Congratulations to the finalists of the 2021 Colorado Book Awards!
Celebrating Colorado's outstanding authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers
Anthology
- Stories That Need to Be Told 2020: A Tulip Tree Anthology edited by Jennifer Top (TulipTree Publishing)
- Wild: Uncivilized Tales from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers edited by Rachel Delaney Craft and Natasha Watts (RMFW Press)
- Monsters, Movies & Mayhem edited by Kevin J. Anderson (WordFire Press)
Biography
- Chasing Excellence: The Remarkable Life and Inspiring Vigilosophy of Coach Joe I. Vigil by Pat Melgares (Soulstice Publishing)
- Heartbreak Kennel: The True Story of Max and His Breeder by Cary Unkelbach (Walden Resources Press)
- The Scholar and the Struggle: Lawrence Reddick’s Crusade for Black History and Black Power by David A. Varel (University of North Carolina Press)
Children’s Literature
- Cow Boy Is NOT a Cowboy by Gregory Barrington (HarperCollins)
- Flibbertigibbety Words: Young Shakespeare Chases Inspiration written by Donna Guthrie, illustrated by Åsa Gilland (Page Street Publishing)
- I Will Dance written by Nancy Bo Flood, illustrated by Julianna Swaney (Simon & Schuster)
- Snoozapalooza written by Kimberlee Gard, illustrated by Vivian Mineker (Families)
Creative Nonfiction
- The Unreality of Memory and Other Essays by Elisa Gabbert (Farrar Straus & Giroux)
- Edge of the Map: The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff by Johanna Garton (Mountaineers Books)
- No Option But North: The Migrant World and the Perilous Path Across the Border written by Kelsey Freeman, photography by Tess Freeman (IG Publishing)
- Bridging Worlds: A Sherpa’s Story by Pemba Sherpa and Jim McVey (Sherpa Publishing)
General Fiction
- Wesley Yorstead Goes Outside by Stephanie Harper (Propertius Press)
- Memories in the Drift: A Novel by Melissa Payne (Lake Union Publishing)
- Other People’s Pets: A Novel by R.L. Maizes (Celadon Books)
General Nonfiction
- Lean & Strong: Eating Skills, Psychology, and Workouts by Josh Hillis (On Target Publications)
- Caregiving Done Differently: A Commonsense Approach for Families, Caregivers, and Seniors by Loretta J. Gilbert and Nancy E. Walker (The Common Sense Approach)
- Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary by Sasha Geffen (The University of Texas Press)
Historical Fiction
- Creatures of Charm and Hunger by Molly Tanzer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Fierce Dreamer: A Novel by Linda Lafferty (Linda Lafferty)
- Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan (Lake Union)
History
- Colorado’s Highest: The History of Naming the 14,000-Foot Peaks written by Jeri Norgren, photography by John Fielder (John Fielder Publishing)
- Yanks Behind the Lines: How the Commission for Relief in Belgium Saved Millions from Starvation during World War I by Jeffrey B. Miller (Rowman & Littlefield)
- The Bad Old Days of Colorado: Untold Stories of the Wild West by Randi Samuelson-Brown (Two Dot/Rowman & Littlefield)
Juvenile Literature
- Born Curious: 20 Girls Who Grew Up to Be Awesome Scientists written by Martha Freeman, illustrated by Katy Wu (Simon & Schuster)
- When You Know What I Know by Sonja K. Solter (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
- Midnight at the Barclay Hotel written by Fleur Bradley, illustrated by Xavier Bonet (Viking/Penguin Random House)
Literary Fiction
- St. Christopher on Pluto by Nancy McKinley (West Virginia University Press)
- The Gringa: A Novel by Andrew Altschul (Melville House Press)
- The Loneliest Band in France: A Novella by Dylan Fisher (Texas Review Press)
Mystery
- Death of a Car Salesman by Collin Brantmeyer (Ready Demolition Books)
- Shadow Ridge: A Jo Wyatt Mystery by M.E. Browning (Crooked Lane Books/The Quick Brown Fox & Company)
- Gone to Darkness by Barbara Nickless (Thomas & Mercer)
Pictorial
- The Aspen Cookbook: 100+ favorite recipes from local chefs and restaurants edited by Amanda Rae Busch, illustrated by Julia Bridgforth (Aspen Board of Realtors)
- Chicana Activists of Colorado: Powerful Women Paper Dolls and Their Stories by Deborah Martinez Martinez, illustrated by Robert W. Pacheco (Vanishing Horizons)
- The American West in Art edited by Thomas Brent Smith and Jennifer R. Henneman (5 Continents Edition)
Poetry
- A History of Kindness by Linda Hogan (Torrey House Press)
- This Way to the Grand As-Is: New and Selected Poems by Aaron Anstett (Sagging Meniscus)
- Anodyne by Khadijah Queen (Tin House)
Romance
- A Cowboy State of Mind: A Creedence Horse Rescue Novel by Jennie Marts (Sourcebooks Casablanca)
- Shall We Dance? by Shelley Shepard Gray (Blackstone Publishing)
- Custodian of the Spirits by Bronwyn Long Borne (The Wild Rose Press)
Science Fiction/Fantasy
- Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy Episodes 1-3 by Todd Fahnestock (F4 Publishing)
- White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton (Blackstone Publishing)
- Once Again: A Novel by Catherine Wallace Hope (Alcove Press/Crooked Lane Books)
Thriller
- The Burn Patient: A Vega and Middleton Novel by Sue Hinkin (Literary Wanderlust)
- Winter Counts: A Novel by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Ecco/HarperCollins)
- Her Perfect Life: A Novel by Rebecca Taylor (Sourcebooks Landmark)
Young Adult Literature
- 10 Things I Hate about Pinky by Sandhya Menon (Simon & Schuster)
- Turtle under Ice by Juleah del Rosario (Simon & Schuster)
- Offline by Donna Cooner (Point/Scholastic)
The Colorado Book Awards annually celebrates the accomplishments of Colorado’s outstanding authors, editors, illustrators, and photographers. Winners will be announced at a celebration event June 26, 2021. This year there are 190 entries in 17 categories: anthology, biography, children’s literature, creative nonfiction, general nonfiction, general fiction, history, historical fiction, juvenile literature, literary fiction, mystery, pictorial, poetry, romance, science fiction/fantasy, thriller, and young adult literature. About 70 volunteer selectors and judges read submissions to choose finalists and winners.
To learn more, partner, or sponsor the Colorado Book Awards, contact Program Coordinator Abigail Kerstetter at abby@coloradohumanities.org, 303.894.7951 x19