The hot topic of Monday, April 28: books and authors in Oregon.

Last night, Literary Arts crowned its 2025 Oregon Book Awards winners at The Armory in Portland, giving seven authors a moment to shine. Portland authors came out strong, snagging six of the seven awards.

Of the 212 submitted titles, 35 were chosen as finalists.

“These authors represent the richness of Oregon’s literary community and exemplify the power of storytelling to illuminate the human experience,” said a Literary Arts press release.

These awards are given out annually by the organization since 1987, highlighting genres from children’s literature to poetry to fiction.

Two special awards — The Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award and The Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award — were given out to Portlanders for making a “significant impact to Oregon’s literary culture,” according to the Literary Arts website.

Let’s take a look at this year’s winners:

Ken Kelsey Award for Fiction: Kimberly King Parsons of Portland

King Parsons won for “We Were the Universe,” published by Knof/Penguin Random House.

Kevin Brockmeier, Lauren Grodstein and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore judged the category.

Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry: Charity E. Yoro of Portland

Yoro won for “ten-cent flower & other territories,” published by First Matter Press.

Mary-Alice Daniel, Brian Teare and Mai Der Van judged the category.

Angus L. Bowmer Award for Drama: Brianna Barrett of Portland

Barrett won for “Still Harvey Still.”

Angela Jackson-Brown, Megan Gogerty and Jessica Huang judged the category.

Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction: Rebbeca Clarren of Portland

Clarren won for “The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance,” published by Viking Books/Penguin Random House.

Chris Feliciano Arnold, Chloé Cooper Jones and Yunte Huang judged the category.

Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult & Middle Grade Literature: Makiia Lucier of Portland

Lucier won for “Dragonfruit,” published by Clarion Books/HarperCollins Publishers.

Sheela Chari, Justin A. Reynolds and Ted Sanders judged the category.

Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature: Anne Broyles of Portland

Broyles won for “I’m Gonna Paint: Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People,” published by Holiday House.

Richard Ho, Angela Joy and Kaz Windness judged the category.

Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction: Jaclyn Moyer of Corvallis

Moyer won for “On Gold Hill: A Personal History of Wheat, Farming, and Family, from Punjab to California,” published by Beacon Press.

Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, Lars Horn and Susan Kiyo Ito judged the category.

Here are the special awards:

The Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award: Jelani Memory of Portland

Memory, founder of A Kids Co., won for their organization that empowers kids books and podcasts for all ages.

The Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award: Laura Moulton of Portland

Moulton, founder of Street books, won for their organization that provides access to reading for underserved communities.

Literary Arts is a nonprofit literary organization founded in 1984 and based in Portland. Its mission is to engage readers, support writers and inspire the next generation with great literature.

For more information, visit literary-arts.org.