2027 Awards - Longlist
How We Pick The WCoNA Book of the Year
Book of the Year celebrates books that capture the spirit and essence of Northern Appalachia. WCONA looks for books that stand out among books within their genre and among other books about Northern Appalachia. Books published in 2025 and 2026 are eligible for nomination in 2027.
Step 1
Publishers, librarians, WCoNA directors nominate books that capture the spirit of northern Appalachia.
Step 2
The WCoNA Book of the Year committee evaluates the nominations and curates the longlist.
Step 3
The committee reads each longlisted title and determines the shortlist, which they hand to an anonymous juried panel.
Step 4
The juried panel reads the books and selects the book of the year. The announcement is made at WCoNA’s annual conference.
WCoNA - Book of the Year 2026
A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia
A collection of art and poetry that celebrates the wonders of the Appalachian mountains
Northern Appalachia is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and home to a broad range of ecological and human cultures. With A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia, editors Todd Davis and Noah Davis recognize and celebrate this diversity and the fact that humans are storytelling creatures who develop relationships with their landscapes at the intersection of art and science.
WCoNA Book of the Year History
Explore all of our shortlist, longlist, special honors and WCoNA Book of the Year winners!
- 2026 Longlist
Lessons from “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: Identity, (Be)Longing, and Imagined Landscapes
WCoNA runs entirely on volunteers, and we have a variety of positions open right now! Join us in helping northern Appalachian literature thrive.
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