Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. BCALA EBook Literary Awards

Press Release Contact: Tiffany A. Duck or

May 6, 2022 Suffolk, VA

BCALA and BiblioLabs Announce the 2022 EBook Literary Awards Winners
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. (BCALA) and BiblioLabs announce the winners of the 2022Self-Publishing EBook Award. Following the model of the current BCALA Literary Awards, the award honors the best selfpublished EBooks in fiction and poetry by an African American author in the U.S. This is the seventh time BCALA and BiblioLabs have given this innovative award. The recipients will receive their awards during the American Library Association Conference in Washington, D. C. in 2022.

FICTION
The fiction category winner is JuJu Girl by Nikki Marsh. This is a coming of age story about Gabbie, a 15 year old girl in Louisiana. After a great storm, Gabbie is propelled into a different world filled with superstition, affluent communities, and magic. Gabbie soon finds out the origin of a paranormal gift that she carries and what challenges and choices come with that type of power. This novel would appeal to teens and young adults who are interested in the fantasy world. The book highlights some of the less well-known cultural traditions in our society. JuJu Girl is the first book in a planned trilogy. Marsh plans to release the second book in the fall. Nikki lives in Florida with her family.

POETRY
The poetry category winner is I Forget I’m Only Human by Marquise Jackson. This debut collection of poems is raw, uncut, invigorating, and thoughtful. Jackson discusses love, life, feelings about race, childhood and more. This work examines what it means to be human in all its forms. It has been said that Marquise Jackson, is a poet unafraid of the vulnerable. He now resides in St. Louis and his second collection of poetry, “Unrehearsed”, is in early development. Members of the BCALA EBook Literary Awards Jury are: Tiffany A. Duck (Chair), Suffolk Public Library; Dana Evans, Hampton University; Annie Payton, Retired; Stacy Brooks, Detroit Public Library, Eddie Hughes, Southern University; Brenda Spencer Robertson, University of North Texas at Dallas Library; Alain LaForest, White Plains Public Library.