Anthony Marra Wins 2018 Simpson Prize
Anthony Marra, author of The Tsar of Love and Techno and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (Hogarth/Penguin Random House), has received the 2018 Simpson Family Literary prize, which is valued at $50,000.
The prize is awarded by Simpson Family Literary Project, which is a partnership between the University of California, Berkeley, English Department and the Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation, in association with the Contra Costa County Library. The project aims to “foster new literature, support authors, and enhance the lives of readers, writers, educators, and students in diverse communities in California and the nation,” according to a press release.
The shortlist for the prize included authors Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Ecco); Samantha Hunt (The Dark Dark, FSG), and more.
Joyce Carol Oates will continue as an official Simpson Family Literary Project writer-in-residence; and 2017’s winner, T. Geronimo Johnson, will continue his efforts and engagements with the Simpson Family Literary Project.
