Time (Sleeping Bear Press)
Heather Vogel Frederick of Portland, Absolutely Truly: A Pumpkin Falls Mystery (Simon & Schuster)
2016 – Young Adult Literature
Brian Doyle of Lake Oswego, Martin Marten (St. Martin’s Press)
Finalists:
Fonda Lee of Portland, Zeroboxer (Flux)
William Ritter of Springfield, Jackaby (Algonquin Young Readers)
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Hunt for the Bamboo Rat (Wendy Lamb Books)
Hilary T. Smith of Portland, A Sense of the Infinite (Harper Collins)
2015 – Children’s Literature
Susan Hill Long of Portland, Whistle in the Dark (Holiday House)
Finalists:
Kim T. Griswell of Ashland, Rufus Goes to School (Sterling Children’s Books)
H. Joseph Hopkins of Portland, The Tree Lady (Beach Lane Books)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (Alfred A. Knopf)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World
(Candlewick Press)
2015 – Young Adult Literature
April Henry of Portland, The Body In the Woods (Henry Holt)
Finalists:
Robin Herrera of Portland, Hope is a Ferris Wheel (Amulet Books)
Lisa Schroeder of Beaverton, The Bridge From Me To You (Scholastic)
Christina Struyk-Bonn of Portland, Whisper (Orca Book Publishers)
2014 – Children’s Literature
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Calvin Coconut: Extra Famous (Wendy Lamb Books)
Finalists:
Scott William Carter of Salem, Wooden Bones (Simon & Schuster)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, Knit Your Bit (G.P. Putnam)
Barbara Kerley of Portland, The World Is Waiting for You (National Geographic)
Allen Say of Portland, The Favorite Daughter (Arthur A. Levine)
2014 – Young Adult Literature
Kari Luna of Portland, The Theory of Everything (Philomel Books)
Finalists:
Kelly Moore, Larkin Reed and Tucker Reed of Jacksonville, Amber House (Arthur A. Levine)
Rosanne Parry of Portland, Written in Stone (Random House)
2013 – Children’s Literature
Allen Say of Portland, Drawing From Memory (Scholastic Press)
Finalists:
Heather Vogel Frederick of Portland, Once Upon a Toad (Simon & Schuster)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, Annie and Helen (Schwartz & Wade)
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Calvin Coconut: Man Trip (Wendy Lamb Books)
J.H. Shapiro of Portland, Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art (Charlesbridge)
2013 – Young Adult Literature
Ruth Tenzer Feldman of Portland, Blue Thread (Ooligan Press)
Finalists:
Brian Doyle of Portland, Cat’s Foot (Corby Books)
Katie Kacvinsky of Corvallis, First Comes Love (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2012 – Children’s Literature
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Calvin Coconut: Hero of Hawaii (Wendy Lamb Books)
Finalists:
Nancy Coffelt of Portland, Catch That Baby! (Simon & Schuster)
Judy Cox of Ontario, Nora and the Texas Terror (Holiday House)
Eric A. Kimmel of Portland, Medio Pollito (Marshall Cavendish)
Cynthia Rylant of Portland, Brownie and Pearl Take a Dip (Simon & Schuster)
2012 – Young Adult Literature
Emily Whitman of Portland, Wildwing (Greenwillow Books)
Finalists:
Heather Vogel Frederick of Portland, Pies and Prejudice (Simon & Schuster)
April Henry of Portland, Girl, Stolen (Henry Holt)
Lisa Schroeder of Beaverton, The Day Before (Simon Pulse)
Jen Violi of Portland, Putting Makeup on Dead People (Hyperion)
2011 – Children’s Literature
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Calvin Coconut: The Zippy Fix (Wendy Lamb Books)
Finalists:
Dale E. Basye of Portland, Rapacia: The Second Circle of Heck (Random House)
Dawn Babb Prochovnic of Portland, The Nest Where I Like to Rest (Magic Wagon)
Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen of Hines, A Small Brown Dog with Wet Pink Nose (Little Brown and Company)
Barbara Kerley of Portland, The Extraordinary Mark Twain (Scholastic Press)
2011 – Young Adult Literature
Scott William Carter of Salem, The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys (Simon and Schuster)
Finalists:
Kerry Cohen Hoffman of Portland, It’s Not You, It’s Me (Random House)
Anne Osterlund of Ione, Academy 7 (Penguin Group)
L.K. Madigan of Portland, Flash Burnout (Houghton Mifflin)
Emily Whitman of Portland, Radiant Darkness (Greenwillow/Harper Collins)
2010/2009 – Children’s Literature
Deborah Hopkinson of Corvallis, Keep on! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-discoverer of the North Pole (Peach Tree
2010/2009 – Young Adult Literature
Roland Smith of Wilsonville, IQ Book One: Independence Hall (Harcourt Paperbacks)
Finalists:
Carmen Bernier-Grand of Portland, Diego: Bigger Than Life (Marshall Cavendish)
David Greenberg of Portland, A Tugging String (Dutton)
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Calvin Coconut, Trouble Magnet (Wendy Lamb Books)
Virginia Euwer Wolff of Oregon City, This Full House (Harper Teen)
2008 – Children’s Literature
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, A Day With No Crayons (Rising Moon)
Finalists:
Lori Ries of Tigard, Punk Wig (Boyd’s Mill Press)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto (Rising Moon)
Cynthia Rylant of Eugene, Alligator Boy (Harcourt Children’s Books)
Cynthia Rylant of Eugene, Puppies and Piggies (Harcourt Children’s Books)
2008 – Young Adult Literature
Sara Ryan of Portland, The Rules for Hearts (Viking Juvenile)
Linda Zuckerman of Portland, A Taste for Rabbit (Arthur A. Levine Books)
Finalists:
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Night of the Howling Dogs (Wendy Lamb Books)
Roland Smith of Wilsonville, Peak (Harcourt Paperbacks)
2007 – Children’s Literature
Shannon Riggs of Salem, Not In Room 204 (Albert Whitman & Company)
Finalists:
Deborah Hopkinson of Corvallis, Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America (Scholastic Nonfiction)
Lori Ries of Tigard, Aggie and Ben: Three Stories (Charlesbridge)
Margriet Ruurs of Shedd, In My Backyard (Tundra Books)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, Will It Blow? Become a Volcano Detective at Mount St. Helens (Sasquatch Books)
2007 – Young Adult Literature
Susan Fletcher of Wilsonville, Alphabet of Dreams (Atheneum)
Finalists:
Margaret J. Anderson of Corvallis, Olla-Piska: Tales of David Douglas (Oregon Historical Society Press)
Kerry Cohen Hoffman of Portland, Easy (Simon and Schuster)
Graham Salisbury of Portland,House of the Red Fish (Wendy Lamb Books)
2006 – Children’s Literature
Diane Siebert, Tour America (Chronicle Books)
Finalists:
Susan Hill, Ruby Paints a Picture (HarperCollins)
Deborah Hopkinson, Sky Boys (Schwartz and Wade Books)
Allen Say, Kamishibai Man (Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books)
2006 – Young Adult Literature
Graham Salisbury, Eyes of the Emperor (Random House)
Finalist:
Heather Vogel Frederick, Spy Mice: For Your Paws Only (Simon and Schuster)
2005 – Children’s Literature
Henry Sayre of Bend, Cave Paintings to Picasso (Chronicle Books)
Finalists:
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand of Portland, César (Marshall Cavendish)
Deborah Hopkinson of Corvallis, Apples to Oregon (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Angelyn Ray (as Captain Cliff) of Lakeview, Fables by the Sea, Volume One (The Aenor Trust)
Nicole Rubel of Aurora, Twice As Nice (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
2005 – Young Adult Literature
Linda Crew of Corvallis, A Heart for Any Fate (Oregon Historical Society Press)
Finalist:
Roland Smith of Wilsonville, Cryptid Hunters (Hyperion Books for Children)
2004 – Children’s Literature
Michelle McCann of Portland, Luba
Finalists:
Marie & Roland Smith of Wilsonville, B Is for Beaver
Andrea U’Ren of Portland, Mary Smith
Leah Wilcox of Redmond, Falling for Rapunzel
2004 – Young Adult Literature
Susanna Vance of Portland, Deep
Finalist:
Nancy Osa of Eagle Creek, Cuba 15
2003 – Children’s Literature
Eric A. Kimmel of Portland, Three Samurai Cats
Finalists:
Petra Mathers of Astoria, Herbie’s Secret Santa
Valerie Rapp of Portland, Life in a River
Nicole Rubel of Aurora, No More Vegetables!
Cynthia Rylant of Portland, Henry and Mudge and the Tall Tree House
2003 – Young Adult Literature
Heather Vogel Frederick of Portland, The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed
Finalists:
Brian A. Connolly of Bend, Wolf Journal
Kezi Matthews of Portland, Flying Lessons
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, Generation Fix
Graham Salisbury of Lake Oswego, Island Boyz
2002
Sara Ryan of Portland, Empress of the World
Finalists:
Monte Killingsworth of Applegate, Equinox
Graham Salisbury of Portland, Lord of the Deep
Roland Smith of Tualatin, Zach’s Lie
2001
Virginia Euwer Wolff of Oregon City, True Believer
2000
Ellen Howard of Salem, The Gate in the Wall
Finalists:
Carmen Bernier-Grand of Portland, In the Shade of the Níspero Tree
Roland Smith of Wilsonville, The Last Lobo
1999
Pamela Smith Hill of Portland, A Voice from the Border
Finalist:
Susan Fletcher of Lake Oswego, Shadow Spinner
1998
Graham Salisbury of Portland, Shark Bait
Finalists:
Linda Crew of Corvallis, Long Time Passing
Gretchen Olson of Amity, Joyride
Judy Sierra of Eugene, The Mean Hyena
Roland Smith of Tualatin, Sasquatch
1997
Eloise Jarvis McGraw of Lake Oswego, The Moorchild
Finalists:
Rodger Larson of Portland, What I Know Now
1996
Roland Smith, Journey of the Red Wolf
Finalists:
David Delamare, The Man in the Moon and the Hot Air Balloon
Rebecca Hickox Ayres, Per and the Dala Horse
Eric A. Kimmel, The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol
Roland Smith, Thunder Cave
1995
Graham Salisbury, Under the Blood-Red Sun
Finalists:
Margaret Bechard, Really No Big Deal
Robert Crum, On the Powwow Trail with a Young Grass Dancer
Rita Grauer, Vasalisa and Her Magic Doll
1994
Virginia Euwer Wolff, Make Lemonade
Finalists:
Susan Fletcher, Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Eric Kimmel, Anasi and the Talking Melon
1993
Graham Salisbury, Blue Skin of the Sea
Finalists:
Rebecca Hickox Ayres, Matreshka
Margaret Bechard, Tory and Me and the Spirit of True Love
Eric Kimmel, The Spotted Pony
1992
Eloise Jarvis McGraw, The Striped Ships
Finalists:
Virginia Euwer Wolff, The Mozart Season
1991
Eric Kimmel, Four Dollars and Fifty Cents
Finalists:
Linda Crew, Someday I’ll Laugh About This
Eric Kimmel, The Chanukkah Guest
1990
Susan Fletcher, Dragon’s Milk
Finalists:
Eric Kimmel, Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
Dorothy Nafus Morrison, Vanishing Act
Readers Choice
Since 2011, Oregonians have cast their vote for their favorite Oregon Book Award finalist through the Readers’ Choice Award survey.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2019
Beth Wood of Portland, Ladder to the Light (Mezcalita Press)
Finalists:
Kate Berube of Portland, Mae’s First Day of School (Abrams Books)
Barbara Herkert of Newport, A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: The Story of E.B. White (Henry Holt and Co.)
Michelle Roehm McCann of Portland, More Girls Who Rocked the World (Aladdin/Beyond Words)Deborah
Hopkinson of West Linn, Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen (Balzer & Bray)
2018
Nicole J. Georges of Portland, Fetch: How A Bad Dog Brought Me Home (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2017
Eliot Treichel of Eugene, A Series of Small Maneuvers (Ooligan Press)
2016
Lidia Yuknavitch, The Small Backs of Children: A Novel (HarperPerennial)
2015
Willy Vlautin of Scappoose, The Free (HarperPerennial)
2014
Amanda Coplin of Portland, The Orchardist (Harper Perennial)
2013
Cheryl Strayed of Portland, Wild (Knopf)
2012
Lidia Yuknavitch of Portland, Chronology of Water (Hawthorne Books)
2011
Willy Vlautin of Portland, Lean on Pete (HarperPerennial)
Special Awards:
Charles Erskine Scott Wood Distinguished Writer Award
C.E.S. Wood (1852-1944) was a writer, poet, soldier, lawyer, orator, bibliophile, social critic, painter and patron of the arts. He is known for his satirical work Heavenly Discourse and The Poetry in the Desert. The Charles Erskine Scott Wood Distinguished Writer Award is presented to an Oregon author in recognition of an enduring, substantial literary career.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2017
Jarold Ramsey of Madras
2015
Ralph Salisbury of Eugene
2014
Vern Rutsala of Portland
2008
Barry Lopez of Finn Rock, writer
2006
Ursula Le Guin of Portland, writer
2003
George Hitchcock of Harrisburg, poet, writer, teacher and editor of kayak magazine
1999
Ken Kesey of Pleasant Hill, writer
1998
Priscilla Knuth, librarian
1996
Eloise Jarvis McGraw of Portland, children’s writer
1995
Damon Knight of Eugene, science fiction writer
1994
Earl Pomeroy of Eugene, historian
1993
Alvin M. Josephy, Jr. of Joseph, historian and founder of Fishtrap
1992
Terence O’Donnell of Portland, historian and lecturer
1991
Walt Morey of Sherwood, author
1990
Janet Stevenson of Hammond, writer and civic leader
1989
Vi Gale of Portland, poet and publisher, Prescott Street Press
1988
Dr. Dorothy Johansen of Portland, historian and Reed College professor
1987
George Belknap of Eugene, bibliographer and editor, University of Oregon
Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award
Stewart Holbrook (1893-1964) was the Pacific Northwest’s foremost storyteller, one of the nation’s most popular historians and a humorous social critic. Among the best known of his 35 books are The Age of Moguls, The Columbia, Holy Old Mackinaw and Lost Men of American History. The Steward H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award is presented to a person or organization in recognition of significant contributions that have enriched Oregon’s literary community.
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2019
José González
José González’s founded Miracle Theatre Group in 1985 with his wife, Dañel Malán. José holds an MFA in theatre arts from UCLA and a BA in humanities with an emphasis in philosophy and art history from the University of Santa Clara. He has studied in Vienna and traveled through Europe and the Middle East. In 1997, José was recognized as a Community Treasure by TACS-PGE/Enron. He has also received awards for “Outstanding Contribution to the Hispanic Community” from IMAGE of Washington County, 1992, and a Dramalogue Award for Excellence in Set Design. Under the pseudonym Martín Milagro, he has written five full-length plays produced by the Miracle Theatre Group and penned two Spanish-language screenplays
2018
Tracey Daugherty and Marjorie Sandor of Corvallis
2017
The IPRC of Portland
2016
Douglas Spangle of Portland
2015
Tom Spanbauer of Portland
2014
Vince and Patty Wixon of Ashland
2013
Larry Colton
2011
John Laursen of Portland
2009
Matt Love
2008
Marlene Howard of Portland
2007
Kim Stafford of Portland
2006
Paulann Petersen of Portland
2005
Barbara LaMorticella of Portland, editor and co-host of KBOO’s “The Talking Earth”
2004
David Milholland of Portland, co-founder of the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission
2003
David Hedges of Portland, literary activist and past president of the Oregon State Poetry Association
2002
Carla Perry of Newport, founder and director of Nye Beach Writers’ Series
2001
Erik Muller of Eugene, co-founder of the literary magazine Fireweed and president of the Lane Literary Guild
2000
Rich Wandschneider, director of Fishtrap
1999
Peter Sears of Corvallis, founder of the Oregon Literary Coalition
1998
Dennis & Linny Stovall (Portland), founders of Blue Heron Publishers
1997
Ruth Gundle & Judith Barrington of Portland, founders of Soapstone and Flight of the Mind
1996
Brian Booth of Portland, founder of the Oregon Institute for Literary Arts
1995
Tom Ferte, publisher of Calapooya Collage
1994
George Venn of La Grande, editor of 6-volume Oregon Literature Series
1993
Penny Avila of Portland, poet and literary advocate
1992
Clyde Rice of Clackamas, award-winning author of novels set in Oregon
1991
Walt Curtis of Portland, poet and advocate for Oregon authors
1990
Sandra Williams of Portland, poet, educator and co-founder/director of the Mountain Writer Series
1989
Katharine McCanna of Portland, book distributor specializing in Northwest authors
1988
Calyx of Corvallis, literary journal
1987
Northwest Review of Eugene, University of Oregon literary journal
Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award
A man who created deeply loved books for young readers, Walt Morey (1900-1992) is known worldwide for his book, Gentle Ben. Other books include Home is the North, Kavik the Wolf Dog, Runaway Stallion, Gloomy Gus, Year of the Black Pony, Scrub Dog of Alaska, and Deep Trouble. The Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award is presented to a person or organization in recognition of significant contributions that have enriched Oregon’s young readers.
Scroll to see past award winners >
2018
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand of Portland
2017
SMART (Start Making A Reader Today)
2016
Curtis Kiefer of Corvallis
2015
Jann Tankersley of Dayton
2014
Ellen Fader of Portland
2013
Oregon Battle of the Books
2012
Dr. Ulrich Hardt of Portland
2011
The Children’s Book Bank (Portland)
2009
The Dove Lewis Animal Hospital Read to the Dogs Program of Portland
2008
Young Writers Association of Eugene
2007
Mark Mizell of Seaside, teacher
2006
John Monteverde of Portland, artistic director, Northwest Children’s Theater
2005
Carol Brown of Corvallis, retired teacher and president of Oregon Reading Association
2004
Patricia R. Gallagher of Monmouth, award winning teacher
2003
Jerry Isom, executive director of Books for Kids
2002
Ready to Learn, pro-literacy program of Oregon Public Broadcasting
2001
Oregon advisory boards of First Book, pro-literacy organization
2000
Cathy Schneider (Portland), coordinator of Books-2-U with the Multnomah County Library
1999
Claudia Jones (Enterprise), Wallowa County Libarian and founder of Bookmobile project
1998
Barbara J. McKillip, founder of the Libri Foundation
Other Special Award Recipients:
1995
Wilma Erwin, Haiku poet, grass-roots leader and advocate of Oregon writers
1994
Ralph Friedman, author of Oregon landscape and local history books
1992
Paul Pintarich, The Oregonian
1991
Don James of Portland, author and teacher
1990
Mary Barnard, Oregon-born poet
1989
George Venn of La Grande, for Marking the Magic Circle (Oregon State University Press)
1988
William Everson, poet and printer who spent World War II in a conscientious-objector camp in Waldport
“Writing is a solitary activity, but its ultimate goal is always communication and community. Literary Arts has worked tirelessly to build and maintain Oregon’s literary community, to help us all feel less alone, to help us communicate across valleys, mountains, rivers, and deserts, up the coast and through the woods.”
Tracy Daugherty, Oregon Book Award Winner
Brian Booth Writers’ Fund
The Brian Booth Writers’ Fund is an endowment of Literary Arts and is managed by the Oregon Community Foundation. The Fund provides an ongoing, annual source of support for the Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships, which in turn provide financial support and public recognition to some of Oregon’s most talented writers. Make your investment in the creative future of Oregon today.
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