Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 39 (2018) Winner
Nafissa Thompson-Spires
ナフィッサ・トンプソン＝スパイアーズ
Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1983 （San Diego, California, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- San Diego, California → Nashville, Tennessee → Urbana–Champaign, Illinois → Ithaca, New York
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Short story writer, Professor
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (Richards Family Assistant Professor of Creative Writing)
- Nominations
- 2018 National Book Award longlist
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign | Graduate School (MFA) | Creative Writing | MFA | — | United States |
| Vanderbilt University | Graduate School (PhD) | English | PhD | — | United States |
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
Graduate School (MFA)
/ Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Received an MFA in creative writing
Vanderbilt University
Graduate School (PhD)
/ English
Degree:
PhD
Country:
United States
Earned a PhD in English
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (Los Angeles Times Book Prize) | Heads of the Colored People | First Fiction | Los Angeles Times | winner |
| 2019 | PEN Open Book Award | Heads of the Colored People | — | PEN America | winner |
| 2019 | Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Fiction) | Heads of the Colored People | Fiction | Hurston/Wright Foundation | winner |
| 2019 | Whiting Award | — | — | Whiting Foundation | winner |
Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (Los Angeles Times Book Prize)
2019
Work:
Heads of the Colored People
Category:
First Fiction
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
winner
PEN Open Book Award
2019
Work:
Heads of the Colored People
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
winner
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (Fiction)
2019
Work:
Heads of the Colored People
Category:
Fiction
Organization:
Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result:
winner
Whiting Award
2019
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 34 (2019) Winner
Works
Major Works
Heads of the Colored People
2019 Short story collectionA short story collection that examines contemporary Black life, identity, humor and pain across varied voices and perspectives, probing everyday tensions around race and relationships.
raceidentityfamilyhumor and satirechronic pain and the body
Translations
- Italian translation
- Turkish translation
- Portuguese translation
Bibliography
- Heads of the Colored People (2019)
Translations of Works
- Heads of the Colored People has been translated into Italian, Turkish and Portuguese.
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- sharp satire and black humorpolyvocal and conversational prosecontrast of academic erudition and pop culture
- Recurring Motifs
- exploration of identityintersection of race and everyday lifephysical and emotional painclash of academia and pop culture
Health
-
Endometriosis (reported chronic pain)成人期（報道による）Reported chronic pain affected daily life and has been noted in coverage as influencing her perspectives and public statements.
Legacy
Nafissa Thompson-Spires is regarded as a sharp chronicler of contemporary Black experience in America, notable for award-winning short fiction. Her academic background combined with pop-cultural and humorous approaches marks her influence among younger writers.
In Popular Culture
- Contributor to The 1619 Project
- Appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers (October 2018)
Trivia
- Longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award.
- Won a 2019 Whiting Award.
- Debut collection Heads of the Colored People has been translated into Italian, Turkish and Portuguese.
- Appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers in October 2018.