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Crook’s Corner Book Prize 14th Annual Longlist Announced

August 28, 2026 No Comments

August 28, 2026

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina (August 28, 2026)—The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation today announced its annual Longlist for best debut novel set in the American South. The $5,000 prize winner will be announced in January 2027.

The 2027 Longlist is:

The Resettlement of Vesta Blonik
by Denise Smith Cline
(Regal House Publishing)

God Is Harder on Girls
by Ella Dodson
(Chapel Hill Press)

If the Dead Belong Here
by Carson Faust
(Viking)

Leaving Edgefield: Carrie Butler’s Story
by Carolyn W. Hooker
(Evening Post Books)

The Fantasies of Future Things
by Doug Jones
(Simon & Schuster)

Junah at the End of the World
by Dan Leach
(Hub City Press)

This Here Is Love
by Princess Joy L. Perry
(W. W. Norton & Company)

To the Moon and Back
by Eliana Ramage
(Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster)

The Slip
by Lucas Schaefer
(Simon & Schuster)

“The depth and diversity of Southern storytelling continues to astound us year after year,” said Anna Hayes, Crook’s Corner Book Prize founder. “This year’s remarkable debut novels represent the evolving landscape of Southern literature, bringing fresh perspectives, distinctive voices and compelling stories to our literary tradition. From historical fiction to contemporary stories of family, identity and belonging, this year’s longlist demonstrates that Southern fiction remains as vital and diverse as ever.”

Judging this year’s Prize is acclaimed author Katy Simpson Smith. Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Smith is the author of the novels The Maltese Version, The Story of Land and Sea, Free Men, The Everlasting, and The Weeds, as well as We Have Raised All of You: Motherhood in the South, 1750–1835. She received a PhD in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She currently teaches fiction at the Bennington College Writing Seminars and lives in New Orleans.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues to highlight emerging fiction writers, who typically face some of the toughest obstacles in publishing. Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible. The 2026 Prize was awarded in January to Melissa Mogollon’s Oye, published by Hogarth.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Shortlist will be announced in September.
For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues its annual $5,000 award for the best debut novel set in the American South, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant.

Winner Announced for the 13th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize

January 13, 2026 No Comments

January 6, 2025

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cindy Sellars cindyhsellars@gmail.com

‘Oye’ by Melissa Mogollon, wins 2026 Crook’s Corner Book Prize
$5,000 prize awarded for best debut novel set in the American South

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, JANUARY 12, 2026—“Oye” by Melissa Mogollon, (Hogarth Press) is the winner of the 13th annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize for the best debut novel set in the American South.

 

Selected by this year’s judge, renowned author and creative writing professor Clyde Edgerton, “Oye” is a coming-of-age story structured as a series of one-sided phone calls from a Colombian-American teenager, Luciana, to her older sister, Mari, during Hurricane Irma in 2017 in South Florida.

“Melissa Mogollon took chances in constructing her novel, ‘Oye,’” Edgerton says. “An entire novel narrated in a series of phone calls? And the reader gets to hear only one of the two speakers? With inserted dialogue flashbacks here and there…I couldn’t stop reading, and the story never slowed down, never missed a beat. The narrative was doused in suspense, tension, and humor. To top off my reading experience: the story deals with the most ancient of groups – family – in the most ancient of ways: through love. Big congratulations to Melissa Mongollon. Watch out – she is bound to surprise and delight readers with a second novel, and for a long time to come.” 

The winner was chosen from the Shortlist announced in September 2025. The Shortlist included “Sky Full of Elephants” by Cebo Campbell, Simon & Schuster, “Oye” by Melissa Mogollon, Hogarth Press, and “Like Happiness” by Ursula Villarreal-Moura, Celadon Books.

Melissa Mogollon holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a BA from The George Washington University. Originally from Colombia and raised in Florida, she now teaches at a boarding school in Rhode Island, where she lives with her partner and dog.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, established as a collaboration between the iconic Southern restaurant Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation, was inspired by the prestigious book awards long given by famous “literary cafés” in Paris. Submissions are now open for next year’s prize. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit crookscornerbookprize.com or follow us on Facebook, and Instagram

Crook’s Corner Book Prize 12th Annual Shortlist Announced

September 16, 2024 No Comments

September 17, 2024

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2024—Today, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation announces the three finalists for best debut novel set in the American South. “It is really exciting to see emerging novelists interpreting life in the American South, past and present, from the perspective of 2024,” says Anna Hayes, Foundation President. The winner of the $5000 prize will be announced in January 2025.

The Shortlist

_0000_Banyan Moon
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai (Mariner Books/Harper Collins)
Spanning decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the wild swamplands of the Florida coast, “Banyan Moon” is a stunning and deeply moving story of mothers and daughters, the things we inherit, and the lives we choose to make out of that inheritance.
_0007_Coleman Hill
Coleman Hill
by Kim Foote
(SJP Lit)

“Coleman Hill” is the exhilarating story of two American families whose fates become intertwined in the wake of the Great Migration. Braiding fact and fiction, it is a remarkable, character-rich tour de force exploring the ties that bind three generations.

_0006_Fireworks Every Night
Fireworks Every Night
by Beth Raymer
(Penguin Random House)

This tumultuous coming-of-age novel features an unforgettable protagonist, a character who narrates her life story with dark comedy and compassion for her family, even as she is failed by them. Those failures are the backbone of this surprisingly poignant story about hard bargains, family loyalties, and the grit of a woman determined to create a better life for herself than the one she was born into.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible. 

Judging for this year’s Prize is Megan Mayhew Bergman. She is the author of the short story collections “Birds of a Lesser Paradise,” “Almost Famous Women,” and “How Strange A Season,” which was longlisted for the 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Fiction Prize, the Story Prize, and the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. In 2019, her column for The Guardian on the American South and climate change won the Reed Environmental Journalism Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center. She is now the Director of the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers Conference at Middlebury College, where she also teaches in the undergraduate Creative Writing Department.

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize will continue its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

CONTACT:
Cindy Sellars cindyhsellars@gmail.com

Crook’s Corner Book Prize 12th Annual Longlist Announced

August 21, 2024 No Comments

August 20, 2024

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina—The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation today announced its annual Longlist for best debut novel set in the American South. The $5,000 prize winner will be announced in January 2025.

The Longlist is:

_0004_Peach Seed

The Peach Seed
by Anita Gail Jones
(Henry Holt & Co.)

_0000_Banyan Moon

Banyan Moon
by Thao Thai
(Mariner Books/Harper Collins)

_0007_Coleman Hill

Coleman Hill
by Kim Foote
(SJP Lit)

_0005_Late Bloomers

Late Bloomers
by Deepa Varadarajan
(Random House)

_0006_Fireworks Every Night

Fireworks Every Night
by Beth Raymer
(Penguin Random House)

_0002_Ours A Novel

Ours
by Phillip B. Williams
(Viking/Penguin Publishing Group)

_0001_Shadow of the Greenbrier

In the Shadow of the Greenbrier
by Emily Matchar
(Penguin Random House)

_0009_Redwood Court

Redwood Court
by DéLana R.A. Dameron
(The Dial Press/Penguin Random
House)

_0008_Colten Gentry Third Act

Colton Gentry’s Third Act
by Jeff Zentner
(Grand Central Publishing)

_0003_Dixon Descending

Dixon, Descending
by Karen Outen
(Dutton, Penguin Random House)

Moonrise-Over-New-Jessup

A Hand to Hold in Deep Water
by Shawn Nocher
(Blackstone Publishing)

Image 8-2-23 at 10.55 AM

The Violin Conspiracy
by Brendan Slocumb
(Anchor)

Judging for this year’s Prize is award-winning author Megan Mayhew Bergman. She currently teaches literature and environmental writing at Middlebury College, where she also serves as Director of the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference.

“It is always quite amazing how many debut novels set in the American South are published each year. We are proud and delighted to turn a spotlight on these exceptional new writers delving into various aspects of the South in 2024” said Anna Hayes, Foundation President.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues to highlight emerging fiction writers, who typically face some of the toughest obstacles in publishing. Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible. The 2024 Prize was awarded in January to Bobby Finger’s “The Old Place” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Random House).

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Shortlist will be announced in September.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize will continue its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Crook’s Corner Book Prize 13th Annual Shortlist Announced

September 18, 2025 No Comments

September 17, 2025

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CROOK’S CORNER BOOK PRIZE SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED $5,000 Prize to be Awarded for Best Debut Novel Set in the South.

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025—Today, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation announces the three finalists for best debut novel set in the American South. 

The Shortlist

Sky Full of Elephants

Sky Full of Elephants
by Cebo Campbell
(Simon & Schuster)

Oye

Oye
by Melissa Mogollon
(Hogarth)

Like Happiness

Like Happiness
by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
(Macmillan)

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

“Every year, we are inspired by the ways emerging novelists bring new perspectives to life in the American South, and we are proud to celebrate and elevate their voices,” says Anna Hayes, Foundation President.

The winner of the $5000 prize will be announced in January 2026. Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible.

Judging for this year’s Prize is acclaimed author Clyde Edgerton. Edgerton is the author of ten novels, a book of advice, a memoir, short stories, and essays. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and five of his novels have been New York Times Notable Books. He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and teaches creative writing at UNC Wilmington.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Crook’s Corner Book Prize 13th Annual Longlist Announced

May 24, 2025 No Comments

July 24, 2025

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina (July 22, 2025)—The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation today announced its annual Longlist for best debut novel set in the American South. The $5,000 prize winner will be announced in January 2026.

The 2025 Longlist is:

Plum
by Andy Anderegg
(Hub City)

Sky Full of Elephants
by Cebo Campbell
(Simon & Schuster)

The Bright Years
by Sarah Damoff
(Simon & Schuster)

Junie
by Erin Crosby Eckstine
(Ballantine Books)

Red Clay
by Charles B. Fancher
(Blackstone)

Shield the Joyous
by Chad Holley
(Bull City Books)

Oye
by Melissa Mogollon
(Hogarth)

Bright and Tender Dark
by Joanna Pearson
(Bloomsbury)

Pearce Oysters
by Joselyn Takacs
(Zibby Publishers)

Like Happiness
by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
(Macmillan)

A Hand to Hold in Deep Water
by Shawn Nocher
(Blackstone Publishing)

The Violin Conspiracy
by Brendan Slocumb
(Anchor)

Judging for this year’s Prize is acclaimed author Clyde Edgerton. Edgerton is the author of ten novels, a book of advice, a memoir, short stories, and essays. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and five of his novels have been New York Times Notable Books. He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers and teaches creative writing at UNC Wilmington. Edgerton is widely considered one of the premier novelists working in the Southern tradition today.

“The depth and diversity of Southern storytelling continues to astound us year after year,” said Anna Hayes, Foundation President. “These ten remarkable debut novels represent the evolving landscape of Southern literature, each bringing fresh perspectives and voices to our literary tradition. From intimate family sagas to sweeping historical narratives, this year’s longlist demonstrates that Southern fiction remains as vital as ever.”

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues to highlight emerging fiction writers, who typically face some of the toughest obstacles in publishing. Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible. The 2025 Prize was awarded in January to Thao Thai’s “Banyan Moon,” published by HarperCollins.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize Shortlist will be announced in September.

For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Facebook, and Instagram.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize continues its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant.

Winner Announced for the 12th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize

January 6, 2025 No Comments

January 6, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cindy Sellars cindyhsellars@gmail.com

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai wins 2025 Crook’s Corner Book Prize
$5,000 prize awarded for best debut novel set in the American South

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, January 6, 2025—Banyan Moon by Thao Thai (Mariner Books) is the winner of the twelfth annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize for the best debut novel set in the American South.

Selected by this year’s judge, award-winning author Megan Mayhew Bergman, Banyan Moon is a “sweeping, evocative novel following three generations of Vietnamese American women reeling from the death of their matriarch, revealing the family’s inherited burdens, buried secrets, and unlikely love stories.”

Bergman says:

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai is a striking debut novel that will captivate readers with its stunning prose and lush descriptions of the surrounding world. Through the compelling narratives of three generations of Vietnamese American women – who are destabilized by the death of their matriarch – Thai reveals the family’s inherited burdens and secrets in gorgeous sentences and smart dialogue. With deeply developed characters, this incredibly moving book invites us to explore the complex bonds of love and family, making it a deserving selection for the Crooks Corner Book Prize.

The winner was chosen from the Shortlist announced in September 2024. The three shortlisted titles also included Coleman Hill by Kim Foote (SJP Lit) and Fireworks Every Night by Beth Raymer (Penguin Random House).

Thao is also a recipient of the 2024 Ohio Arts Council’s Individual Excellence Award. Her work has been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, WIRED, Elle, Lit Hub, and other publications. She lives in central Ohio with her husband and daughter.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, established as a collaboration between the iconic Southern restaurant Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation, was inspired by the prestigious book awards long given by famous “literary cafés” in Paris. Submissions are now open for next year’s prize. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.crookscornerbookprize.com or follow us on Facebook, and Instagram.

Winner Announced for the 11th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize

January 7, 2024 No Comments

January 8, 2024

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kera Yonker, kerayonker@gmail.com

Bobby Finger Wins $5000 Crook’s Corner Book Prize for The Old Place

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, January 8, 2024—The Old Place by Bobby Finger (Penguin Random House) is the winner of the eleventh annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize for the best debut novel set in the American South.

Selected by this year’s judge Wiley Cash, The Old Place is a bighearted and moving debut about a wry retired schoolteacher whose decade-old secret threatens to come to light and send shockwaves through her small Texas town. Cash says:

Bobby Finger’s novel might be titled The Old Place, but its themes of family, forgiveness, and acceptance are as timely as ever. Like truly timeless literature, Finger’s novel is populated with small-town characters we all know. In this novel, Billington, Texas is its own distinct place, but thanks to Finger’s talented rendering, it quickly becomes a place for all of us to understand ourselves and one another better.

The winner was chosen from the Shortlist announced in September 2023. The three shortlisted titles also included Hestia Strikes a Match by Christine Grillo, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Publishers) and Indigo Field by Marjorie Hudson (Regal House Publishing).

Bobby Finger graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 before moving to New York City, where he worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency before becoming a full-time pop culture writer and podcaster. His bylines have appeared in New York magazine, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair. The Old Place was selected by Vanity Fair as one of the best books of 2022. His next novel, Four Squares, is forthcoming from Penguin Random House in June 2024.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, established as a collaboration between the iconic Southern restaurant Crook’s Corner, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation, was inspired by the prestigious book awards long given by famous “literary cafés” in Paris. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.crookscornerbookprize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About the 11th Annual Book Prize Winner

January 7, 2024 No Comments
Photo Credit: Elena Mudd | elenamudd.com

Photo Credit: Elena Mudd | elenamudd.com

Bobby Finger

Bobby Finger’s debut novel The Old Place was published 2022 by Penguin Random House. It was selected by Vanity Fair as one of the best books of the year in 2022. He has a new novel coming out from Penguin Random House in June 2024, called Four Squares. His bylines have appeared in outlets including New York, The New York Times, and Vanity Fair.

Bobby Finger graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 before moving to New York City, where he worked as a copywriter at an advertising agency before transitioning into becoming a full-time pop culture writer and podcaster. In 2016, he co-founded the podcast Who? Weekly, based on a newsletter and focused on B-list celebrities. Hugely popular, it may be best summed up by its tagline: “Everything you need to know about the celebrities you don’t.” The podcast quickly amassed a large group of fans known affectionately as ‘Wholigans’.

Crook’s Corner Book Prize 11th Annual Shortlist Announced

September 18, 2023 No Comments

September 18, 2023

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 18, 2023—Today, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation announces the three finalists for best debut novel set in the American South. “Writing a novel is hard enough. Getting attention for your first novel is even harder. Our goal is to shine a light on promising new novelists writing about the American South to alert readers to the exciting talent out there,” says Anna Hayes, Foundation President. The winner of the $5000 prize will be announced in January 2024.

The Shortlist

Image 8-2-23 at 10.50 AM
The Old Place
by Bobby Finger
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Random House)

Mary Alice and Ellie were forever linked the day they both lost their sons, one right after the other. Years later, the two are working their way back to a comfortable friendship. When a relative arrives who could expose a decade-old secret of Mary Alice’s, the whole of their friendship is put at risk.

Image 8-2-23 at 10.51 AM
Hestia Strikes a Match
by Christine Grillo
(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Macmillan Publishers)

Christine Grillo’s “Hestia Strikes a Match” is an irreverent, incisive, laugh-out-loud interrogation of modern love of all kinds, in all its messy beauty. Equal parts wise and hilarious, it fills the heart, fortifies the spirit, and will surely help to fend off despair.

Indigo-Field-Front-Cover
Indigo Field
by Marjorie Hudson
(Regal House Publishing)

In prose that’s been called “dazzling” and “mesmerizing,” in the animated voices of trees and birds and people, in deeply layered Southern-voiced storytelling, Marjorie Hudson lays out the boundaries of a field that contains the soul of the South, and leads us to a day of reckoning.

Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible.

Judging for this year’s Prize will be Wiley Cash. Cash is an award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of four novels and the founder of This is Working. He has published widely on issues ranging from the environment to history to foodways to music. He serves as the Alumni Author-in-Residence at UNC-Asheville and lives in North Carolina.

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize will continue its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

CONTACT:
Kera Yonker kera.yonker@gmail.com

13TH Annual Book Prize WINNER

Photo Credit: Joy Imani Bullock

Oye

by Melissa Mogollon

ABOUT THE WINNER

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13th Annual announcement party