Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) has won the 2018 Carla Cohen Free Speech Award, sponsored by the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and named after the late co-founder of Politics & Prose, Washington, D.C. NAIBA said, "It is rare that a story has the ability to change perceptions and open minds, especially for those who have the privilege to look away.... Ghost Boys is that kind of story."
Rhodes is the author of Ninth Ward, a Coretta Scott King honor book, Sugar, winner of the Jane Adams Peace Association book award, Bayou Magic, and Towers Falling. She has also written many award-winning books for adults. She commented: "As a young author and professor in the D.C. area, I knew of the enormous impact Ms. Cohen had made on arts, culture, and community. To be recognized as a children's author that Ms. Cohen would have embraced thrills me beyond measure. Her democratic vision and her commitment to informing and engaging everyone (especially children) will inspire me always. I embrace her life's work and memory just as I embrace the legacy of the ghost boys to 'live better,' and help shape our citizenry to seek wisdom and empathy within independent bookstores."
The award will be presented on Sunday, October 7, at the Awards Banquet during the NAIBA Fall Conference in Baltimore, Md.
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Nominees in eight categories for the 2018 World Fantasy Awards can be seen here. Winners will be announced during the World Fantasy Convention Nov. 1-4 in Baltimore, Md. The convention is also giving Lifetime Achievement Awards to Charles de Lint and Elizabeth Wollheim.