Three THNOC Publications earn 14 Prestigious Literary Awards

Titles explore 19th-century Black activism in New Orleans   

NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 3, 2022) — Three books published by The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) have earned more than a dozen state and national literary awards, including the Louisiana Humanities Book of the Year, Louisiana Selection for the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival and the National Translation Award in poetry by the American Literary Translators Association.  

For more than 30 years, THNOC has published books about New Orleans and the Gulf South as part of its mission to promote the study and preservation of our region’s history and culture. The award-winning list of publications comprises a wide range of nonfiction titles including high-quality research and scholarship, new editions and translations of archival materials, biographies of visual artists and musicians, and richly illustrated art volumes and exhibition catalogs.  

“We strive to always put regional history in context with global conversations – looking for what each context helps us understand of the other,” says THNOC President and CEO Daniel Hammer.

The honored titles:  

Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood, written by Fatima Shaik, documents the history of the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle through the slavery era, the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow terrorism.  

·      Humanities Book of the Year from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

·      Best American History of 2021 by Kirkus Reviews

·      51 Favorite Books of 2021 by the Washington Independent Review of Books.

·       Louisiana Writer Award to Fatima Shaik by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana

Afro-Creole Poetry in French from Louisiana’s Radical Civil War-Era Newspapers: A Bilingual Edition, translated by Clint Bruce, includes 79 collected and translated original works by over a dozen activist authors, resurrecting powerful voices from the foundational era of the civil rights struggle that began in New Orleans.  

·      National Translation Award in Poetry: longlist, American Literary Translators Association

·      Lois Roth Award, recognizing outstanding efforts in translation by the Modern Language Association

·      Honorable Mention -- Leadership in History Awards, American Association for State and Local History 

·      Honorable Mention -- American Alliance of Museums Competition, Publication Design

·      Vindie Award by the Southeastern Independent Booksellers Alliance

Monumental: Oscar Dunn and his Radical fight in Reconstruction Louisiana, co-created by Brian K. Mitchell, Barrington S. Edwards and Nick Weldon, tells for the first time the incredible story of Oscar James Dunn, a New Orleanian born into slavery who became America’s first Black lieutenant governor.

·      Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Books, National Council of Teachers of English

·      “Great Reads from Great Places” selection for Louisiana, National Book Festival of the Library of Congress

·      Phillis Wheatley Book Award, Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage

·      Silver Medal – Publications Competition, Southeastern Museums Conference

·      Honorable Mention -- Graphic Novel Critics Poll, Publishers Weekly

To learn more about these award-winning publications visit hnoc.org/books or look for these titles at The Shop at the Collection at 520 Royal St. in New Orleans and at independent bookstores nationwide.