The Fire People edited by Lemn Sissay (Canongate Books) is the winner of the Poetry Award at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2022 sponsored by National Book Tokens. This seminal collection of Black British poets ignited a movement when it was first published in 1998. It celebrated the rising stars of the time, many of whom have since become established names. Inspired and influenced by roots, reggae and hip-hop, this anthology is edited by number one bestselling author and poet Lemn Sissay.
The full list of winners is:
Fiction
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (HarperCollins)
Non-Fiction
The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye (Penguin Books)
Poetry
The Fire People by Lemn Sissay (Canongate Books)
Children’s Fiction
Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell (Walker Books)
Young Adult Fiction
All That’s Left in the World by Erik. J. Brown (Hachette Children’s Group)
Breakthrough Author
Alice Oseman, author of the Heartstopper series (Hachette and HarperCollins)
Readers’ Choice
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (Hachette Children’s Group)
They are the only book awards that reflect the truly diverse tastes of real booklovers and the bookshops they love to visit. This year’s winners were announced at a ceremony at Foyles Bookshop on Tuesday November 2022.
You can find out more on the National Book Tokens website. The shortlists for this year’s awards, now in their seventh year, include six categories curated by a panel of booksellers and voted on by the public, with the Readers’ Choice award – decided entirely by booklovers – completing the set.
