JCO Prize: Truth & Consequences

MANUEL MUÑOZ

We are honored to announce that Manuel Muñoz, the acclaimed author of The Consequences (Graywolf Press; 2022) and three other fervently cherished works of fiction, is the Recipient of the 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Prize sponsored by New Literary Project. The annual Prize honors a mid-career author of fiction who has earned a distinguished following and the heartfelt admiration of readers and other writers. The Prize stands not only as testament to momentous accomplishment, but also as encouragement and support for work to come. Manuel succeeds Lauren Groff, last year’s winner, and he becomes the seventh winner of the JCO Prize.

“Profound gracias to New Literary Project and its Board of Directors, the University of California, Berkeley, and their partners for their important work in promoting access and participation in our art for all communities. I am urged onward in my love of the short story and in my belief that it is an important mechanism in documenting my beloved Central Valley and insisting on its place in our national literature.”

He will be in brief residence at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Bay Area during October 2023 (dates to be determined). In the meantime, you're warmly invited to join us for a lively and engaging conversation between Joyce Carol Oates and Manuel Muñoz on Tuesday, May 16, 4:00 pm Pacific, program produced by our friends at Orinda Books. Details forthcoming.

READ MORE ABOUT MANUEL MUÑOZ

“I was struck immediately by the beauty, poise & effortless empathy of The Consequences... Living far away on the East Coast, I am not much familiar with the world of Mexican-American farm workers & their families, but Manuel has made them feel like kin to me. As one who much appreciates the art of the short story, I was filled with admiration for a writer who creates an entire world within the space of a few pages, with seeming effortlessness.”

— Joyce Carol Oates

“Manuel Munoz’s stories plumb depths a reader cannot resist exploring, sometimes at the expense of heartbreak, sometimes in thrall to wonder, and sometimes simultaneously both.”

— Joseph Di Prisco

We also want to highlight, once again, the impressive work of the 2023 Joyce Carol Oates Prize Finalists: Rabih Alameddine, Clare Beams, James Hannaham, and David Means. Their work imaginatively engages with the questions that preoccupy and define us. You can read more about them here.

Thank you for your ongoing support of NewLit and abundant goodwill. We’ll leave you with this closing image from Manuel’s The Consequences:

The lights came through, shimmered from someplace way out there. I knew there were more lights beyond that, deeper and deeper, and it wasn’t but a little while before I gathered up my courage and waded out into them.

Consequently yours,

Abby, Diane, Joe, and Vicky

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