The New Hampshire Writers’ Project (NHWP) proudly announced the winners of the 2025 New Hampshire Literary Awards at a ceremony held on Saturday, October 18th at the Puritan Backroom in Manchester, NH. Presented by Laura Knoy and hosted by NHWP Board Chair Masheri Chappelle, the event celebrated exceptional achievements in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult, and children’s literature.
“This year’s honorees illuminate the human experience while strengthening our state’s creative culture,” said Masheri Chappelle, Board Chair of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project. “NHWP is honored to recognize these outstanding voices and to welcome our finalists and People’s Choice winners as our invited guests.”
In addition to its five literary award categories, NHWP partners with NHPBS and New Hampshire Humanities to present two distinguished honors. The NHPBS Literary Excellence Award recognizes a New Hampshire author whose work inspires and elevates humanity through storytelling, while the NH Humanities Award honors a writer whose work reflects a deep curiosity about people and perspectives expressed with civility and insight.
The evening also featured recognition of New Hampshire’s enduring literary legacy through the state’s highest honor—the New Hampshire Literary Hall of Fame. Instituted in 2015 through proclamation by then-Governor Maggie Hassan, the Hall of Fame was created to discover and celebrate the Granite State’s rich literary history and heritage. This year’s honor was presented in memory of Willa Cather for her extraordinary contributions to American literature. The award was accepted on her behalf by Peter Lambert, President of the Jaffrey Historical Society in Jaffrey, NH.
Laura Knoy, who served as mistress of ceremonies, reflected on the significance of the evening: “New Hampshire has a rich storytelling tradition that continues to evolve. Each of these authors reminds us that words still have the power to connect, challenge, and inspire.”
Presented biennially by NHWP, the New Hampshire Literary Awards remain the only statewide literary program that recognizes and celebrates New Hampshire authors and their contributions to the state’s cultural and literary heritage. Categories include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult, and children’s literature, along with the People’s Choice Awards, voted on by readers across the Granite State. Additional honors—such as the NHPBS Literary Excellence Award, NH Humanities Award, and Literary Hall of Fame—celebrate enduring contributions to the literary arts.
Authors recognized for their literary achievements and contributions include:
- NHPBS Literary Excellence Award: Pedal, Balance, Steer: Annie Londonderry, the First Woman to Cycle Around the World by Vivian Kirkfield
- NH Humanities Award: The East Indian by Brinda Charry
Outstanding Works of Literature
- Nonfiction: Everyone’s Trash: One Man Against 1.6 Billion Pounds by Duncan Watson
- Fiction: The East Indian by Brinda Charry
- Poetry: The Lepidopterist’s House by Chelsea Woodard
- Children’s Literature: Truffle: A Dog and Cat Story by David McPhail
- Young Adult Literature: Go Home by Terry Farish and Lochan Sharma
People’s Choice Award Winners – Chosen by readers across New Hampshire:
- Middle Grade/Young Adult: The Curse of the Crummy Mummy by Thomas Tosi
- Children’s Picture Book: Sadie Sloth and Her Spaghetti by Lauren Walczak
- Fiction: Manufacturing Artificial Intelligence Agency (M.A.I.A.): A Dystopian AI Thriller by W.D. Shipley
- Nonfiction: The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains by Steven D. Smith and Mike Dickerman
- Poetry: The Adorable Knife: Poems after The “Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” by Jessica Purdy
About the New Hampshire Writers’ Project
Founded in 1988, the New Hampshire Writers’ Project (NHWP) is a nonprofit literary arts organization dedicated to supporting writers of all genres and skill levels through education, community, and advocacy. NHWP programs include workshops, conferences, author showcases, and networking opportunities designed to strengthen New Hampshire’s literary landscape.
For more information, visit NHwritersproject.org.
