New York, NY (June 25, 2026)—The Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), the national nonprofit organization that for 59 years has supported the work of independent literary publishers, has announced the winners of its twelfth annual FIRECRACKER AWARDS, given for the best independently published books of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry and the best literary magazines in the categories of debut and general excellence. Each winner in the book categories receives $2,000—$1,000 for the press and $1,000 for the author—and each winner in the magazine categories receives $1,000. The winners were announced during a virtual ceremony held on June 25, 2026.
2026 Firecracker Awards Winners
FICTION: Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching, published by Bamboo Ridge Press
“Rarely is a collection written with such veracity and unwavering resolution. Blood Work and Other Stories delves into the contemporary lives of Hawaiians as they navigate grief, housing instability, and questions of belonging. These seventeen masterfully crafted stories are ones of grit, loss, and sorrow, while also erupting off the page with the unexpected splendor of pōhinahina growing in an ABC Store parking lot. They remind us that despite climate change and development, gentrification and intergenerational trauma, Hawaiʻi is a place of enduring beauty and strength. Donald A. Carreira Ching has written a marvel of a book that commands our attention and obedience.” —from the judges
Donald A. Carreira Ching, born and raised in Kahalu‘u on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, is the author of Blood Work and Other Stories (2025) and the novel Between Sky and Sea: A Family’s Struggle (2015), both published by Bamboo Ridge Press. In 2017, he was awarded an Elliot Cades Award for Literature. He earned his PhD in English from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is an associate professor of English at Leeward Community College in Pearl City, Hawai‘i.
Bamboo Ridge Press is an independent, nonprofit press based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi that was founded in 1978 to publish literature by, for, and about Hawaiʻi’s people. Each year, Bamboo Ridge produces a literary journal of poetry and fiction, featuring work by both emerging and established writers, and a book by a single author or an anthology focused on a special theme.
CREATIVE NONFICTION: Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed by Sangamithra Iyer, published by Milkweed Editions
“Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed weaves together research and personal narrative in a genre-blurring work that is both a memoir and an argument. Within it, Sangamithra Iyer builds bridges between the different aspects of her identity, between humans and animals, between the past and the present. She writes to seek truth and reckon with grief. Iyer challenges us to have more compassion and empathy/sympathy for all living things, to think in a thoughtless world, and to feel when the world tries to numb us. The book is indeed a confluence, and one that offers a model to other writers who live intersectional lives and write intersectional stories that hold both the personal and the political. Governing Bodies is a stunning book, both in content as well as form, with a cover and table of contents whose designs are just as thoughtful as the words within.” —from the judges
Sangamithra Iyer is the author of the debut book, Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed (Milkweed Editions, 2025). She is the recipient of a Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress, a Café Royal Foundation Literature Grant, and the Diamonstein-Spielvogel Fellowship at the New York Public Library. Also an environmental planner and engineer, Iyer is the founder of the Literary Animal Project, for which she was awarded a Culture and Animals Foundation Grant. She lives in Queens, New York.
Milkweed Editions, founded in 1980 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a nonprofit independent publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The press’s mission is to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature and build an engaged community around it.
POETRY: The Choreic Period: Poems by Latif Askia Ba, published by Milkweed Editions
“The Choreic Period is a striking contribution to contemporary disability poetics, challenging ableist reading habits and expanding what poetic accessibility and difficulty can mean. We were moved by its pared-down nature, its illustration of the relationship between syntax and disability, and its innovative formal elements, including interruptive punctuation, staccato lineation, multilingual code-switching, and deliberate difficulty. Its force and voice made this conceptually sharp, powerfully embodied book a clear choice for the Firecracker Poetry Award.” —from the judges
Latif Askia Ba, a poet with Choreic Cerebral Palsy from Brooklyn, New York, is the author of The Choreic Period: Poems (Milkweed Editions, 2025) and The Machine Code of a Bleeding Moon (Stillhouse Press, 2002). His work has also been published in Poetry Magazine, among many other publications. He received his MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and was the print poetry editor for the Columbia Journal’s sixty-first issue.
Milkweed Editions, founded in 1980 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a nonprofit independent publisher of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The press’s mission is to identify, nurture, and publish transformative literature, and build an engaged community around it.
MAGAZINES/BEST DEBUT: Elastic
“The label debut implies newness, and in some cases, ideas that are not yet fully realized. Elastic is a new journal of visual art and writing that disproves that assumption with style and verve. A print magazine showcasing a wide range of psychedelic art and literature, Elastic takes a subject we might think we know and understand—psychedelia—and expands it beyond an homage to a bygone era and into an emphatic reimagining of radical creativity for our current times.
Elastic’s distinctive design offers a lush playground for a heady mix of established writers and newer voices. The inaugural “The Dying Issue” includes everything from surreal collage art to short stories to essays that are equal parts surprising and beautiful. Perhaps most importantly, Elastic deftly harnesses the power of intrigue to remind readers of the simple pleasure of discovery that is so inherent to great literary magazines. A truly ambitious and accomplished debut that pushes the boundaries of what great literature can do, and what it can become.” —from the judges
Elastic, founded in 2025, is a print magazine of psychedelic art and literature. The magazine publishes visual art and writing that bend time and genre and perspective, blur waking and dreaming life, find sublimity and absurdity in the everyday, magnify the senses, multiply and distort the possibilities of narrative, and interrogate power by breaking form.
MAGAZINES/GENERAL EXCELLENCE: Oxford American
“Through word and vision, Oxford American is an exceptional magazine celebrating the vibrancy of the contemporary and capacious American South. The stellar print magazine is anchored by an impressive foundation of beautifully crafted fiction, poetry, reportage, criticism, and art, with a powerful impact that succeeds beyond the sum of its laudable parts.
Its editorial dedication to literary excellence is matched by the magazine’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility through a streamlined, robust free online presence, as well as the organization’s donation of print issues to those who might not otherwise have access. A range of events and programming further demonstrate this focus on local civics that cements Oxford American’s organizational ethos and mission statement.
We deeply admire Oxford American’s scope, its noteworthy artistic leadership, and its ambitious photography program, all of which speak to readers far beyond the South’s regional borders. The American South is a complicated, compelling, beautiful, and diverse region, and Oxford American celebrates its nuances and unique voices through striking writing and sumptuous visuals.” —from the judges
Oxford American, founded in 1992, is a quarterly magazine that explores the complexity and vitality of the American South through exceptional writing, music, and visual art. The magazine works to cultivate stories that challenge existing narratives about the South and champion the regional voices often left out of national conversations.
This year’s Firecracker Awards judges were, in fiction: Stacie Shannon Denetsosie, author of The Missing Morningstar: And Other Stories (Torrey House Press, 2023); Mubanga Kalimamukwento, author of Obligations to the Wounded (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2024); and Mikey LaFave, general manager at Rec Room Books in Athens, Georgia; in creative nonfiction: Neema Avashia, author of Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place (West Virginia University Press, 2022); Neesha Powell-Ingabire, author of Come By Here: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia’s Geechee Coast (Hub City Press, 2024); and Riley Rennhack, former bookstore manager and book buyer at Deep Vellum Books in Dallas, Texas; in poetry: José Angel Araguz, author of Ruin & Want (Sundress Publications, 2023); Danny Caine, author of Jewish American Dream (Sarabande Books, 2025); and Esther Lin, author of Cold Thief Place (Alice James Books, 2025); and in magazines: Mandana Chaffa, founder and editor-in-chief of Nowruz Journal; Joyce Chen, executive director and editor-in-chief of The Seventh Wave; and Emily Nemens, former editor of The Paris Review and author of Clutch (Tin House, 2026).
ABOUT CLMP
CLMP ensures a vibrant, diverse literary landscape by helping mission-driven independent literary magazines and presses thrive. Since 1967, CLMP has provided publishers with funding and technical assistance; facilitated peer-to-peer learning and group action; served as a dependable, essential hub for best practices, resources, and nurturing community support; and connected publishers with other groups of literary stakeholders, including readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, educators, presenting organizations, and funders. Along with directly serving 1,000+ publishers located in almost every state in the country, CLMP administers the Lit Mag Adoption program, which provides educators and students with discounted magazine subscriptions; the $10,000 Constellation Award, given to honor an independent literary press that champions the writing of people of color for excellence in publishing; and the Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature, which celebrate magazines and books that make a significant contribution to our literary culture; among other programs.
