Tope Folarin and Nnamdi Ehirim are both on the longlist of the 2020 VCU Cabell First Novel Award.

The annual book prize is presented on behalf of Virginia Commonwealth University MFA in Creative Writing Program and sponsored by James Branch Cabell Library Associates, VCU Libraries, the VCU Department of English, Barnes & Noble @ VCU, and the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.

The prize honors an “outstanding debut novel published in the preceding calendar year”.

Folarin is nominated for his book A Particular Kind of Black Man, published by Simon and Schuster which focuses on the life of an immigrant Nigerian family in the United States and addresses larger questions about the complexities of identity. The book was longlisted for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Ehirim appears on the longlist with his well-received Prince of Monkeys, published by Counterpoint in April, 2019.

Both books appear on Brittle Paper’s Top 15 Debut Books of 2019 

The award ceremony is annually held at James Branch Cabell Library, in which the winning author and two others involved in the writing and publishing worlds, typically the author’s agent and editor, appear at a public reading and Q&A session, followed by a book signing and reception, that focus on the creation, publication, and promotion of a first novel.

Travel expenses to and lodging in Richmond for the author and the additional speakers are provided, and the author receives a $5,000 cash prize.

For the full longlist, go here.

Best wishes to Tope Folarin and Nnamdi Ehirim!