Shirley Jackson Award Winners

As part of my role on the Shirley Jackson Awards Advisory Board, I am tasked with spreading the word about this awesome award far and wide. 

As a reminder, I wrote about this award and why it is a great resource here. 

Here is the press release from the award announcement and the winners. After that repost, I will have some comments as well as backlist access:

Boston, MA (July 15, 2023) — In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, and with permission of the author’s estate, The Shirley Jackson Awards, Inc. has been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.

The 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards were presented in-person on Saturday, July 15 at Readercon 32, Conference on Imaginative Literature, in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Jeff VanderMeer, Readercon 32 Guest of Honor and past Shirley Jackson Award winner, and Ann VanderMeer, Readercon 32 Special Guest and a member of the Shirley Jackson Awards Board of Advisors.

The winners for the 2022 Shirley Jackson Awards are:

NOVEL — Tie

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books)

Where I End by Sophie White (Tramp Press)

NOVELLA

The Bone Lantern by Angela Slatter (PS Publishing)

NOVELETTE

What the Dead Know by Nghi Vo (Amazon Original Stories)

 SHORT FICTION

“Pre-Simulation Consultation XF007867” by Kim Fu (Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century)

 SINGLE-AUTHOR COLLECTION

We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe (Nictitating Books)

EDITED ANTHOLOGY

The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors, edited by Doug Murano (Bad Hand Books)

Okay, now comment time. 

First, this award never disappoints. The list of nominees was strong and represented the full breadth of dark fiction-- as the award promises to do-- and then the list of winners continues that promise. These titles are all unsettling in different and awesome ways.

Second, I have read and LOVED two of the winners (reviews linked above). The Devil Takes You Home was my favorite Horror read of 2022 and Murano's anthology was the first book he released from his new and impressive small press. Those links go to my LJ draft STAR reviews and more notes. I have many effusive things to say about both. But here is something else you need to know, besides being talented, both men are awesome humans. 

Third, Paul Ashe is a name you NEED to know now. I have read a few of her stories and she is for real. Every story I have read has impressed me. Every. Single. One. Get this small press award winner into your collections now. It was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award as well. It was not a surprise to me to see this collection winning here. It will not be Ashe's first award. 

Fourth, this is not the first time the SJA has had a tie in a category, but it is important to note that Sophie White's winning novel is NOT currently available with an American publisher. Interestingly, this is also not the first time that has happened. Most recently, Catriona Ward's Little Eve (link to my review) won the 2018 SJA after being published in England only, but then Nightfire released it as part of her multi-book deal with them last Fall. I hope Where I End gets picked up for American release and that I get to review it as well.

Speaking of past winners, the SJA website has all past nominees and winners, easily accessible with one click here. This award is useful for adding to our collections, making suggestions, and building lists and displays because it is a readalike award, not a genre based award. It is an award for a type of book, it honors a feeling, and it refuses to box itself in. In other words, it is an award that reflects a reading experience itself, which makes it easy for us to suggest all of these nominated titles to our readers. Check out the site and fill out your collections today. And click here to read more from me about how to use the SJA with readers.

And hat's a wrap on the 2022 SJA. On to 2023 when I will get to serve for the entire award year. I am VERY excited to get to be a part of the process from start to finish by nominating titles for the jury to read. I already have a list to pass on to them as soon as they are ready.