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Firecracker Award

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Firecracker Award
Awarded forLiterary excellence
Sponsored byCommunity of Literary Magazines and Presses
DateJune
Reward(s)$1,000–$2,000
First awardedOriginal version: 1996–2002; new version: 2015 (2014 publications)
Last awardedActive
Websitewww.clmp.org/programs-opportunities/firecracker/

The Firecracker Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards focusing on small-press publishing. Previously known as the Firecracker Alternative Book Awards (FABs), in the current form they are known as the CLMP Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature, and are administered by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP).

The Firecracker Alternative Book Awards were established in 1996 and were presented through 2002. The Firecracker Awards returned in 2015, "to celebrate books and magazines that make a significant contribution to our literary culture and the publishers that strive to introduce important voices to readers far and wide."[1]

Neither version of the Firecracker books awards are related to an identically named award given to "women photographers born or working in Europe."[2]

Process

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CLMP Firecracker Awards are given to one winner annually in each of five categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Best Debut in Magazine, and General Excellence in Magazine. A shortlist of nominees in each category is announced beforehand.[3] (There have previously been other categories but they have been retired or subsumed in the existing five.)

According to a 2014 Publishers Weekly article, the awards are "judged by a panel of writers, editors, booksellers, and agents. Members of the Firecracker Committee include representatives from, in addition to CLMP and the ABA, Tin House, Workman Publishing, Random House, Byliner, Greenlight Books, and a host of literary agents...."[4]

In the book categories, winning presses receive $1,000-2,000, and authors or translators receive $1,000.[1] Magazine winners receive $1,000 each.[1] The winning titles are also showcased in CLMP's national publicity campaigns.[1][5][4]

Generally, the Firecrackers are announced each June. Each ceremony includes the naming of that year's recipient of the Lord Nose Award, "given in recognition of a lifetime of superlative work in literary publishing."[6]

History

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The Firecracker Alternative Book Awards were established in 1996 by John Davis of Koen Book Distribution,[4] with support from Publishers Group West, Publishers Weekly, and Tower Books & Records.[7] The FABs were designed to bring attention to "the best in alternative printing"[7] by honoring books on the "'unmapped edges of contemporary culture' that 'sharpen the cutting edge.'"[4] Categories included Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Politics, Sex, Music, Graphic Novel, Zine, Kids, Art/Photo, Drugs, and Special Recognition/Wildcard. Winners "were selected via an online voting system."[4]

The FABs were administered by volunteers rather than an official organization, and after 2002 the task became "unsustainable."[4] CLMP was approached at that time about continuing the awards, but the organization passed on the opportunity for a couple of reasons, one being that the voting system "bore a lack of transparency that raised concerns,"[4] and the other being that CLMP felt it needed to gain more solid financial footing before it took on administering a set of literary awards.

The revitalized CLMP Firecracker Awards returned in 2015,[5][4] "broadening the focus from strictly unorthodox works."[4]

Winners

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FABs (1996–2002)

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Firecracker Alternative Book Award winners
Year Category Author/Recipient Title
1996 Fiction Georges Perec A Void
Nonfiction Carl Jensen and Project Censored Censored: The News that Didn't Make the News — and Why
Poetry S. E. Anderson

and Tony Medina

In Defense of Mumia
Politics Leonard Weinglass Race for Justice: Mumia Abu-Jamal's Fight Against the Death Penalty
Graphic Novel Art Spiegelman & Robert Sikoryak, eds. The Narrative Corpse
Music Henry Rollins Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag
Drugs Dale Pendell Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft
Sex Kitty Tsui Breathless: Erotica
Special Recognition/Wildcard David Robinson Saving Graces
Peter Lamborn Wilson Pirate Utopias
1997 Fiction Rob Hardin Distorture
Nonfiction Leslie Feinberg Transgender Warriors
Poetry Linda Smukler Home in Three Days. Don't Wash.
Politics Peter Phillips Censored 1997: The News That Didn't Make the News: The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories
Graphic Novel Ted Rall Real Americans Admit: "The Worst Thing I've Ever Done"
Art/Photo Susie Bright & Jill Posener, eds. Nothing but the Girl: the Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography
Sex Paul Joannides with Dærick Gröss Sr. (illus.) The Guide to Getting it On
Drugs Everything I Know I Learned on Acid Coco Pekelis (editor)
Music Iggy Pop I Need More
'Zine Celina Hex and Betty Boob, editors/publishers Bust
Kids Davida Adedjouma, editor The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children
Outstanding Independent Press of the Year AK Press
Cleis Press
Incommunicado
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
This Ain't Yer Family's Photo Album
Katherine Dunn and Sean Tejaratchi Death Scenes
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
Don't Cook With Your Mouth Full
Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook
Recall Hoekstra Award for Special Merit in Literary Publishing FC2/Black Ice Books
1998 Fiction Scott Heim In Awe
Nonfiction Carolyn Lei-Lanilau Ono Ono Girl's Hula
Poetry Gerry Gomez Pearlberg Queer Dog: Homo/Pup/Poetry
Politics Howard Zinn The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy
Graphic Novel Bob Fingerman Minimum Wage Book 2: Tales of Hoffman[7]
Kids Javaka Steptoe In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers
Music Laurent de Wilde Monk
Drugs Bobcat Press The Joint Rolling Handbook
Sex Tristan Taormino The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women
Special Recognition/Wildcard Max Cannon Red Meat: A Collection of Red Meat Cartoons From the Secret Files of Max Cannon
Jim Jarmusch, contributor Original Sin: The Visionary Art of Joe Coleman
Constance Penley NASA/Trek: Popular Science and Sex in America
1999 Fiction Carol Queen The Leather Daddy and the Femme
Nonfiction Inga Muscio Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
Poetry Michael Madsen Burning In Paradise[8]
Politics Gary Webb Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Cocaine Explosion
Graphic Novel Eric Drooker Street Posters and Ballads: A Selection of Songs, Poems, and Graphics
Music Michael J. Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground
Sex Maurice Vellekoop Maurice Vellekoop's ABC Book: A Homoerotic Primer
Drugs Steven Cerio Steven Cerio's ABC Book: A Drug Primer
Art/Photo Steve Diet Goedde The Beauty of Fetish
Zine Teresa Cooper and Lisa Zale, publishers The Fish Tank
Kids Charles Burns (cartoonist) and Gary Panter Facetasm: A Creepy Mix & Match Book of Gross Face Mutations
Outstanding Independent Press of the Year Cleis Press
Self Improvement Kate Bornstein with Diane DiMassa, illustrator My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
Maybe Mr. Falwell Was Right
Andrew Davenport, editor Teletubbies: Dancing with the Skirt
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
Maybe the NEA Was Wrong
Subcomandante Marcos, Anne Bar Din (translator), Domitilia Dominguez (illustrator) The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas
2000 Fiction Marci Blackman Po Man's Child
Nonfiction Howard Zinn and David Barsamian, interviewer The Future of History
Poetry Alan Kaufman (writer) and S.A. Griffin, eds. The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry
Politics William Upski Wimsatt No More Prisons
Graphic Novel Julie Doucet My New York Diary
Kids Subcomandante Marcos and Anne Bar Din, translator The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas
Sex Shawna Kenney I Was a Teenage Dominatrix
Drugs Paul Krassner, compiler High Times Presents Paul Krassner's Pot Stories for the Soul
Music Bryan Ray Turcotte and Christopher T. Miller, eds. Fucked Up + Photocopied: Instant Art of the Punk Rock Movement
Art/Photo Trina Robbins From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
Books about Gap-Toothed Deceased Female Cartoonists with Smelly Dogs
Dori Seda Dori Stories
Special Recognition/Wildcard:
Best Propaganda Video Guide
Ken Smith (writer) Mental Hygiene: Classroom Films 1945-1970
2001 Fiction Neal Pollack The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature
Nonfiction Alexander Theroux The Strange Case of Edward Gorey
Poetry Shappy & Sam Henderson Little Book of Ass
Politics Ralph Nader The Ralph Nader Reader
Graphic Novel Chris Ware Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth
Sex Katharine Gates Deviant Desires
Drugs Mary Jane Aunt Mary Jane's Baking With Pot
Music David Margolick Strange Fruit
Art/Photo Gina Garan This Is Blythe
Kids Mindy Morgenstern The Real Rules for Girls
Special Recognition — Spoken Word Daphne Gottlieb Why Things Burn
2002 Fiction Beth Lisick This Too Can Be Yours
Nonfiction Eric Schlosser Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Poetry Dodie Bellamy Cunt-Ups
Politics Noam Chomsky 9-11
Graphic Novel Joe Sacco Palestine
Art/Photo Chris Cooper Devil's Advocate: The Art of Coop
Kids Art Spiegelman & Françoise Mouly, eds. Little Lit: Strange Stories for Strange Kids
Music Daniel Sinker We Owe You Nothing
Drugs Phil Shoenfelt Junkie Love
Sex Annie Sprinkle with Gabrielle H. Cody Hardcore from the Heart: The Pleasures, Profits and Politics of Sex in Performance

CLMP Firecrackers Awards (2015–present)

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CLMP Firecracker Award winners
Year Category Author Title
2015[5] Fiction Jeffery Renard Allen Song of the Shank
Creative Nonfiction Marie NDiaye Self-Portrait in Green
Poetry Bernadette Mayer Sonnets: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition
Graphic Novel Hubert Boulard and Kerascoët Beauty (Beauté)
Young Adult Patty Blount Some Boys
Magazines/For Poetry Poetry
Magazines/Best Debut Story
Magazines/General Excellence Tin House
2016[9] Fiction Andrés Neuman The Things We Don't Do
Creative Nonfiction Joni Tevis The World is On Fire: Scrap, Treasure, and Songs of Apocalypse
Poetry Anne Boyer Garments Against Women
Literary Magazine A Public Space
2017 Fiction Ananda Devi with Jeffrey Zuckerman (trans.) Eve Out of Her Ruins
Creative Nonfiction Renee Gladman Calamities
Poetry Douglas Kearney Buck Studies
Magazines: Best Debut Bennington Review
Magazine: General Excellence Prairie Schooner
2018 Fiction Rivers Solomon An Unkindness of Ghosts
Creative Nonfiction Aisha Sabatini Sloan Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit
Poetry Javier Zamora Unaccompanied
Magazines: Best Debut Flock Literary Journal
Magazines: General Excellence: One Story
2019 Fiction Casey Plett Little Fish
Creative Nonfiction Shaelyn Smith The Leftovers
Poetry Sesshu Foster City of the Future
Magazines: Best Debut Aster(ix)
Magazines: General Excellence ZYZZYVA
2020[10] Fiction Johannes Anyuru with Saskia Vogel (trans.) They Will Drown in their Mothers' Tears
Creative Nonfiction Jehanne Dubrow throughsmoke
Poetry Jena Osman Motion Studies
Laura Moriarty Personal Volcano
Magazines/Best Debut Porter House Review
Magazines/General Excellence Two Lines Journal
2021[11] Fiction Aoko Matsuda with Polly Barton (trans.) Where the Wild Ladies Are
Creative Nonfiction Melissa Valentine The Names of All the Flowers
Poetry Justin Phillip Reed The Malevolent Volume
Magazines/Best Debut Lucky Jefferson
Magazines/General Excellence Mizna
2022[12][13] Fiction Celeste Mohammed Pleasantview
Creative Nonfiction Allison Cobb Plastic: An Autobiography
Poetry Truong Tran book of the other: small in comparison
Magazines/Best Debut Sistories
Magazines/General Excellence Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora
2023[14] Fiction Zain Khalid Brother Alive
Creative Nonfiction Douglas Kearney Optic Subwoof
Poetry Solmaz Sharif Customs
Magazines/Best Debut 128 Lit
Magazines/General Excellence Ecotone

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d "Firecracker Awards". Community of Literary Magazines and Presses. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  2. ^ ROHTER, LARRY (Sep 2, 2013). "Images of Her Russian Aunts Win Award for Brooklyn Photographer". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Firecracker Awards Winners archive". CLMP.org.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Swanson, Clare (May 29, 2014). "BEA 2014: Firecrackers Are Back". Publishers Weekly.
  5. ^ a b c "The 2015 Firecracker Award Winners". CLMP. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017.
  6. ^ "The Lord Nose Award". CLMP.org.
  7. ^ a b c Spurgeon, Tom (June 1998). "Fingerman Collection Wins Book Award". News Watch. The Comics Journal. No. 205. p. 27.
  8. ^ Waldo, Thea (July 16, 2006). Celebrities and Their Culinary Creations: Autographed Photos, Biographies, Trivia, & Recipes. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-39753-2 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "Announcing the 2016 Firecracker Award Winners". CLMP. 2016. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016.
  10. ^ "Awards: CLMP Firecracker Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  11. ^ "Awards: Firecracker Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  12. ^ "Awards: Firecracker Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  13. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-06-24). "CLMP Announces Firecracker Award Winners". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  14. ^ "Here are the winners of the 2023 Firecracker Awards". Literary Hub. 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-09-25.

Sources

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