Yesterday was a big day for Indigenous literature as Kinsale Drake, Darcie Little Badger, and Stacie Shannon Denetsosie received the 2026 American Book Award for Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms, published by Torrey House Press.
Beyond the Glittering World brings together Indigenous writers whose work considers feminism, futurism, identity, gender, community, and the possibilities of Indigenous life in the future. Poetry and prose give the anthology a range of literary styles and perspectives, with contributors representing different Indigenous communities and experiences.
The collection also reflects a growing body of Indigenous literature that isn’t limited to historical period pieces or personal accounts of colonization or historical trauma. Its writers consider contemporary life, relationships, culture, and imagined futures, giving readers a broader view of the Indigenous imagination.
Drake, a Diné poet, wrote The Sky Was Once a Dark Blanket, which won the 2023 National Poetry Series and was named a Southwest Book of the Year. She’s a two-time Academy of American Poets University Prize recipient and former National Student Poet, and her work has appeared in Poetry Magazine, Best New Poets, and Black Warrior Review. She also founded the NDN Girls Book Club, which provides free books to Indigenous youth and communities.
Little Badger is the author of Elatsoe, A Snake Falls to Earth, and Sheine Lende. Elatsoe was named one of TIME‘s 100 best fantasy books of all time and won the Locus Award for Best First Novel, while A Snake Falls to Earth received a Newbery Honor.
Denetsosie, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, wrote a debut collection, The Missing Morningstar and Other Stories, which was named a 2024 Southwest Book of the Year and received a WILLA Literary Award and a Foreword INDIES Book Award. The collection was also a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and Denetsosie was named a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree.
Their work bringing Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms to fruition earned Drake, Little Badger, and Denetsosie recognition as recipients of the 47th annual American Book Awards. Established by the Before Columbus Foundation, the awards recognize literary achievement across the American literary community without limiting recognition to specific genres or categories.
Drake, Little Badger, and Denetsosie were formally honored alongside the other recipients at the 2026 American Book Awards ceremony on September 26, 2026 at the Alumni House on the UC Berkeley.
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