Helon Habila judges American award, selects co-judges

Nigerian author, Helon Habila, as his initial task as head judge of New American Voices Award, has selected two co-judges, Madelein Thien and Maaza Mengeste.  Thein is a Canadian author whose parents were originally from China. She is the author of ‘Do Not Say We Have Nothing’.  Mengiste is Ethiopian-American. Her debut novel, ‘Beneath the […]

Nigerian author, Helon Habila, as his initial task as head judge of New American Voices Award, has selected two co-judges, Madelein Thien and Maaza Mengeste. 

Thein is a Canadian author whose parents were originally from China. She is the author of ‘Do Not Say We Have Nothing’. 

Mengiste is Ethiopian-American. Her debut novel, ‘Beneath the Lion’s Gaze’ was named one of the ten best contemporary African Books by The London Guardian.

The judges will choose three finalists and then award the prize to one. Finalists will be announced in early Fall, 2018 and all three finalists and the judges will appear at the 2018 Fall for the Book festival, October 10-13 for the inaugural presentation and to read from and discuss their work. The winning writer will receive $5,000 and the two finalists each will receive $1,000.

New American Voices Award is an initiative of Fall for the Book’s Institute for Immigration Research and will recognize recently published works that illuminate the complexity of human experience as told by writers who are immigrants to America.

‘When I approached them and asked them if they would want to be co-judges on the New American Voices Award, they didn’t hesitate. They said yes. They said yes because as immigrants themselves they know how important immigrant literature is in redefining and re-conceptualizing a nation’s image of itself. The blurb for the award captures this sentiment so well: it ‘will recognize recently published works that illuminate the complexity of human experience as told by writers who are themselves immigrants to America’,” Habila said. 

Habila pointed out that “if America is a country of immigrants as it is often described, then the quintessential American literature would be the literature of immigration. 

Habila is author of ‘Oil on Water’ and ‘Waiting for an Angel’