Nigeria’s E.C. Osondu has won the ninth annual BOA Short Fiction Prize for his collection ‘Alien Stories.’
The winning manuscript was selected by BOA Publisher Peter Conners from over 320 entries. Osondu will receive a $1,000 honorarium and book publication by BOA Editions, Ltd. Within the American Reader Series in spring 2021.
Osondu thanked BOA Editions “for opening your arms and giving a home to ‘Alien Stories.’ Particularly poignant because these are for the most part stories about characters who seesaw between finding a home and being cast out. Thank you for helping ‘Alien Stories’ make its way into the often alienating world in which we live today.”
Conners said of ‘Alien Stories,’ “With nimble dexterity and startling originality, E.C. Osondu shifts from Africa to America to outer space, uniting us all as ‘aliens’ within a complex and interconnected universe.”
In addition to the winning manuscript, a finalist and three semi-finalists were also selected. Both the winning manuscript and the finalist will be published as part of the American Reader Series. ‘The Complete Writings of Art Smith, The Bird Boy of Fort Wayne,’ Edited by Michael Martone will be the second BOA Short Fiction Prize finalist to receive publication in addition to the winning manuscript.
E.C. Osondu is the author of the collection of stories ‘Voice of America’ and the novel ‘This House is Not For Sale.’ In addition to the BOA Short Fiction Prize, he is a winner of the Caine Prize, a Pushcart Prize, and a Pushcart Special Mention, among other awards.
BOA Editions will accept manuscripts for the tenth annual BOA Short Fiction Prize between April 1 and May 31, 2020.
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