Arinze Ifeakandu and A Public Space Books have won the first-ever Republic of Consciousness Prize, United States and Canada, for Ifeakandu’s debut story collection, God’s Children Are Little Broken Things.
Ifeakandu’s book, published last June, is a collection of stories about queer love in modern-day Nigeria. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote, “Deftly capturing the richness and dangers of romantic connection, these stories complicate and reimagine queer narratives.”
The collection was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize and the Lambda Literary Award for gay fiction, and was longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
Lori Feathers, the director of the prize, said in a statement, “God’s Children Are Little Broken Things is a story collection that impresses readers with its satisfying, emotional depth, immersive depiction of contemporary Nigeria, stylistic grace, and sensually rich writing. It exemplifies the creativity and diverse storytelling that we crave from gifted authors and their exceptional publishers who are committed to introducing unique and enduring literary fiction to curious readers.”
The prize honors a work of literary fiction published by a small press, and is given to both the author and publisher (and translator, if applicable). It is the North American version of a U.K. award; previous winners of that prize have included John Keene and Fitzcarraldo Editions for Counternarratives and Will Eaves and CB Editions for Murmur.
The winning press and author get “bragging rights,” with all five finalists spitting a prize fund of $15,000—half the money going to the publishers and half to the authors. For translated books named finalists, the money is split three ways between press, author, and translator.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
