KATIE MARIE

Book Awards!

The awards were founded in 2008, and recognise/celebrate the books and writers who have been shaped by, and have helped shape, the literary culture of East Anglia.

 The awards bring together our local paper the Eastern Daily Press, one of our largest business’ Jarrold & Sons, the National Centre for Writing where I am now officially a volunteer, and the University of East Anglia.

Norwich, being England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, is a great city to host these awards and showcase the strength of publishing, writing and reading across the whole of the East of England.

This year the overall winner, aka Book of the Year, came from the Non-fiction category, the Meaning of Geese, by naturalist and conservationist Nick Acheson.

The evening was filled with humour and oddly geese permeated and connected many of the offerings. 

“As ever, it was an enjoyable experience to judge the Book of the Year from the excellent and worthy selection of category winning books. It is always a challenge to consider the outstanding merits within such a spread of titles but the judges were unanimous in choosing The Meaning of Geese as the winner.”

Caroline Jarrold, community affairs adviser at Jarrold & Sons, and Judge

The Exceptional Contribution Award 2023 for outstanding work within writing and publishing in the region was presented to CEO of the Forum in Norwich and champion of local arts and culture, Chris Gribble.

On accepting the award, Chris said: “I’m both delighted and astonished to be awarded the Exceptional Contribution Award as part of the EABAs this year.

“I arrived in Norwich in 2006 and have been so lucky in the years that followed to have worked with so many outstanding writers, translators, booksellers, literature professionals, librarians, publishers, academics, and many more. I’d like to thank all of those people as well as the EABA organisers.”

Discover more about the East Anglian Book Awards at http://www.nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/get-involved/writers/eaba/