The Connecticut Book Awards were held on October 22, 2017 at the Mark Twain House & Museum. It was a gorgeous day and people came to share that day with us to learn who the winners would be. That is a testimony to book lovers and people who value their literature.

We were very fortunate in the presenters of each category, who all did a stunning job. They were sincere, funny, and gave a thumbnail sketch on each of the finalists’ books that made you want to run out and buy a copy. 

We were doubly fortunate in our keynote speaker, New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams. Witty, entertaining, and totally ‘gets’ Connecticut Humanities, the Connecticut Center for the Book, and an author’s struggle to produce a quality piece of literature.

Best of all, people left happy, elated, and buoyed up by the thought that book awards have returned!

So, that said, the winners are:

Poetry

Fugitives by Danielle Pieratti

Lifetime Achievement for Literary Excellence to Gray Jacobik represented by The Banquet: New and Selected Poems

Young Readers

The Weight of Zero by Karen Fortunati

Nonfiction

Never Look an American in the Eye by Okey Ndibe

Fiction

Cajun Waltz by Robert H. Patton

 

Submissions for next year’s awards open on January 1, 2018.