The author’s book, Nightbloom, was longlisted alongside 16 books.
By Hope Ibiale
Liberian writer, Peace Adzo Medie, has been announced as one of the writers longlisted for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction Award. The author’s book, Nightbloom, was longlisted alongside 16 books, described by the jury as “ambitious, inspiring and thought-provoking novels written by women in English”.
Other longlisted authors include Effie Black, Maya Binyam, Aube Rey Lescure, Chetna Maroo, Megan Nolan, Mirinae Lee, Kate Foster, and many others. The award’s shortlist will be announced on April 24, 2024, while the winner will be announced on June 13, 2024. The winner will receive £30,000 and the “Bessie”, a bronze statuette created by artist Grizel Niven.
While speaking about the longlisted writers, Monica Ali, the chair of judges, said, “With the strength and vitality of contemporary women’s fiction very much in evidence, reading the entries for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction has been a joyful experience. Each one of these books is brilliant, original, and utterly unputdownable. Collectively, they offer a wide array of compelling narratives from around the world, written with verve, wit, passion and compassion”.
Peace Adzo Medie is a Liberian-born Ghanaian academic and writer. Medie is an associate professor in politics and her research revolves around African studies, women’s studies, gender, and international relations. She is the author of His Only Wife and Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence against Women in Africa.
While sharing the good news on her X page, Medie commented, “I’m absolutely delighted that Nightbloom has been longlisted for the @WomenPrize for Fiction! Thank you to the #WomensPrize team and judges and congratulations to all authors on the longlist. It’s a great honour to be in such excellent company!”
The Women’s Prize for Fiction was founded in 1996 with the aim “to celebrate and promote fiction by women to the widest range of readers possible.” The prize is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the previous year.
The 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction jury is headed by author Monica Ali. Nigerian author, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, author, illustrator, scriptwriter, and performance poet Laura Dockrill, actor Indira Varma, and campaigner, podcaster, and author Anna Whitehouse will judge this year’s prize with Ali.