Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award 2026 Shortlist – Hartford, CT, August 19, 2026
The Mark Twain House & Museum is thrilled to announce the 2026 Shortlist for the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award (MTVAL).
One of the nation’s leading literary prizes, the MTAVL was established in 2016 with the generous sponsorship of acclaimed novelist and Mark Twain House & Museum Board member David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle. Honoring distinguished fiction that speaks with an American voice and tells a uniquely American story, the Award seeks to preserve the searching and challenging spirit of Mark Twain’s way of looking at the world. It is awarded annually to a work of fiction published in the previous calendar year and carries a $25,000 cash prize.
This year’s Longlist, curated by a national community of volunteer readers from across the country, represented a powerful and diverse array of voices and styles. From 127 submissions, the readers at-large curated a 30-book list spanning a wide range of publishers and featuring acclaimed authors and debut writers alike. The list continues the award’s tradition of recognizing fiction by authors celebrated through major literary honors such as the Booker Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award.
This year’s judging panel includes Ben Shattuck, winner of the 2025 MTAVL Award for his story collection, The History of Sound. From the Longlist, the panel of judges selected the following ten books for the next round of the Award:
Atavists by Lydia Millet
Crooks by Lou Berney
Flashlight by Susan Choi
Fox by Joyce Carol Oates
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Life, & Death, & Giants by Ron Rindo
My Darling Boy by John Dufresne
Stag Dance by Torrey Peters
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie
Chair of judging and Board member Rand Richards Cooper praised the quality of this year’s Shortlist. “It’s a solid list,” he said. “It represents a wide range of voices, regions, and subjects, with fascinating views of American experience. I think Twain would smile.”
Finalists will be announced in September, and the winner will be honored at an award ceremony at The Mark Twain House & Museum on Friday evening, November 6th. On Saturday, November 7th, the museum will continue to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the award with a day-long symposium entitled “Creative Writing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.” This timely and thought-provoking program will bring together writers, editors, educators, and book critics to explore how generative AI prompts us to think more about creative writing, what we value about it, and how we can best uphold those values going forward. For more information, visit https://marktwainaward.org/2026-avl-weekend.
This year’s judging panel includes:
- Adriana Trigiani, bestselling novelist and filmmaker
- Ben Shattuck, 2025 MTAVL recipient
- Michael Gorra, critic and literary scholar
- Laura Pedersen, author and columnist
- Rand Richards Cooper, author and critic
Previous MTAVL winners include:
- The History of Soundby Ben Shattuck
- Absolutionby Alice McDermott
- Mercy Streetby Jennifer Haigh
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nevby Dawnie Walton
- The Only Good Indiansby Stephen Graham Jones
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeousby Ocean Vuong
- Sing, Unburied, Singby Jesmyn Ward
- Dodgersby Bill Beverly
- The Harder They Comeby T.C. Boyle
About The Mark Twain House & Museum
The Mark Twain House & Museum is the restored Hartford, Connecticut home where Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, lived from 1874 to 1891. Twain wrote many of his most iconic works there, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The museum continues to honor Twain’s literary legacy through tours, educational programs, and cultural events. Contact: Evelyn Leong, Marketing Coordinator, evelyn.leong@marktwainhouse.org