Mat Johnson (born in Philadelphia) is an American writer of literary fiction. Born and raised in the Germantown and Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Johnson writes primarily about the lives of African-Americans, using fiction, nonfiction and graphic novels as mediums.
Sky Daddy (2025) Kate Folk "With this brilliant deep dive into the irrational abyss of obsession, Kate Folk proves herself to be a truly original new voice in fiction."
The Ephemera Collector (2025) Stacy Nathaniel Jackson "The Ephemera Collector is page-turning, wildly creative, and smart as hell. This impressive debut novel reads in part like 'if Octavia Butler lived through COVID,' while also being something boldly original in its voice, vision, and genius. Remember the name Stacy Nathaniel Jackson-this is an author to watch."
Casualties of Truth (2025) Lauren Francis-Sharma "Casualties of Truth is a page-turner so engrossing that you never get distracted by the exceptional grace of its storytelling. Tense yet character-driven, Lauren Francis-Sharma has created a brilliant rumination on how we use the malleable clay of memory to sculpt our understanding of ourselves and the world."
Victim (2024) Andrew Boryga "Victim is an original, biting satire about the contradictions of class and race in America. This a deep dive into identity cynicism that somehow never loses its heart. Brave, unflinching as it is insightful, Victim launches Andrew Boryga as a new literary star."
The All-American (2023) Joe Milan Jr "The All American is an irreverent, bold page-turner exploring what happens when inconvenient parts of your identity come searching for you. This self-assured, engrossing debut is one of those rare first novels that breathes new life into the journey toward self-revelation. Solid and endlessly rewarding."
The Strange (2023) Nathan Ballingrud "The most enjoyable novel I've read in years, no contest. Before The Strange, I never realized I wanted to be marooned on the dustbowl of Mars, joining an epic quest through ghost towns haunted by the living. Ballingrud is already a master of literary horror, his short stories consistently brilliant. But in his page-turner of a debut novel, that talent radiates brighter than ever before."
The Laughter (2023) Sonora Jha "Sonora Jha's The Laughter takes the old suffocating male narcissist of Coetzee's Disgrace and Nabokov's Lolita and gives him new, previously unexplored dimension with a modern dissection of the Whiteness at his core. Dr. Oliver Harding is the best type of narrator - one whose rich character makes his profound flaws fascinating on the page, and author Jha's inspired prose channels him as if possessed."
If I Survive You (2022) Jonathan Escoffery "If I Survive You is simply one of the best debut story collections I've ever read. Unmistakably original, improbably accomplished, If I Survive You earns Jonathan Escoffery the attention deserved of an important new author."
The Atmospherians (2021) Alex McElroy "Alex McElroy’s debut novel is wickedly funny, graceful in prose, and brilliant in execution. With its exploration and critique of contemporary culture in general, and masculinity gender performance specifically, The Atmospherians is a Fight Club for the Millennial Generation. I feel particularly bullish on this novel, and this writer."
Scavenger (2020) (Dickie Cornish, book 1) Christopher Chambers "Scavenger is a clever mystery told with wry wit and a vivid second-person style that straps you in for its roller coaster ride Simply put: this is a damn good read."
Antkind (2020) Charlie Kaufman "A tribute to the absurdity of story and ego and obsession that manages to criticize all of this as fiercely as it embraces it all, Antkind is as funny and brilliant and utterly idiosyncratic as you could ever hope. I couldn’t put it down, which is saying a lot, because holy shit, is it heavy."
The House of Deep Water (2020) Jeni McFarland "Creates a place so real it feels like you can step into it, populated by characters so alive you can almost hear them breathing. McFarland's powerful debut is a brilliant exploration of home and heartbreak, and how we live with both of them."
An Ocean of Minutes (2018) Thea Lim "An Ocean of Minutes is a time machine into the future of this moment. Gripping and graceful, it's dystopian love story as told by a visionary. Thea Lim's novel reads like the birth of a legend."
They Come in All Colors (2018) Malcolm Hansen "This is a voice so honest and alive it feels like a stranger whispering a confession in a dark room. Malcolm Hansen's novel is a prodigious debut of a rare literary talent."
The Ensemble (2018) Aja Gabel "The Ensemble deserves a standing ovation. A gripping tale of four musician's journeys through discord and harmony, life and love. Aja Gabel is a brilliant young writer with the rare gift of an old soul."
The Talented Ribkins (2017) Ladee Hubbard "With The Talented Ribkins, Ladee Hubbard proves herself to be a rare talent who pops onto the scene fully formed as a writer of power and purpose. This is a heart-wrenching quest into the absurdity that is family. Like the best literary fantasies, The Talented Ribkins succeeds because the heart that beats at its center couldn’t be realer."
The Heart Goes Last (2015) Margaret Atwood "Thrilling, sometimes comic, often absurd and entirely engaging, spinning sins into the territory of Elvis-themed escorts, stuffed-animal carnality and customizable sexbots ... What keeps The Heart Goes Last fresh, as with the rest of Atwood's recent work, is that while it revisits earlier themes of her oeuvre, it never replicates. Rather, it reads like an exploration continued, with new surprises, both narratively and thematically, to be discovered ... Margaret Atwood has become something nearly as fantastical as one of her storytelling subjects: a living legend who continues to remain fresh and innovative on the page."
(b.1970)
