New York, NY (May 20, 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 finalists for 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 books category will receive $2,000—$1,000 for the press and $1,000 for the author or translator—and each winner in the magazines categories will receive $1,000. Publishers of the winning titles will receive a free one-year membership to CLMP, and magazine winners will also receive a one-year CLMP Member subscription to Submittable. Additionally, the winning publications will be featured in a national publicity campaign that includes promotional materials distributed to over 750 independent booksellers across the country in coordination with the American Booksellers Association.
The winners of this year’s FIRECRACKER AWARDS will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on June 25, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET.
2026 FIRECRACKER AWARDS FINALISTS:
FICTION
The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole, published by Tin House
Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching, published by Bamboo Ridge Press
Small Scale Sinners: Stories by Mahreen Sohail, published by A Public Space Books
There’s Nothing Left for You Here by Allegra Solomon, published by Four Way Books
Little F by Michelle Tea, published by Feminist Press
CREATIVE NONFICTION
How to Be Unmothered: A Trinidadian Memoir by Camille U. Adams, published by Restless Books
Bigger: Essays by Ren Cedar Fuller, published by Autumn House Press
Fit Into Me: A Novel: A Memoir by Molly Gaudry, published by Rose Metal Press
Rehearsals for Dying: Digressions on Love and Cancer by Ariel Gore, published by Feminist Press
Governing Bodies: A Memoir, A Confluence, A Watershed by Sangamithra Iyer, published by Milkweed Editions
POETRY
The Choreic Period: Poems by Latif Askia Ba, published by Milkweed Editions
13 Questions for the Next Economy: New & Selected Works by Susan Briante, published by Noemi Press
Heirloom by Catherine-Esther Cowie, published by Carcanet Press
Seabeast by Rajiv Mohabir, published by Four Way Books
Pastoral, 1994 by Joe Wilkins, published by River River Books
MAGAZINES/BEST DEBUT
By the WAYE
Elastic
Strange Hymnal
Tendrils
Zine Machine
MAGAZINES/GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Foglifter
n+1
Orion
Oxford American
River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative
2026 FIRECRACKER AWARD JUDGES
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); Mikey LaFave, general manager at Rec Room Books in Athens, Georgia.
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); Riley Rennhack, former bookstore manager and book buyer at Deep Vellum Books in Dallas, Texas.
Poetry: José Angel Araguz, author of Ruin & Want (Sundress Publications, 2023); Danny Caine, author of Jewish American Dream (Sarabande Books, 2025); Esther Lin, author of Cold Thief Place (Alice James Books, 2025).
Magazines: Emily Nemens, former editor of The Paris Review and author of Clutch (Tin House, 2026); Joyce Chen, executive director and editor-in-chief of The Seventh Wave; Mandana Chaffa, founder and editor-in-chief of Nowruz Journal.
More information about the judges can be found here.
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 every state in the country, CLMP administers the Lit Mag Adoption program, which provides educators and students with discounted magazine subscriptions; the annual Indie Lit Fair, in partnership with the PEN World Voices Festival; the $10,000 Constellation Award, given to honor an independent literary press that is led by and/or 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.
