Commonwealth Club World Affairs Jury Releases Winners List
Press Release
The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
Contact: John Zipperer, 415.597.6715, jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
95th Annual California Book Winners
SAN FRANCISCO (May 27, 2026) — “The California Book Awards jury is pleased to announce the titles slated to receive the 2026 California Book Awards,” said Gravity Goldberg, chair of the awards. “It is a profound privilege to spend the year reading the extraordinary work being created by California writers. For 95 years, these awards have recognized voices that illuminate who we are, challenge how we think, and expand the possibilities of literature. This year’s winners continue that remarkable tradition with works of depth, imagination and lasting impact.”
The Gold Medal in Fiction is awarded to Sacrament by Susan Straight, a look into the harrowing early days of the COVID pandemic through the lives of nurses charged to care for the patients. The Fiction Silver Medal goes to Sky Daddy by Kate Folk. Subversive and heartwarming, the book explores desire, fate and the longing to be accepted for who we are. First Fiction Gold winner is Awake in the Floating City by Susana Kwak. In a flooded future San Francisco, a grieving caretaker forms a transformative bond with a 130-year-old woman as they navigate loss, memory, and human connection.
Winning the Gold Medal in Nonfiction is Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs. Through deeply empathetic reporting, the author reconstructs the life of a single mother and her six children as they endure abuse and poverty, and ultimately become unhoused. The Nonfiction Silver Medal is awarded to A Greek Tragedy: One Day, a Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis by Jeanne Carstensen, which chronicles one of the deadliest maritime disasters in modern history.
The Young Adult Gold Medal goes to Trans History by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, using vibrant illustration, the authors examine notable historic and contemporary trans people to offer an essential introduction to this important and overlooked history. Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe receives the Juvenile Gold Medal; through beautifully illustrated images, the picture book wonders about friendship between opposites, in this case, a by-the-book girl and the rule-breaking ghost who haunts her home. The Floating Silver medal is awarded to Stalactite and Stalagmite by Drew Breckmeyer, about a growing friendship between two lumps of rock, as they observe millions of years of passing time.
In Poetry, the Gold Medal is awarded to Green of All Heads by Aracelis Girmay, drawing naturalist observation and communal storytelling, the poems connect ecological degradation to diasporic loss and possibilities of intergenerational repair.
In the Californiana category, the Gold Medal goes to When It All Burns by Jordan Thomas. An elite Los Padres Hotshot gives fascinating insights into the history, ecology, and politics of fire.
The Contribution to Publishing award is presented to San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, by David D. Schmidt, Backcountry Press Publisher.
"The dedicated jury reads hundreds of books under consideration and, through thoughtful reading and passionate discussion, selects titles that speak to the moment — whether through journalistic reporting on issues facing California or an illustrated history of the trans experience," said Goldberg. "These medal-winning books bring insight and inspiration to readers. We are delighted that the California Book Awards can bring even more attention to these outstanding works.”
History
Since 1931, the California Book Awards, presented by Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, have honored the exceptional literary merit of California writers and publishers. Each year a jury considers hundreds of books from around the state in search of the very best in literary achievement. Eligible books must be written while the author is a resident in California and must be published during the year under consideration.
The California Book Awards have often been on the vanguard, honoring previously unknown authors who go on to garner national acclaim. John Steinbeck received three gold medals—for Tortilla Flat in 1935, In Dubious Battle in 1936, and The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. Recent award winners include Rachel Kushner, Susan Orlean, David Treuer, Morgan Parker, and Steph Cha.
Founded in 1903, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. The Club hosts speeches, debates and discussions on topics of regional, national and international interest, and produces two nationally distributed weekly radio programs.
95th ANNUAL WINNERS
GOLD MEDALS FICTION
Sacrament, by Susan Straight, Counterpoint Press
FIRST FICTION
Awake in the Floating City, by Susanna Kwan, Pantheon Books
NONFICTION
Seeking Shelter, by Jeff Hobbs, Scribner
POETRY
Green of All Heads, by Aracelis Girmay, BOA Editions
YOUNG ADULT
Trans History, by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, Candlewick Press
JUVENILE
Aggie and the Ghost, by Matthew Forsythe, Simon & Schuster
CALIFORNIANA
When It All Burns, by Jordan Thomas, Riverhead Books
CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLISHING
San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, by David D. Schmidt, Backcountry Press
SILVER MEDALS
FICTION
Sky Daddy, by Kate Folk, Random House
NONFICTION
A Greek Tragedy, by Jeanne Carstensen, One Signal Publishers
JUVENILE
Stalactite & Stalagmite, by Drew Beckmeyer, Simon & Schuster
###
The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105
Contact: John Zipperer, 415.597.6715, jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
95th Annual California Book Winners
SAN FRANCISCO (May 27, 2026) — “The California Book Awards jury is pleased to announce the titles slated to receive the 2026 California Book Awards,” said Gravity Goldberg, chair of the awards. “It is a profound privilege to spend the year reading the extraordinary work being created by California writers. For 95 years, these awards have recognized voices that illuminate who we are, challenge how we think, and expand the possibilities of literature. This year’s winners continue that remarkable tradition with works of depth, imagination and lasting impact.”
The Gold Medal in Fiction is awarded to Sacrament by Susan Straight, a look into the harrowing early days of the COVID pandemic through the lives of nurses charged to care for the patients. The Fiction Silver Medal goes to Sky Daddy by Kate Folk. Subversive and heartwarming, the book explores desire, fate and the longing to be accepted for who we are. First Fiction Gold winner is Awake in the Floating City by Susana Kwak. In a flooded future San Francisco, a grieving caretaker forms a transformative bond with a 130-year-old woman as they navigate loss, memory, and human connection.
Winning the Gold Medal in Nonfiction is Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs. Through deeply empathetic reporting, the author reconstructs the life of a single mother and her six children as they endure abuse and poverty, and ultimately become unhoused. The Nonfiction Silver Medal is awarded to A Greek Tragedy: One Day, a Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis by Jeanne Carstensen, which chronicles one of the deadliest maritime disasters in modern history.
The Young Adult Gold Medal goes to Trans History by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, using vibrant illustration, the authors examine notable historic and contemporary trans people to offer an essential introduction to this important and overlooked history. Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe receives the Juvenile Gold Medal; through beautifully illustrated images, the picture book wonders about friendship between opposites, in this case, a by-the-book girl and the rule-breaking ghost who haunts her home. The Floating Silver medal is awarded to Stalactite and Stalagmite by Drew Breckmeyer, about a growing friendship between two lumps of rock, as they observe millions of years of passing time.
In Poetry, the Gold Medal is awarded to Green of All Heads by Aracelis Girmay, drawing naturalist observation and communal storytelling, the poems connect ecological degradation to diasporic loss and possibilities of intergenerational repair.
In the Californiana category, the Gold Medal goes to When It All Burns by Jordan Thomas. An elite Los Padres Hotshot gives fascinating insights into the history, ecology, and politics of fire.
The Contribution to Publishing award is presented to San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, by David D. Schmidt, Backcountry Press Publisher.
"The dedicated jury reads hundreds of books under consideration and, through thoughtful reading and passionate discussion, selects titles that speak to the moment — whether through journalistic reporting on issues facing California or an illustrated history of the trans experience," said Goldberg. "These medal-winning books bring insight and inspiration to readers. We are delighted that the California Book Awards can bring even more attention to these outstanding works.”
History
Since 1931, the California Book Awards, presented by Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California, have honored the exceptional literary merit of California writers and publishers. Each year a jury considers hundreds of books from around the state in search of the very best in literary achievement. Eligible books must be written while the author is a resident in California and must be published during the year under consideration.
The California Book Awards have often been on the vanguard, honoring previously unknown authors who go on to garner national acclaim. John Steinbeck received three gold medals—for Tortilla Flat in 1935, In Dubious Battle in 1936, and The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. Recent award winners include Rachel Kushner, Susan Orlean, David Treuer, Morgan Parker, and Steph Cha.
Founded in 1903, Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. The Club hosts speeches, debates and discussions on topics of regional, national and international interest, and produces two nationally distributed weekly radio programs.
95th ANNUAL WINNERS
GOLD MEDALS FICTION
Sacrament, by Susan Straight, Counterpoint Press
FIRST FICTION
Awake in the Floating City, by Susanna Kwan, Pantheon Books
NONFICTION
Seeking Shelter, by Jeff Hobbs, Scribner
POETRY
Green of All Heads, by Aracelis Girmay, BOA Editions
YOUNG ADULT
Trans History, by Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, Candlewick Press
JUVENILE
Aggie and the Ghost, by Matthew Forsythe, Simon & Schuster
CALIFORNIANA
When It All Burns, by Jordan Thomas, Riverhead Books
CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLISHING
San Francisco Bay Area: An Environmental History, by David D. Schmidt, Backcountry Press
SILVER MEDALS
FICTION
Sky Daddy, by Kate Folk, Random House
NONFICTION
A Greek Tragedy, by Jeanne Carstensen, One Signal Publishers
JUVENILE
Stalactite & Stalagmite, by Drew Beckmeyer, Simon & Schuster
###
