Dawnie Walton has won the Aspen Words Literary Prize for her debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.
The award, which comes with a $35,000 cash prize, is given annually to “a work of fiction that illuminates a vital contemporary issue and demonstrates the transformative power of literature on thought and culture.”
Walton’s book, published last year by Simon & Schuster imprint 37 Ink, follows the rise and fall of an interracial rock duo who found success in the 1970s, split up, then attempt a reunion years later. A Kirkus reviewer praised the book as “an intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music.”
“As innovative in form as it is soulful in delivery, [the novel] is a dazzling exploration of the spectacular and eerie complications of the way race, gender and punk rock necessarily collide,” the prize’s jury said. “Dawnie Walton blurs the lines between revelation and realization in a book that witnesses, and really undulates under, the weight of professional and personal secrets, while picking away at the very real desire for American progress with few substantial models for reciprocal American reckoning.”
In her acceptance speech, Walton thanked her fellow finalists, saying she was “humbled” to be shortlisted with them.
“Reflecting the times is often a daunting thing to attempt, because the times in which we write often feel dark and dispiriting, and worst of all, immovable,” Walton said. “But what gives me joy and hope is that as artists, we find and foster community. We encourage each other to use our full throats.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
