Eboni J. Dunbar Wins 2023 Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction

Author: LeKesha Lewis

June 7, 2023

Lambda Literary is delighted to announce Eboni J. Dunbar as the winner of the 2023 Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction.

The Randall Kenan Prize for Black LGBTQ Fiction, in memory of the celebrated author Randall Kenan, honors Black LGBTQ writers of fiction. The award goes to a Black LGBTQ writer whose fiction explores themes of Black LGBTQ life, culture, and/or history. To be eligible, the winner of the prize must have published at least one book and show promise in continuing to produce groundbreaking work. The award includes a cash prize of $3,000 and is made possible by founding sponsors Cedric Brown, Darnell Moore, Dr. L. Lamar Wilson, and Steven Petrow.

Judges author/organizer Andre Gardner and last year’s winner Kalynn Bayron commented:

Eboni’s work is poignant and gripping. Eboni’s prose pours into us and perfectly embodies the nuances of culture and community.

Eboni J. Dunbar (She/her) is a queer, black woman who writes queer and Black speculative fiction. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner. She received her BA from Macalester College in English and her MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is a VONA Alum, and the former managing editor for the Hugo Award-Winning FIYAH Literary Magazine.
Her work can be found in Stellium Literary Magazine, FIYAH Literary Magazine, Drabblecast, Anathema: Spec From the Margins, Nightlight Podcast and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. She also has a novella, Stone and Steel published by Neon Hemlock Press. Eboni has also been nominated for an Ignyte Award in the Novella Category for Stone and Steel. She can be found on Twitter: @ebonidunbar and IG: ej_beezington.