Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2018) Winner
Jamel Brinkley
ジャメル・ブリンリー
Jamel Brinkley
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Brooklyn, New York City → The Bronx, New York City → California (residence/stay)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Fiction Instructor
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Affiliations
- Iowa Writers' Workshop, University of Iowa (Instructor), Stanford University, Wallace Stegner Fellowship (Fiction), Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing (Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop) | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
Columbia University
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Columbia College graduate (year not specified)
University of Iowa (Iowa Writers' Workshop)
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Earned an MFA at the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | National Book Award (Fiction) | A Lucky Man | Fiction | National Book Foundation | Finalist |
| 2018 | John Leonard Prize | A Lucky Man | — | National Book Critics Circle | Finalist |
| 2018 | The Story Prize | A Lucky Man | — | The Story Prize | Finalist |
| 2019 | Aspen Words Literary Prize | A Lucky Man | — | Aspen Words | Longlisted |
| 2019 | Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence | A Lucky Man | — | Ernest J. Gaines Award committee | Won |
| 2019 | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Debut Fiction) | A Lucky Man | Début Fiction | Hurston/Wright Foundation | Finalist |
| 2019 | PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award | A Lucky Man | — | PEN Oakland | Won |
| 2018 | PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize | A Lucky Man | — | PEN America | Finalist |
| 2024 | Maya Angelou Book Award | Witness | — | Kansas City Public Library (Maya Angelou Book Award) | Won |
| 2024 | Aspen Words Literary Prize | Witness | — | Aspen Words | Shortlisted |
| 2024 | PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction | Witness | — | The PEN/Faulkner Foundation | Finalist |
National Book Award (Fiction)
2018
Work:
A Lucky Man
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Finalist
John Leonard Prize
2018
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Finalist
The Story Prize
2018
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
The Story Prize
Result:
Finalist
Aspen Words Literary Prize
2019
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
Aspen Words
Result:
Longlisted
Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence
2019
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
Ernest J. Gaines Award committee
Result:
Won
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Debut Fiction)
2019
Work:
A Lucky Man
Category:
Début Fiction
Organization:
Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result:
Finalist
PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award
2019
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
Won
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize
2018
Work:
A Lucky Man
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
Finalist
Maya Angelou Book Award
2024
Work:
Witness
Organization:
Kansas City Public Library (Maya Angelou Book Award)
Result:
Won
Aspen Words Literary Prize
2024
Work:
Witness
Organization:
Aspen Words
Result:
Shortlisted
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2024
Work:
Witness
Organization:
The PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result:
Finalist
Awards & Nominations
The Story Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 15 (2018) Nominee
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 29 (2019) Winner
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 44 (2024) Nominee
Works
Major Works
A Lucky Man
2018 Short story collectionA collection of nine short stories set in New York City exploring family relationships, love, loss, complex identity, and masculinity.
FamilyMasculinityIdentityLoss
Witness
2023 Short story collectionA collection of stories (published 2023) that delves into personal and social witness, memory, and human relationships.
WitnessMemoryInterpersonal relationships
Bibliography
- A Lucky Man
- Witness: Stories
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Contemporary, tightly written short fiction with emphasis on characterSubtle emotional expression and detailed scene work
- Recurring Motifs
- Family tiesUrban life (New York)Masculinity and identity
Legacy
Recognized for craft in short fiction; his debut A Lucky Man received multiple major awards and nominations. Regarded as an important contemporary short-story writer and active as an instructor.
Quotes
-
[It] may include only nine stories, but in each of them, Brinkley gives us an entire world.
Source: NPR (review) (2018)
Trivia
- Raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx.
- Debut A Lucky Man was nominated for several major awards and won the Ernest J. Gaines Award and the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award.
- Alumnus of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and teaches fiction there.
- Alumnus of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and a former Kimbilio Fellow in Fiction.
- Was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford (2018–2020).