Writers are always making a name for themselves. Because with every book release, typically comes awards and recognition. As well as new fans along the way. And as a reader, it’s amazing to see. The book community––and really, the world––constantly needs authors who write inclusive and newer stories for people to enjoy. So we’ve gathered a list of LGBTQIA+ authors who are on the rise. From fiction to fantasy, these are names who bring a fresh breath of air.
Bryan Washington
Washington has published two fiction pieces in the last two years. His 2019 short story collection, Lot, won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence and the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2020. His debut novel Memorial, published the following year, is being adapted into a television series by production company A24. Washington has also published a short fiction piece in the New Yorker, titled “Heirlooms.”
The writer has an amazing resume so far and we can’t wait to see what else is to come!
Saeed Jones
Our fellow journalist is taking the world by his hands. His 2014 poetry collection, Prelude to Bruise, became a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Jones’ writing has also led him to win the Pushcart Prize and the PEN Literary Awards’ Joyce Osterwell Award for Poetry. More recently, Jones has become a phenomenon through his 2019 memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives, which has been praised by names such as the New Yorker and NPR.
Jones’ talents as a poet and nonfiction writer is getting the recognition he deserves, and we love cheering him on.
Meryl Wilsner
Wilsner’s writing is an absolute gem. Their debut novel, Something To Talk About, was released in 2020 and holds raving reviews, from Oprah Magazine listing it as their most anticipated romance and Publishers Weekly calling its slow-burn love story “rewarding.” Wilsner is also working on another rom-com novel to be published in 2022. While not much is known about it, Wilsner shared on Twitter a sneak peek of what to expect with the story’s premise.
Calling it now, Wilsner is going to become a new favorite for romance readers. We’re so excited for them (and also for the next book cover to be revealed because the last one was just so pretty!).
Adiba Jaigirdar
The Bangladeshi/Irish author is known for her 2020 romance novel, The Henna Wars, which Kirkus announced as their book of the year and later became a semifinalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards. She has also published Hani & Ishu’s Guide To Fake Dating in 2021, which became a Midwest Indie Bestseller. Jaigirdar has plans to release her first YA historical fiction novel, A Million to One, in 2022 and a rom-com novel, Donut Fall in Love, the following year in 2023.
Jaigirdar is not playing around. She’s no doubt gaining recognition by the day, and has an agenda that’s full of anticipating reads for us.
Charlie Jane Anders
The fiction writer first got published in 2005 with her novel, Choir Boy, which went on to win a Lambda Literary Award. Anders then wrote and published, All the Bird in the Sky, which marked her debut as a sci-fi writer in 2016 and earned her a Nebula Award. Her list of works notably continues to increase. With works varying in fiction pieces to short story collections, Anders’ accomplishments are just endless.
And with that, so does her award wins and recognitions. No, seriously, she’s essentially got an award or nomination for everything she’s written. As she should!