As many readers of MacQueen’s Quinterly and KYSO Flash may know, I’ve been nominating individual literary works for annual awards for 11 years now, beginning with the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and The Best Small Fictions. Over the years, I’ve added additional awards to the list, which until recently included seven annual anthology awards and two annual Touchstone Awards. (For the complete list, see Anthology Awards Portal.)

Preparing nomination packets for nine awards can be a bit time-consuming, so I usually spread out the process from August through November. And at the end of December 2024, New Year’s Eve in fact, I added another entry to my list of annual awards, bringing the total to 10. After all, the number 10 is special, in part because it’s the foundation of the decimal system—pretty convenient for a species with 10 fingers, yes? 😄

The following details are compiled from www.hofferaward.com:

The Eric Hoffer Book Award was founded to honor the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer, by highlighting freethinking writers and independent books of exceptional merit. Since its inception 20 years ago, the Hoffer Award has grown to be one of the largest international independent book awards.

A grand prize of $5,000 is awarded annually. The Hoffer Award identifies a winner, a runner-up, and honorable mentions within 24 all-inclusive categories. Additional honors go to academic, small, and micro publishers, and to self-published authors. Category finalists and the grand prize short list are further noted.

All books nominated are also considered for the Montaigne Medal (for the most thought-provoking book), the da Vinci Eye (for superior cover artwork), the First Horizon Award (for best book by a first-time author), and the Medal Provocateur (best book on the frontier of poetry).

I’m profoundly grateful to the following authors and artists for granting me the pleasure and privilege of curating and designing these books—all of which are collections of some of my favorite works. And I’m delighted to nominate these titles for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards 2025. All nominees will be notified of the award winners in April or May. Best of luck, everyone!

Nominations Listed in Order of Author’s or Artist’s Last Name:

• ⚡  Edible Grace: Lyrical Micro-Prose by Guy Biederman [categories: chapbook; legacy fiction], published by KYSO Flash Press (2019)
  
  
• ⚡  Because the World Is Spinning by Marcus Elman [categories: poetry; first-time author], published by MacQ (2024)
  
  
• ⚡  My Dharma Box by Dan Gilmore (of blessed memory) [category: legacy fiction], published by KYSO Flash Press (2018)
  
  
• ⚡  The War Still Within: Poems of the Korean Diaspora by Tanya Ko Hong (Hyonhye) [category: legacy nonfiction], published by KYSO Flash Press (2019)
  
  
• ⚡  Prayers for Morning: Twenty Quartets by Kendall Johnson, Kate Flannery, and John Brantingham [category: poetry], published by MacQ (2024)
  
  
• ⚡  Writing to Heal: Self-Care for Creators by Dr. Kendall Johnson [category: health], published by MacQ (2024)
  
  
• ⚡  The Memory Palace: an ekphrastic anthology edited by Lorette C. Luzajic and Clare MacQueen, with cover art by Lorette C. Luzajic [category: short story/anthology], published by Ekphrastic Editions (2024)
  
  
• ⚡  Triggered: A Pillow Book by Alexis Rhone Fancher, with visual art by Kenna Barradell [category: poetry], published by MacQ (2023)
  
  
• ⚡  Touching Fire: New and Selected Ekphrastic Prosimetra by Charles D. Tarlton, with artworks by Ann Knickerbocker and 25 others [category: legacy nonfiction], published by KYSO Flash Press (2018)