As one local author described it Tuesday, writing can be “a lonely, lonely business.” But at the State House, novelists, nonfiction writers and picture book authors found community for the day, gathering to celebrate their achievements at the 2025 Massachusetts Book Awards ceremony.
Several award winners and presenters called attention to the national political climate in their remarks. Jedediah Berry, who lives in Easthampton and won the fiction award, pointed out parallels between current U.S. politics and his recognized post-apocalyptic novel.
“In ‘The Naming Song,’ the corrupt maintain the stories that benefit them — stories that tell us that those who live beyond the borders are to be feared — while those who make trouble face the threat of deletion,” he said.
“I would have preferred that this all remain relevant in a purely theoretical sort of way, but here we are in the year 2025, with the powerful excising words that make them afraid or even just a little uncomfortable,” Berry added.
The Massachusetts Book Awards, in their 25th annual ceremony organized by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, recognized 36 authors Tuesday afternoon out of more than 400 books nominated.
Sherborn resident Kellie Carter-Jackson, who won the nonfiction award for her book “We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance,” said her book captures how she sees anger and refusal as tools for political resistance.
“Refusal is a non-negotiable. It is an ultimatum. It is my hope that we will all lean on refusal,” Carter-Jackson said. “That in the face of fascism and book banning and racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, genocide, and homophobia, we would all give a loud and resounding, ‘Hell no.’”
State lawmakers called out the same issues when presenting awards — like state Rep. Carmine Gentile, a Democrat from Sudbury, who presented the picture book award.
“We’re not banning any books in Massachusetts. It’s not going to happen,” Gentile said to a strong round of applause.
Two new awards also debuted at Tuesday’s ceremony. The inaugural award for Notable Contribution to Publishing went to Beacon Press for Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s “An Indigenous People’s History of the United States: A Graphic Interpretation,” while Jarrett Krosoczka of Northampton took home the first Best Graphic Novel or Memoir award for his book “Sunshine.”
Gayatri Patnaik, the director of Beacon Press who accepted the award on behalf of the publisher, said the winning book is representative of a timely commitment to amplifying marginalized voices and publishing works that challenge dominant narratives.
“Given these chilling times, choosing to lift up a book that unabashedly centers Indigenous resistance and provides a candid account of our nation’s complex history speaks volumes,” she said.
“We know that freedom of speech, freedom to read and the freedom to publish are all inextricably bound,” Patnaik added.
Addressing nearly 100 audience members, Massachusetts Center for the Book’s executive director Courtney Andree underscored the awards’ mission to unite and honor Massachusetts literary culture.
“At a moment when society is so deeply fractured, with books under siege and authors targeted for their beliefs and voices, it means so much to have this strong community to sustain us,” Andree said.
