2023 Book Awards Recap

We’re proud to report that both of our second-season titles have placed in—or won!—prestigious book prize contests since their publication.

In April, Hannah Lee Jones’s collection When I Was the Wind (published October 2022) won the First Horizon Award, which recognizes outstanding debut books.

Then she took gold in the poetry category of the Nautilus Book Awards…

And so did Hila Ratzabi for her collection There Are Still Woods (published September 2022)!

The Nautilus Awards elevate “books for a better world”—books that support conscious living and sustainability, wellness, spiritual growth, and social change and social justice. We’re honored to be seen as contributing to that mission.

The poetry category of the Nautilus Awards acknowledges books specifically for “evoking compassion, wisdom, greater understanding, empathy, joy, delight, and passion through the artful and poetic use of language.” More broadly, in selecting winners, the reviewers seek to “recognize excellent books that radiate pulses of wisdom, love, hope, collaborative spirit, and creativity.” That’s exactly what June Road Press is aiming to put out into the world, and it really is something to celebrate.

Soon after, When I Was the Wind won the Eric Hoffer Award in poetry. Here’s what the judges had to say about the book—a beautiful distillation of what it’s doing and why it’s different:

This debut collection of both mythical and meditative poems builds a remarkable journey. A new voice for these times, the poet encourages one’s inner wildness to summon a power to call their own. This work has a fascinating rhythm—bright and flowing, creating its own dance. As these extraordinary poems walk along the rivers, explore the deserts and mountains, sail the seas, and rediscover history, we take notice of our own fragility and that of the world. These poems are mile markers for a new road, carrying along all who join Jones on the journey. With an undercurrent of grit, there is just enough magic here to intrigue all who still want to believe in the best within us all.

And it didn’t quite end there. Later in the spring, Hannah’s book also took the bronze medal in poetry in this year’s IPPY Awards, and Hila’s There Are Still Woods became a finalist in the 17th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.

To top it all off, in September, When I Was the Wind was also selected as a Washington State Book Award finalist.

It’s been a validating awards season for this tiny but mighty press and its talented authors!

Go here to see all the ways that June Road Press books have been recognized and honored so far.