Sisters in Crime is accepting applications for its ninth annual Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award, a $2,000 grant awarded to an emerging writer of color. The award honors the late, pioneering African American crime fiction author Eleanor Taylor Bland. Candidates must apply by March 31 and the winner will be announced in May.
“The award gave me the confidence I needed to keep going when my first book failed on submission and my first agent and I parted ways,” says 2018 Award winner Mia P. Manansala. “The book that won the award became my debut and has led to so many amazing opportunities.”
Established in 2014, The Eleanor Taylor Bland award intends to support a recipient at the beginning of their crime writing career. The grantee may choose to apply the grant toward workshops, seminars, conferences, retreats, online courses and research activities to assist in completion of their work. Strongly aligned with Sisters in Crime’s mission to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of current and prospective members, “this award welcomes future crime writers of color into the mystery writing fold,” says Stephanie Gale, Pushcart Prize-nominated author and President of the National Board of Sisters in Crime. “As the former grants liaison, I know the award has inspired the winner and runners up to keep writing. There are writers of color crushing the crime writing genre and I want more of it.”
The 2022 recipient will join an impressive roster of winners. This year’s panel of judges includes 2021 winner D.Ann Williams, along with Sujata Massey and Wanda Morris, who is excited to participate in the search. “The Award recognizes and introduces diverse authors at a time when people are craving #OwnVoices stories,” says Morris. “The impact of this award will be felt for generations.”
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Eleanor Taylor Bland was the author of fourteen crime fiction novels published between 1992 and 2007 which featured Marti MacAlister, an African-American female police detective and an enduring and beloved heroine who went against the grain of stereotypes related to African-American women in much of U.S. popular culture. Bland also published several works of short crime fiction and edited a collection titled Shades of Black: Crime and Mystery Stories by African American Authors (2004). Sisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Today, the organization boasts 4,200 members and more than 60 chapters worldwide and its initiatives also include other scholarships; grants for academic research into the roles of women and underserved voices in crime fiction; cash awards to libraries and bookstores; and surveys and monitoring projects which determine visibility and representation of women and diverse voices in the genre and across the marketplace.
For more information on its programs and author members, visit the organization’s website at www.sistersincrime.org. Complete guidelines and the application can be found at www.sistersincrime.org/page/EleanorTaylorBland
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