Dawnie Walton is a fiction writer and journalist whose work explores identity, place, and the influence of pop culture. She has won fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Tin House Summer Workshop, and earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
They Dream in Gold (2024) Mai Sennaar "They Dream in Gold is one of the most beautiful debuts I've ever read-musical, magical, and full of tenderness for the unique histories and identities entwined in love."
Swift River (2024) Essie Chambers "Essie Chambers masterfully weaves this story together, building characters and worlds so real I felt pangs of nostalgia while turning the pages. This is a voice I'd follow anywhere."
Victim (2024) Andrew Boryga "A strivers' tale for the digital age and our identity-obsessed culture, Victim had me laughing out loud with its depiction of what can happen when clout-chasing goes wrong. Javier's media misadventures are hilarious, yes, and breathless in pace, and yet still will leave you pondering big questions past the last page, about the complexity of our stories and the dangers of flattening them. A fantastic, fresh addition to the canon of satire."
The Storm We Made (2024) Vanessa Chan "Like the most dazzling historical fiction, THE STORM WE MADE etches intimate details on an epic canvas. Vanessa Chan's characters face agonizing choices under the darkness of colonization and war, and yet she imbues them with an indelible spirit of resistance that never lets you forget the light. A fearless, gripping, morally complex story by a writer to watch."
Broughtupsy (2024) Christina Cooke "Peppered with music, sensuality, and unflinching emotion, Broughtupsy completely immersed me in Akua's fraught homecoming journey through the heat and the heart of Kingston. Author Christina Cooke poses thrillingly nuanced, provocative questions about what it means to feel home, what we owe to our families, and how to guard the boundaries of the self while navigating it all. A gorgeous debut!"
Advika and the Hollywood Wives (2023) Kirthana Ramisetti "Advika and the Hollywood Wives is my favorite kind of page-turner: packed with juice, humor, intrigue, and a complex heroine on a quest to discover what's real beyond the mirage of all that glitters. Kirthana Ramisetti's knowledge of celebrity culture shines through in every scene, and I couldn't help but binge!"
An Autobiography of Skin (2023) Lakiesha Carr "Meditative and powerful in its love for the generations of Black women at its heart, An Autobiography of Skin dives body-and-soul into its characters' experiences to explore questions about faith, forgiveness, and the fortitude that just living day to day can sometimes require. Lakiesha Carr unspools her stories with a patient fearlessness, venturing into unexpected places and unique perspectives to fully illuminate them."
All This Could Be Different (2022) Sarah Thankam Mathews "Sharply observed and deeply empathetic, All This Could Be Different is a gorgeous story of dreaming and daring against the odds. I loved these flawed, funny friends and I rooted for them, and as I raced toward the end I felt an ache in my chest, missing them already."
Sirens & Muses (2022) Antonia Angress "Sirens & Muses features characters as flawed as they are talented--full of desire, ambition, and aching regret. Their journeys engrossed me till the very last page."
Neruda on the Park (2022) Cleyvis Natera "Armed with wit and a warm sense of humor, Natera deftly scales questions as huge as the luxury building that looms over her characters' lives. . . . A beautifully observed and propulsive debut."
Post-Traumatic (2022) Chantal V Johnson "Whether she's fighting for her clients or falling apart at a wedding, POST-TRAUMATIC's Vivian is one of the most fascinating characters I've read in contemporary fiction: self-aware and lost, cutting and wounded, resilient and vulnerable - all those misfit bits that add up to the whole of a real human being. And Chantal V. Johnson writes her with a startling intimacy that makes reading feel like an illicit thrill."
Black Cake (2022) Charmaine Wilkerson "Black Cake has all the ingredients of the tastiest stories: secrets, romance, danger, and a cast of characters so real you want to scream at them one moment and hug them the next."
