| Bryan Washington | |
| Birth Date: | 22 April 1993 |
| Birth Place: | Kentucky, U.S. |
| Education: | University of Houston (BA) University of New Orleans (MFA) |
| Genre: | Fiction |
| Notableworks: | Lot Memorial |
| Awards: | Dylan Thomas Prize (2020) Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence (2019) |
Bryan Washington (born April 22, 1993)[1] is an American writer from Houston. He published his debut short story collection, Lot, in 2019[2] and a novel, Memorial, in 2020.
Washington was born 1993 in Kentucky and moved to Katy, Texas when he was 3 years old.[3] [4] He knew he was gay at a young age but did not formally come out, fearing stigmatization. He graduated from James E. Taylor High School in 2011. Washington graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in English, and continued his education at the University of New Orleans where he graduated with an MFA.[5]
For his collection of short stories, Lot, he was recognized as one of the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35. Lot, a series of interconnected short stories set in Houston, was published in 2019 by Riverhead.[5] The book centers in part on Nicolás, a young man of mixed African American and Latino American descent who works in his family's restaurant while coming to terms with his sexuality.[6] The book was the winner of the 2019 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence,[7] the 2020 Dylan Thomas Prize,[8] and the 2020 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.[9]
Washington's debut novel, Memorial, was published on October 27, 2020.[10] In addition to being longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, Memorial was also named a New York Times Notable Book.[11] Prior to publication, A24 purchased the rights to adapt the novel for television, with Washington adapting his novel.[12] His second novel Family Meal was also shortlisted for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.[13]
Washington lectures in English at Rice University, where in July 2020 he was made George Guion Williams Writer in Residence and Scholar in Residence for Racial Justice.
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Lot | — | |||
| Sergio Troncoso Award | |||||
| 2020 | — | [14] | |||
| — | |||||
| — | |||||
| — | [15] | ||||
| Lambda Literary Awards | Gay Fiction | ||||
| — | [16] | ||||
| Memorial: A Novel | — | ||||
| Fiction | |||||
| 2021 | Fiction | ||||
| — | |||||
| Heartland Booksellers Award | Fiction | ||||
| Ferro-Grumley Award | LGBTQ Fiction | ||||
| VCU Cabell First Novelist Award | — | ||||
| 2022 | — | ||||
| William Saroyan International Prize for Writing | Fiction |