For information about the
James Baker Hall Book Award please
see below.
Results from the 2026 James Baker Hall Book Award
Accents Publishing and the
James Baker Hall Foundation are pleased to announce the results of the
2026 James Baker Hall Book Award, given this year for a manuscript of creative nonfiction.
Richard Taylor, acclaimed Kentucky nonfiction writer and this year's judge, has selected
Alex McIntosh as the winner for her manuscript
River Kin
The following manuscripts have been recognized as finalists:
- Laura Beth Roark, Cease … To Be the Fool
- Clint Martin, Daddin' It
- Bruce Lewis, Someone's Child: Growing Up with Happy Chandler
- Kareem Simpson, You Should Have Been There … Things that Sounded Funnier in My Head
Congratulations to the winner and all four finalists!
As the recipient of the James Baker Hall Book Award, Alex McIntosh will receive a
$3,000 cash prize, publication of her book by Accents Publishing, Kentucky Writers on the Road Authors Tour (KYOTR), and extensive promotional support.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who submitted a manuscript for consideration. Thank you for sharing your work with us and for contributing to the literary community that this award seeks to celebrate and support.
Previous winners of the James Baker Hall Book Award are
Wesley Houp for his poetry collection
Strung Out Along the Endless Branch (2024) and
Willie Davis for his short story collection
Honeysuckle Season (2025).
Announcing the James Baker Hall Book Award for 2027
We are also pleased to announce that the next James Baker Hall Book Award will recognize a
full-length poetry manuscript by a Kentucky author at any stage of their career.
Kathleen Driskell, Kentucky Poet Laureate 2025—2026, will serve as the judge. Submission guidelines and additional details will be announced soon.
The James Baker Hall Foundation
The mission of the James Baker Hall Foundation is to preserve and protect our legacy of past great Kentucky writers by investing in future great Kentucky writers.
Following the James Baker Hall Book Award each year, our Kentucky On-The-Road program offers the winner and finalists ongoing opportunities to promote their work across the Commonwealth while helping to nurture the next generation of Kentucky writers. Need based grants are available to support travel and mentoring.
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