The Vermont Book Award has named 14 finalists for its 2025 prizes across four categories, recognizing outstanding works by Vermont authors. The awards, each carrying a $1,000 prize and a custom trophy, will be presented on May 2 in Montpelier. Finalists include both debut and established writers, selected from 75 nominations.
The Vermont Book Award, established in 2014 by the Vermont College of Fine Arts, honors books published in the previous calendar year by authors who reside in Vermont for at least six months annually. Eligible works exclude anthologies and self-published titles. This year's finalists were announced on Thursday from a pool of 75 nominees, spanning creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and children's literature.
In creative nonfiction, the finalists are Jamaica Kincaid for 'Putting Myself Together,' Helen Whybrow for 'The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life,' which also appeared on the National Book Award longlist, and Tyler Alexander for 'If I Can Get Home This Fall: a Story of Love, Loss, and a Cause in the Civil War.'
Fiction contenders include Sasha Hom's debut novella 'Sidework,' Makenna Goodman's 'Helen of Nowhere,' Aria Aber's first novel 'Good Girl,' and Alison Bechdel's 'Spent.'
Poetry finalists feature Carlene Kucharczyk's 'Strange Hymn,' Jeff McRae's 'The Kingdom Where No One Dies,' Kristin Dykstra's 'Dissonance,' and former Vermont poet laureate Chard deNiord's 'Westminster West.'
For children's literature, the nominees are Angelica Del Campo's 'The Ghost of Wreckers Cove,' Aaron Starmer's 'Night Swimming,' and Mima Tipper's 'Kat’s Greek Summer.'
Miciah Bay Gault, director of the Vermont Book Award, described the variety of experience among the finalists as thrilling during an appearance on Vermont Public’s 'Morning Edition.' She highlighted the event's atmosphere, noting, 'It is just magical to be in that room with so many writers, so many readers, so many people who care about literature.' The awards are administered by Vermont Humanities and the Vermont Department of Libraries, with nominations open to booksellers, librarians, publishers, and the public. The ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone, will occur at College Hall in Montpelier on May 2 at 7 p.m.
