The shortlists for the Diverse Book Awards 2022 were announced on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Here are the writers of African descent who made the cut.
The Diverse Book Awards were created by Abiola Bello and Helen Lewis, founders of The Author School to celebrate the diversity of writing in the UK in 2019. The awards are handed out in the categories of children, young adult, and adult fiction.
The longlisted titles for 2022 were announced on July 28 before the shortlisted titles were revealed yesterday. The writers of African descent who made the cut were;
Children’s
- Hey You!, Dapo Adeola, Diane Ewan, Onyinye Iwu, Jade Orlando, Bec Glendining, Derick Brooks, Joelle Avelino, Dunni Mustapha, Kingsley Nebechi, Chanté Timothy, Nicole Miles, Camilla Sucre, Jobe Anderson, Alyissa Johnson, Chatlot Kristensen, Sharee Miller, Reggie Brown, Selom Sunu, Gladys Jose (Penguin Random House Children’s)
- The Lightning Catcher, Claire Weze (Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
- The Very Merry Murder Club, Abiola Bello, Annabelle Sami, Benjamin Dean, Dominique Valente, Elle McNicoll, E.L. Norry, Maisie Chan, Roopa Farooki, Nizrana Farook, Patrice Lawrence, Joanna Williams, Serena Patel, Sharna Jackson, illustrated by Harry Woodgate. Edited by Robin Stevens and Serena Patel (Farshore)
Young Adult
- Ace of Spades, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Usborne)
- Being Amani, Annabelle Steele (Hashtag BLAK)
- Skin of The Sea, Natasha Bowen (Penguin Random House Children’s)
- Splinters of Sunshine, Patrice Lawrence (Hodder Children’s Books)
Adult
- His Only Wife, Peace Adzo Medie (Oneworld)
- Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking Books)
- The Bread The Devil Knead, Lisa Allen-Agostini (Myriad Editions)
- The Day I Fell Off My Island, Yvonne Bailey-Smith (Myriad Editions)
- This One Sky Day, Leone Ross (Faber)
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London, UK on October 20.
