The Firecracker Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards focusing on small-press publishing. Previously known as the Firecracker Alternative Book Awards (FABs), in the current form they are known as the CLMP Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature, and are administered by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP).
The Firecracker Alternative Book Awards were established in 1996 and were presented through 2002. The Firecracker Awards returned in 2015, "to celebrate books and magazines that make a significant contribution to our literary culture and the publishers that strive to introduce important voices to readers far and wide."
Neither version of the Firecracker books awards are related to an identically named award given to "women photographers born or working in Europe."
Process CLMP Firecracker Awards are given to one winner annually in each of five categories: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Best Debut in Magazine, and General Excellence in Magazine. A shortlist of nominees in each category is announced beforehand. (There have previously been other categories but they have been retired or subsumed in the existing five.)
According to a 2014 Publishers Weekly article, the awards are "judged by a panel of writers, editors, booksellers, and agents. Members of the Firecracker Committee include representatives from, in addition to CLMP and the ABA, Tin House, Workman Publishing, Random House, Byliner, Greenlight Books, and a host of literary agents...."
In the book categories, winning presses receive $1,000-2,000, and authors or translators receive $1,000. Magazine winners receive $1,000 each. The winning titles are also showcased in CLMP's national publicity campaigns.
Generally, the Firecrackers are announced each June. Each ceremony includes the naming of that year's recipient of the Lord Nose Award, "given in recognition of a lifetime of superlative work in literary publishing."
History The Firecracker Alternative Book Awards were established in 1996 by John Davis of Koen Book Distribution, with support from Publishers Group West, Publishers Weekly, and Tower Books & Records. The FABs were designed to bring attention to "the best in alternative printing" by honoring books on the "'unmapped edges of contemporary culture' that 'sharpen the cutting edge.'" Categories included Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Politics, Sex, Music, Graphic Novel, Zine, Kids, Art/Photo, Drugs, and Special Recognition/Wildcard. Winners "were selected via an online voting system."
The FABs were administered by volunteers rather than an official organization, and after 2002 the task became "unsustainable." CLMP was approached at that time about continuing the awards, but the organization passed on the opportunity for a couple of reasons, one being that the voting system "bore a lack of transparency that raised concerns," and the other being that CLMP felt it needed to gain more solid financial footing before it took on administering a set of literary awards.
The revitalized CLMP Firecracker Awards returned in 2015, "broadening the focus from strictly unorthodox works."
Winners FABs (1996–2002) +Firecracker Alternative Book Award winnersYearCategoryAuthor/RecipientTitle 1996 Fiction A Void Nonfiction Carl Jensen and Project Censored Censored: The News that Didn't Make the News — and Why Poetry S. E. Anderson and Tony Medina In Defense of Mumia Politics Race for Justice: Mumia Abu-Jamal's Fight Against the Death Penalty Graphic Novel & , eds. The Narrative Corpse Music Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag Drugs Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft Sex Breathless: Erotica Special Recognition/Wildcard David Robinson Saving Graces Pirate Utopias 1997 Fiction Distorture Nonfiction Transgender Warriors Poetry Home in Three Days. Don't Wash. Politics Peter Phillips Censored 1997: The News That Didn't Make the News: The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories Graphic Novel Real Americans Admit: "The Worst Thing I've Ever Done" Art/Photo & , eds. Nothing but the Girl: the Blatant Lesbian Image: A Portfolio and Exploration of Lesbian Erotic Photography Sex Paul Joannides with (illus.) The Guide to Getting it On Drugs Everything I Know I Learned on Acid (editor) Music I Need More 'Zine Celina Hex and Betty Boob, editors/publishers Bust Kids , editor The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children Outstanding Independent Press of the Year AK Press Cleis Press Incommunicado Special Recognition/Wildcard:This Ain't Yer Family's Photo Album and Death Scenes Special Recognition/Wildcard:Don't Cook With Your Mouth Full and InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook Recall Hoekstra Award for Special Merit in Literary Publishing FC2/Black Ice Books 1998 Fiction In Awe Nonfiction Ono Ono Girl's Hula Poetry Gerry Gomez Pearlberg Queer Dog: Homo/Pup/Poetry Politics The Zinn Reader: Writings on Disobedience and Democracy Graphic Novel Minimum Wage Book 2: Tales of Hoffman Kids In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers Music Monk Drugs Bobcat Press The Joint Rolling Handbook Sex The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women Special Recognition/Wildcard Red Meat: A Collection of Red Meat Cartoons From the Secret Files of Max Cannon , contributor Original Sin: The Visionary Art of Joe Coleman NASA/Trek: Popular Science and Sex in America 1999 Fiction The Leather Daddy and the Femme Nonfiction Cunt: A Declaration of Independence Poetry Burning In Paradise Politics Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Cocaine Explosion Graphic Novel Street Posters and Ballads: A Selection of Songs, Poems, and Graphics Music and Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground Sex Maurice Vellekoop's ABC Book: A Homoerotic Primer Drugs Steven Cerio's ABC Book: A Drug Primer Art/Photo The Beauty of Fetish Zine Teresa Cooper and Lisa Zale, publishers The Fish Tank Kids and Facetasm: A Creepy Mix & Match Book of Gross Face Mutations Outstanding Independent Press of the Year Cleis Press Self Improvement with , illustrator My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely Special Recognition/Wildcard:Maybe Mr. Falwell Was Right , editor Teletubbies: Dancing with the Skirt Special Recognition/Wildcard:Maybe the NEA Was Wrong , Anne Bar Din (translator), Domitilia Dominguez (illustrator) The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas 2000 Fiction Po Man's Child Nonfiction and , interviewer The Future of History Poetry and , eds. The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry Politics No More Prisons Graphic Novel My New York Diary Kids and Anne Bar Din, translator The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale from the Jungles of Chiapas Sex I Was a Teenage Dominatrix Drugs , compiler High Times Presents Paul Krassner's Pot Stories for the Soul Music Bryan Ray Turcotte and Christopher T. Miller, eds. Fucked Up + Photocopied: Instant Art of the Punk Rock Movement Art/Photo From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines Special Recognition/Wildcard:Books about Gap-Toothed Deceased Female Cartoonists with Smelly Dogs Dori Stories Special Recognition/Wildcard:Best Propaganda Video Guide Mental Hygiene: Classroom Films 1945-1970 2001 Fiction The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature Nonfiction The Strange Case of Edward Gorey Poetry Shappy & Little Book of Ass Politics Ralph Nader The Ralph Nader Reader Graphic Novel Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth Sex Katharine Gates Deviant Desires Drugs Mary Jane Aunt Mary Jane's Baking With Pot Music Strange Fruit Art/Photo Gina Garan This Is Blythe Kids Mindy Morgenstern The Real Rules for Girls Special Recognition — Spoken Word Why Things Burn 2002 Fiction This Too Can Be Yours Nonfiction Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal Poetry Cunt-Ups Politics 9-11 Graphic Novel Palestine Art/Photo Chris Cooper Devil's Advocate: The Art of Coop Kids & , eds. Little Lit: Strange Stories for Strange Kids Music We Owe You Nothing Drugs Junkie Love Sex with Gabrielle H. Cody Hardcore from the Heart: The Pleasures, Profits and Politics of Sex in Performance
CLMP Firecrackers Awards (2015–present) +CLMP Firecracker Award winnersYearCategoryAuthorTitle 2015 Fiction Song of the Shank Creative Nonfiction Self-Portrait in Green Poetry Sonnets: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition Graphic Novel and Kerascoët Beauty (Beauté) Young Adult Some Boys Magazines/For Poetry Poetry Magazines/Best Debut Story Magazines/General Excellence Tin House 2016 Fiction The Things We Don't Do Creative Nonfiction The World is On Fire: Scrap, Treasure, and Songs of Apocalypse Poetry Garments Against Women Literary Magazine A Public Space 2017 Fiction with Jeffrey Zuckerman (trans.) Eve Out of Her Ruins Creative Nonfiction Calamities Poetry Buck Studies Magazines: Best Debut Bennington Review Magazine: General Excellence Prairie Schooner 2018 Fiction An Unkindness of Ghosts Creative Nonfiction Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit Poetry Unaccompanied Magazines: Best Debut Flock Literary Journal Magazines: General Excellence: One Story2019 Fiction Little Fish Creative Nonfiction The Leftovers Poetry City of the Future Magazines: Best Debut Aster(ix) Magazines: General Excellence ZYZZYVA2020Fiction with Saskia Vogel (trans.)They Will Drown in their Mothers' TearsCreative NonfictionthroughsmokePoetryMotion StudiesPersonal VolcanoMagazines/Best DebutPorter House ReviewMagazines/General ExcellenceTwo Lines Journal2021Fiction with Polly Barton (trans.)Where the Wild Ladies Are Creative NonfictionThe Names of All the Flowers PoetryThe Malevolent VolumeMagazines/Best DebutLucky JeffersonMagazines/General ExcellenceMizna2022FictionPleasantviewCreative NonfictionPlastic: An AutobiographyPoetrybook of the other: small in comparisonMagazines/Best DebutSistories Magazines/General ExcellenceObsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora 2023 Fiction Brother Alive Creative Nonfiction Optic Subwoof Poetry Customs Magazines/Best Debut 128 Lit Magazines/General Excellence Ecotone
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