Brown and Godden on Bad Form's first Book of the Year shortlist

Bad Form has announced its first Book of the Year shortlist, including works by Natasha Brown, Caleb Azumah Nelson and Salena Godden.

Publishers, authors and readers were encouraged to submit their own favourite titles by Black, Asian, and racialised community writers published in 2021. After more than 300 nominations, the Bad Form team narrowed them down to a shortlist of 11 books.

They include In the End, It Was All About Love by Musa Okwonga (Rough Trade Books); Black Joy, edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire (Penguin Random House Children's); Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson (Viking); The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin (Dialogue); and Assembly by Natasha Brown (Hamish Hamilton).

Also on the shortlist were Raceless by Georgina Lawton (Sphere); In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Åkerström (Head of Zeus); Mrs Death Misses Death by Salena Golden (Canongate); Keeping the Receipts by Tolani Shoneye, Milena Sanches and Audrey Indome (Headline); This One Sky Day by Leone Ross (Faber); and Mixed/Other by Natalie Morris (Trapeze).

The winner will be decided by an Instagram poll, which will opens today (29th November) and runs for 24 hours. The victorious book will be announced on 1st December. 

Bad Form editor-in-chief Amy Mae Baxter said: "2021 has been another exciting year for Black, Asian, and racialised community authors, and we at Bad Form are thrilled to create another opportunity to celebrate them. There’s a real mix of books in this shortlist, from debuts to anthologies, and we’re entirely unsure who the public will pick as a winner."