Graffiti named 2019 Foreword INDIES Anthology of the Year Silver Awards Winner
[San Francisco, CA, Aunt Lute] — We at Aunt Lute are pleased to announce that “Graffiti,” edited by Pallavi Dhawan, Devi S. Laskar, & Tamika Thompson has been named a winner in the 21st annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards as a Silver Anthology Winner.
The editors of Graffiti gave the contributors a special challenge: to write in a way that centers neither "whiteness" nor "anti-whiteness”, that is not limited by their struggle, their oppression, or how their characters will be received by the white imagination. To create a literary safe space of creative play far removed from the white gaze. A place where POC can focus on one another in solidarity.
The results are joyous and mind-expanding. Through poetry, short stories, and essays, the works in Graffiti expose lives that move in unexpected ways, rendering characters who don’t fit the cultural tropes we cling to. Graffiti shows what writers-of-color do when they are given permission to scribble, scrawl, romanticize, and speculate, without being politicized or exoticized.
Graffiti is available for purchase as a physical copy and an eBook.
Over 2,100 entries were submitted in 55 categories, with Foreword’s editors choosing approximately 9 finalists per genre. Those finalists were then mailed to individual librarians and booksellers charged with picking the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mention winners.
Since 1998, Foreword Reviews has provided trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses. Its FOLIO award-winning design and editorial content makes the magazine a favorite among librarians, booksellers, and readers—an excellent resource when it comes to purchasing books. Foreword INDIES, the fee-for-review Clarion service, and international trade show representation complement our online and print work, helping to showcase independent presses and their authors.
“For a couple of months a year, our editorial team gathers together for the collaborative work of reading through the thousands of worthy INDIES submissions we receive, whittling categories down to the few books that best represent the spirit and potential of independent publishing,” says Managing Editor Michelle Anne Schingler. “The end result are short lists of winners that represent the best of the best—independent titles that you absolutely should not miss. In these troubled times of tremendous change, we hope that you’ll find these selections inspiring—a reminder of what we’re all working toward together.”