Prison Tour for the 2026 Inside Literary Prize Begins Next Week
Hundreds of incarcerated readers in 12 prisons in six states to vote on five shortlisted books; tour to include literary readings from acclaimed poets and writers
Beginning April 28 in Illinois, organizers of the third annual Inside Literary Prize – the first US-based literary prize awarded exclusively by currently incarcerated people – begin a tour of prisons across six states. The tour will include live book discussions, voting sessions, and literary readings with acclaimed writers and poets. Featured authors include 2025 Inside Literary Prize winner Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah; past shortlisted author Jamil Jan Kochai; and Reginald Dwayne Betts, award-winning poet, writer, and Freedom Reads Founder & CEO.
The Prize will be awarded in August 2026 by a jury of hundreds of incarcerated individuals from 12 prisons in six states – Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Maine, Maryland, and Massachusetts – to one of five shortlisted books under consideration.
The 2026 shortlisted books are:
Ædnan by Linnea Axelsson, translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel | Knopf / Penguin Random House
All Fours by Miranda July | Riverhead Books / Penguin Random House
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar | Knopf / Penguin Random House
My Friends by Hisham Matar | Random House / Penguin Random House
The Book Censor's Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, translated from the Arabic by Ranya Abdelrahman and Sawad Hussain | Restless Books
This shortlist was determined by a selection committee of incarcerated readers, writers, and Departments of Corrections librarians, who selected the five books from the list of Finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards for Fiction and Translated Literature.
About the Inside Literary Prize
In December 2023, Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation, and the Center for Justice Innovation announced the launch of the Inside Literary Prize. The inaugural Prize was awarded by over 200 incarcerated judges to Imani Perry for South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. This initiative, which is also supported by Lori Feathers, literary podcaster and co-owner of Dallas independent bookstore Interabang Books, seeks to expand access to our country's most thought-provoking literature for people who are incarcerated.
"Returning to Illinois for the Inside Literary Prize is a real joy. Years ago, one of the first places I brought my memoir A Question of Freedom to read was the Cook County Jail. Since then, I've been to no fewer than a half dozen Illinois prisons and juvenile detention centers, because to return is to remember, and to return with literature is to return with hope and possibility," said Reginald Dwayne Betts, Founder & CEO of Freedom Reads.
"What a gift it is to hear from the judges this spring, as they read, reflect, and deliberate on five exceptional National Book Award Finalists," said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. "We're grateful to the judges and the participating facilities, who make the Inside Literary Prize possible; our partners at Freedom Reads for their coordination of an inspiring six-state tour; and the authors and translators of this year’s remarkable shortlist."
“The shortlisted books for the 2026 Inside Literary Prize represent a wonderful range of voices and perspectives,” said Lori Feathers, “and I know that the hundreds of incarcerated judges who will be discussing these books over the next few months will add their own valuable contributions to the ongoing conversation about how these books reflect our life and times.”
“This third year of the Inside Literary Prize brings five extraordinary books to hundreds of dedicated judges on the Inside, reminding us of our shared humanity and the power of the arts to connect us,” said Courtney Bryan, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Justice Innovation. “We look forward to learning from the vibrant debates and invaluable insights our judges in a dozen prisons across this country have to share."
About the National Book Foundation
The mission of the National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards, is to celebrate the best literature published in the United States, connect books with readers of all ages, and champion the literary arts as a vital part of our culture. The Foundation approaches this work from four programmatic angles: Awards & Honors recognize exceptional authors, advocates, literature, and literary programs; Education & Access initiatives foster a lifelong passion for books in young and adult readers; Public Programs bring acclaimed authors to communities nationwide to engage in conversations about books and showcase the power of literature as a tool for understanding our world; and Service to the Literary Field, provides support to the national literary ecosystem. Information on all of the Foundation’s programs can be found online at nationalbook.org.
About the Center for Justice Innovation
The Center for Justice Innovation is a community justice organization that centers safety and racial justice. Since our founding in 1996, the Center has partnered with community members, courts, and the people most impacted to create stronger, healthier, more just communities. Our decades of experience in courts and communities, coupled with our field-leading research and practitioner expertise, help us drive justice nationwide in innovative, powerful, and durable ways. Find out more at innovatingjustice.org.