Danielle Evans, author of the story collections The Office of Historical Corrections and Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, has won the 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Prize.
The $50,000 prize, awarded annually by the New Literary Project, “honors a mid-career author of fiction who has earned a distinguished reputation and the widespread approbation and gratitude of readers.”
“Danielle Evans has more to teach us than we may be prepared to learn,” said Joseph Di Prisco, the chair of the New Literary Project. “Her subtle control of character and language enthralls us, and her stories dazzle with wit, passion, and insight. In the course of her marvelous career this author returns again and again from danger with prophetic stories of her own, radiant with intensity and conviction and grace.”
The Office of Historical Corrections, published in November 2020, was longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize and shortlisted for the Story Prize. In a starred review, a Kirkus critic praised the book as “necessary narratives, brilliantly crafted.”
“I am thrilled and honored to receive this year’s prize, and to find myself in the wonderful company of this year’s finalists and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize’s previous winners,” Evans said in a statement.
The Joyce Carol Oates Prize was first awarded in 2017. Previous winners have included T. Geronimo Johnson (Welcome to Braggsville) and Laila Lalami (The Other Americans).
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
