Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2021) Winner
Kirstin Valdez Quade
カースティン・ヴァルデス・クウェイド
Kirstin Valdez Quade
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Albuquerque, New Mexico → Southwestern United States → Australia → Stanford, California (study/teaching) → Princeton, New Jersey (faculty) → Eugene, Oregon (MFA)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Professor
- Active Years
- 2009-
- Affiliations
- Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Michigan (visiting professor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips Exeter Academy | — | — | — | — | United States |
| Stanford University | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| University of Oregon | — | — | MFA | — | United States |
Phillips Exeter Academy
Country:
United States
Preparatory school (per available sources)
Stanford University
Degree:
BA
Country:
United States
Awarded BA (major not specified in sources)
University of Oregon
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Earned an MFA in creative writing
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award | — | — | Rona Jaffe Foundation | Won |
| — | Narrative Prize | “Nemecia” | — | Narrative Magazine | Won |
| 2014 | PEN / O. Henry Award | — | — | O. Henry Prize | Won |
| 2014 | 5 Under 35 (National Book Foundation) | Night at the Fiestas | Young authors | National Book Foundation | Won |
| 2015 | John Leonard Prize (National Book Critics Circle) | Night at the Fiestas | — | National Book Critics Circle | Won |
| 2016 | Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction | Night at the Fiestas | — | Center for Fiction | Won |
| 2021 | Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | The Five Wounds | First Novel | Center for Fiction | Won |
| 2022 | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence | The Five Wounds | Fiction | American Library Association (RUSA) | Shortlisted |
| 2022 | Aspen Words Literary Prize | The Five Wounds | — | Aspen Words | Shortlisted |
| 2022 | Lambda Literary Award (Lesbian Fiction) | The Five Wounds | Lesbian Fiction | Lambda Literary | Shortlisted |
| 2022 | VCU Cabell First Novelist Award | The Five Wounds | — | Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) | Shortlisted |
Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award
2013
Organization:
Rona Jaffe Foundation
Result:
Won
Narrative Prize
Work:
“Nemecia”
Organization:
Narrative Magazine
Result:
Won
PEN / O. Henry Award
2014
Organization:
O. Henry Prize
Result:
Won
5 Under 35 (National Book Foundation)
2014
Work:
Night at the Fiestas
Category:
Young authors
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Won
John Leonard Prize (National Book Critics Circle)
2015
Work:
Night at the Fiestas
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Won
Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction
2016
Work:
Night at the Fiestas
Organization:
Center for Fiction
Result:
Won
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
2021
Work:
The Five Wounds
Category:
First Novel
Organization:
Center for Fiction
Result:
Won
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence
2022
Work:
The Five Wounds
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
American Library Association (RUSA)
Result:
Shortlisted
Aspen Words Literary Prize
2022
Work:
The Five Wounds
Organization:
Aspen Words
Result:
Shortlisted
Lambda Literary Award (Lesbian Fiction)
2022
Work:
The Five Wounds
Category:
Lesbian Fiction
Organization:
Lambda Literary
Result:
Shortlisted
VCU Cabell First Novelist Award
2022
Work:
The Five Wounds
Organization:
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Result:
Shortlisted
Awards & Nominations
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
1 appearances
-
Edition 47 (2022) Nominee
O. Henry Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 101 (2023) WinnerWork: After Hours at the Acacia Park Pool
"After Hours at the Acacia Park Pool" is a short story selected for the O. Henry Prize 2023 anthology. In a compact sequence of scenes, it captures shifts in relationships and emotional tension.
A sharp short story included in the O. Henry Prize 2023 anthology.
short storyrelationshipsemotional tension
Works
Major Works
Night at the Fiestas
2015 Short story collection (Fiction)A debut short story collection set in New Mexico exploring family, race, class, and coming-of-age. The stories offer intimate portrayals of characters and complex family relationships.
FamilyRaceClassComing-of-ageNew Mexico landscape
The Five Wounds
2021 Novel (Fiction)A novel about family, faith, and sacrifice set in a Latino community in New Mexico, following the pain and hopes of its protagonist and family.
FamilyFaithLatino/immigrant experienceCommunity fracture and cohesion
Bibliography
- Night at the Fiestas: Stories (2015). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393242980
- The Five Wounds (2021). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393242836
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Delicate, restrained proseClose psychological focus on charactersRealist depiction of setting
- Recurring Motifs
- Family rituals and conflictsReligious symbolism (faith and ritual)The land and landscape of New Mexico
Legacy
Quade has been highly acclaimed for both her short stories and novel, known for delicate portrayals of family, ethnicity, and class. She has won and been shortlisted for multiple literary awards and is regarded as an important contemporary American voice.
Quotes
-
"legitimate masterpieces"
Source: The New York Times (review of Night at the Fiestas) (2015)
Trivia
- Born to a white father and a Hispanic mother.
- Was a Wallace Stegner Fellow from 2009–2011.
- Has taught as a Jones Lecturer at Stanford and held faculty positions including at Princeton.